[Immigration Hot Topic] Four Major Trends in the U.S. Investment Immigration Reform on December 11

Although U.S. investment immigration has just changed its deadline from 930 to December 11, the direction of the EB-5 industry after December 11 remains a hot topic of discussion. In recent days, issues such as the increasing difficulty of EB-5 U.S. investment immigration have attracted widespread attention from both domestic and international media, and have been widely discussed by various immigration agencies. Worldway has found that many of these discussions originate from reports by CNN. Below, Worldway analyzes and interprets the four major trends in the U.S. investment immigration EB-5 reform that are currently being discussed:

Trend One: Price Increase

The EB-5 reform proposal suggests raising the investment threshold from the current $500,000 to between $800,000 and $1,200,000.

[Worldway Interpretation] Although there are various opinions on the EB-5 reform, there is almost a consensus on the price increase. For investors, this not only means an increase of approximately 2 million RMB in the EB-5 investment amount, but the price increase will also complicate the currency exchange operations for applicants and extend the processing time.

Trend Two: Financial Transparency

EB-5 investment immigration projects will need to disclose more information regarding how funds are used, as well as whether project developers have any criminal records. Meanwhile, investors may face more thorough scrutiny regarding the legal sources of their funds. Some congressional proposals even prohibit large amounts of funds gifted by friends.

[Worldway Interpretation] Financial transparency increases the difficulty of case reviews for EB-5 investors. The scope of permissible fund gifts for investors is clearly defined and narrowed, and the increase in documentation required to verify the legal sources of funds leads to greater difficulty in proving the source of funds and relatively longer review times.

Trend Three: TEA Area Designation

Lawmakers have long debated whether EB-5 investment projects should focus on metropolitan areas or remote towns. Some lawmakers believe that investments should be directed towards remote areas, as the people there are in greater need of jobs.

[Worldway Interpretation] The issue of TEA area designation is also one of the more controversial aspects of the EB-5 reform. Ultimately, it is a political game of interests between the two parties in the U.S. Congress. Of course, there is currently no specific conclusion on TEA area designation, and it remains a topic of intense discussion.

Trend Four: EB-5 Will Add a Retroactive Mechanism

Members of Congress will have the authority to decide when changes to EB-5 will take effect and when they will expire. This means determining whether new proposals will take effect immediately on December 11, or at a later date, and whether they will protect only the projects or both the projects and the investors. These uncertainties will lead to potential new requirements and higher investment amounts for future investment immigration applicants.

[Worldway Interpretation] This also relates to the discussion of the grandfather clause protection mentioned by Worldway previously. Currently, the focus of the controversy in Congress regarding the grandfather clause is whether it protects only the investors or provides dual protection for both the projects and the investors, with the most contentious issue being the protection of new investors in old projects after the new legislation takes effect.

Summary: Investors Should Seize the Last Historical Opportunity Before December 11

Worldway's immigration experts analyze that the best solution to address these uncertainties is to seize the last historical opportunity for a $500,000 investment immigration to the U.S. by decisively and quickly investing in projects that have received sample approval from the immigration bureau for I-526, are fully employed, and have low repayment risks, and to submit applications and make payments as early as possible. Worldway's group purchase for the U.S. investment immigration EB-5 program has been extended to December 11, and we are launching two major projects that are the only chief agents in the Greater China region, which have received sample approval from the immigration bureau for I-526, are fully employed, have strong developers, and have strong repayment capabilities - the DLJ Four Seasons Hotel Resort Project and the Columbus 90 Apartment Project, once again making every effort to help investors catch the last train before December 11! For more project details and group purchase information, please call Worldway's 24-hour consultation hotline at 400-138-2929.