The U.S. Department of State (DOS) Visa Office recently released the latest statistical report on EB-5 visas for the 2014 fiscal year (from October 1, 2013, to September 30, 2014). According to the report, a total of 10,692 EB-5 visas were issued globally in the 2014 fiscal year. This is the first time the number of EB-5 visas has exceeded 10,000, indicating that the EB-5 market is nearing a fever pitch.
It is important to note in the report that under current regulations, the annual EB-5 visa quota is no longer sufficient. Among the countries receiving EB-5 visas, applicants born in mainland China alone were issued 9,128 visas, ranking first globally and accounting for 85.4%, a share far ahead of second-place South Korea (Note: South Korea received 225 visas, accounting for only 2.1%). Mainland China holds an absolute monopoly in the global EB-5 visa statistics and is the primary battlefield for U.S. project developers competing for the market.
Looking at the various visa categories, 10,375 visas were issued through Regional Center projects, accounting for 97%; and 10,530 visas were issued for projects in Targeted Employment Areas (TEA) with a 500,000 dollar investment, accounting for 98.5%. From the above data, it can be seen that 500,000 dollar investments in Targeted Employment Areas through Regional Center projects remain the absolute mainstream in the EB-5 program. In other words, EB-5 Regional Center projects in TEA Targeted Employment Areas are the most popular type for investors now and in the future.
Worldway Immigration experts point out: Currently, EB-5 applications are continuing to surge, the backlog is very serious, and the warning of visa retrogression is approaching. By the spring and summer of 2015, or even earlier, Chinese investors in the EB-5 program may officially enter the era of retrogression. We are currently in the golden period of the 2015 fiscal year, and EB-5 visas may usher in another peak period. The annual visa quota is being consumed rapidly, and the countdown to the 2015 fiscal year retrogression has begun. Time is tight, and investors can no longer afford to hesitate. Making a decision before 2015 may be the final deadline for investors to secure an EB-5 visa. To ensure a successful application and reduce approval time, choosing projects already approved by the USCIS is currently a better option for dealing with retrogression.
Currently, the Pennsylvania Turnpike project, exclusively represented by Worldway, is an EB-5 project that has already been approved by the USCIS and holds professional credit ratings from the three major international rating agencies. The Pennsylvania Turnpike project has two outstanding advantages: first, it is a 100% government project that has received actual project pre-approval from the U.S. USCIS I-924; second, the borrower entity—the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission—has long held an A+ credit rating. Now is the best time to seize the scarce quotas for the second phase. For details, please call: 400-138-2929.
