GREEN CARDS FOR INVESTORS

(FIFTH PREFERENCE)

Another provision in our immigration law that enables someone to obtain "green card" status without a sponsoring employer or a close family member to sponsor them is the EB-5 program. Because very few people can qualify under this category due to the relatively large amount of money that has to be invested, there are many visas immediately available to these investors.

Generally speaking, there are two types of investments that will qualify:

1. An investment of $1,000,000 (under certain circumstances only $500,000 is required) in a new commercial enterprise that employs at least ten U.S. citizens or authorized immigrant workers full time. This would be an ideal situation for someone who wants to actually set up and manage their own business in the U.S. since it requires day to day management activities or policy making by the investor himself.

1. An investment of at least $500,000 in a U.S. government approved "Regional Center". This type of investment which results in a green card has become very popular during the last few years, partly because of the high approval rate by the government but mostly because in this type of investment, the investor himself does not have to take an active part in the management of the business or property that is being invested in. For this reason, it has become an excellent vehicle by which qualified individuals around the world have been able to obtain "green cards" for themselves and their family while being able to remain outside the U.S. while their applications are pending.  For those investors who prefer to be in the U.S. while their applications are pending, they are given work authorizations which allow them to work wherever they choose and permission to travel outside the U.S. so their regular lives are not disrupted.

Garganigo, Goldsmith & Weiss has worked closely with American Life, a very successful company that invests primarily in real estate in the U.S. government-approved Regional Center in Seattle, Washington. The required investment of $525,000 is made in a real estate limited partnership. The investors are both U.S. citizens and immigrants seeking green cards in addition to profitable returns. If you would like details about this type of investment which results in green cards without employer or family sponsorships, please contact us.