[Sina.com] Exclusive Interview with Former Chairman of the U.S. EB5 Committee on U.S. Investment Immigration

    Mr. Ronald Klasko, could you please introduce to us the considerations of the U.S. government regarding the reform of U.S. investment immigration?

    The government considered three aspects during the EB5 reform:

    1. Project extension; all relevant parties agree that an extension is a positive development.

    2. Price increase; there has been no price increase since 1990, and an increase is certainly forthcoming.

    3. Increasing project security to protect investors. This means stricter regulations, more project disclosures to investors, more reports from regional centers, and more background checks on project-related personnel.

    4. There may be a redefinition of Target Employment Areas (TEA).

    Mr. Ronald Klasko, what impacts will the newly introduced legislation have on investors when selecting projects?

    Investors typically focus on two issues when selecting projects:

    1. The likelihood of obtaining a green card through the investment in the project. 2. The likelihood of recovering the investment amount from the project.

    After the introduction of the new legislation, we hope that the projects investors choose have already undergone pre-approval before the new law takes effect, allowing them to invest in projects with sample approvals. This way, investors can be protected under the grandfather clause. Even if they invest in such projects in the future, they will not be affected by the new law's price increase and will still only need to invest $500,000. Although we are not entirely certain, we hope that there will be legal provisions to ensure protection under the grandfather clause.

    Mr. Sun: As a large number of investors face the imminent expiration of the U.S. EB5 immigration legislation, what should they prioritize? How should they proceed? What strategies does Worldway have?

    For investors, regardless of the extent to which they consider U.S. investment immigration, if they feel that their family has a future need for U.S. immigration, now is a good time to consider this matter. Because currently, only $500,000 is required, and after the new policy on September 30, industry predictions suggest that the price will rise to around $900,000. The funds that could previously support two families will only be sufficient for one family in the future. Additionally, it is essential to choose suitable projects. We recommend selecting projects with sample approvals as much as possible, following the principle of the grandfather clause, to mitigate the impact of the new policy changes on our previous applications.