The U.S. EB-5 investment immigration program is one of the pathways to immigrating to the United States and is currently a popular choice for Chinese citizens. The U.S. EB-5 program involves many aspects, which we will analyze one by one.
I-526: The full name is Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur. This is the visa application submitted by investors after making an EB-5 investment. The condition for obtaining this visa is that the business model provided by the project party is recognized by the USCIS, and the investment funds are fully in place. After obtaining the I-526, investors can enjoy the same rights and benefits as other U.S. permanent residents, but there is a 2-year time limit; investors must apply to remove the conditions upon expiration.
I-829: The full name is Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status. Investors must submit an application to the USCIS, accompanied by the following evidence: the investment has been made or is being made in the project, the project is being executed according to the business plan, the business and investment have been sustained throughout the two-year conditional period, and the investor has created or can reasonably expect to create 10 full-time jobs within a reasonable period. (If it is a Regional Center project, indirect employment can be calculated.) After obtaining this visa, one can apply for U.S. citizenship as long as the 5-year continuous residence requirement is met.
Regional Center: An entity approved by the USCIS based on economic development proposals for specific geographic areas, with the purpose of developing a plan that utilizes immigrant investor funds to promote economic growth within the designated geographic area. In short, a Regional Center is an entity composed of a company or government unit that has been approved by the USCIS to operate within the regulations of the EB-5 Pilot Program. EB-5 investors investing in a designated Regional Center can include proof of indirect job creation calculated in a reasonable manner in their permanent resident applications. As of 2012, the USCIS has approved over two hundred Regional Centers.
TEA: Stands for Targeted Employment Area. These are areas designated by the USCIS where the unemployment rate is 150% of the national average. For EB-5 projects within these areas, the investment threshold can be reduced to $500,000.
NVC (National Visa Center): The National Visa Center, abbreviated as NVC, is a visa processing center under the U.S. Department of State. The Visa Center was established in 1994 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Visa Center is primarily responsible for collecting visa application fees and application documents. Once the applicant's priority date matches the current visa bulletin, the Visa Center will notify the applicant and instruct them to pay the correct amount of processing fees. After the processing fees are cleared, the Visa Center will contact the applicant again to request the necessary immigrant visa documents for final adjudication.