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EB-5 101: Green Card Through Investment

EB-5 101: Green Card Through Investment. Parisa Karaahmet, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen, & Loewy Alexander G. Rojas, Barst, Mukamal, & Kleiner LLP Genevieve Roman, Extell New York Regional Center Kristal Ozmun, Miller Mayer LLP. NY AILA 2015 EB-5 101. Agenda.

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EB-5 101: Green Card Through Investment

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  1. EB-5 101: Green Card Through Investment Parisa Karaahmet, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen, & Loewy Alexander G. Rojas, Barst, Mukamal, & Kleiner LLP Genevieve Roman, Extell New York Regional Center Kristal Ozmun, Miller Mayer LLP NY AILA 2015 EB-5 101

  2. Agenda • Overview of EB-5 criteria & requirements • Direct vs. regional center investments • Role of counsel in representing the investor • Ethical considerations • Panel’s top tips for new EB-5 practitioners • Q&A NY AILA 2015 EB-5 101

  3. Overview of the EB-5 criteria and requirements • Legal requirements • Source and path of funds • Filing process and RFE trends • Removal of conditions

  4. Eb-5 Basics • EB-5 category created in 1990 for foreign nationals who invest in a new commercial enterprise that will benefit the U.S. economy and create at least 10 full-time jobs. • Congress set aside 10,000 immigrant visas annually for investors and their immediate family members. • Immigrant Investor Pilot Program enacted in 1993, providing for regional centers – due to sunset on September 30, 2015. Job creation may be estimated using “reasonable methodologies.” • Foreign nationals can get a green card if: • Invest $500,000 or $1,000,000 (depending on geographical area); and • Investment creates full-time jobs for 10 U.S. workers • Green cards conditional for 2 years • Conditions removed if investment sustained and jobs created NY AILA 2015 EB-5 101

  5. I-526 Petition • General requirements – INA § 203(b)(5) and 8 CFR § 204.6 • New commercial enterprise • $500,000 or $1 million from a lawful source • At-risk investment • Investment will create at least 10 full-time U.S. jobs • Investor must be engaged in the management of the enterprise NY AILA 2015 EB-5 101

  6. I-526 – Individual Investors • New Commercial Enterprise • Created after November 29, 1990 • Matter of Soffici, 22 I & N Dec. 158, 165-166 (1998), Matter of Hsiung, 22 I & N Dec. 201 (1998); • OR • Substantial change from investment - 40% expansion of net worth or number of employees NY AILA 2015 EB-5 101

  7. I-526 – Individual Investors • Actively in the process of investing $1 million or $500,000 if the investment is in a targeted employment area • Targeted employment area (“TEA”) • A rural area of less than 20,000 in population; or • An area which as unemployment of at least 150% of the national average • Evidenced by submitting a letter from the state’s agency confirming that the area has high unemployment and defining the statistical area • USCIS may disagree with the state’s method of calculation, but generally will defer to the geographic area NY AILA 2015 EB-5 101

  8. I-526 – Individual Investors • Investment must be at risk • Matter of Soffici, Matter of Izummi, Matter of Hsiung, 22 I & N Dec. 201 (1998) , Matter of Ho 22 I & N Dec. 206 (1998) • Must be an equity investment • Debt instrument prohibited/no guaranteed repayment • Personal funds or loan secured by personal assets NY AILA 2015 EB-5 101

  9. I-526 – Individual Investors • Lawful source of Investment Funds • Matter of Soffici and Matter of Izummi • Examples • business earnings, salary, gifts, loan, etc. • Evidenced by personal tax returns, financial statements, etc. NY AILA 2015 EB-5 101

  10. I-526 – Individual Investors • Tracing • USCIS requires the petitioner to demonstrate that the personal funds derived from a lawful source and were ultimately invested in the EB-5 enterprise • Numerous transactions between investor and the EB-5 enterprise investment would require the investor to provide documentation from each transaction EB-5 Enterprise EB-5 Investor $$$ $$$ $$$ NY AILA 2015 EB-5 101

  11. I-526 – Individual Investors • Job creation • The investment must result in the enterprise creating or saving 10 full time jobs (35 hours per week) for US workers (USC citizen, LPR, work authorized immigrant) • Must be direct job creation, i.e. W-2 employees evidence by submitting I-9 forms of employees and for US workers (supporting docs copy of passport, I-551 card with the I-9 forms) NY AILA 2015 EB-5 101

  12. I-526 – Individual Investors • Job creation • Defined in terms of the position, not the person. The position must be created and filled by a US worker • Investor and family members do not count • When must position be filled? How long must it last? NY AILA 2015 EB-5 101

  13. Direct vs. Regional Center EB-5 Investment • What is a “regional center”? • Pros and cons of direct v. regional center EB-5 investments • Differences in representation on direct v. RC-based EB-5 petitions

  14. I-526 – Individual Investors • Engage in business on day to day basis or through policy formation • Title and description of job duties • Evidence of corporate officer or director position • Board position (policy formation) • Purely passive investor not permitted NY AILA 2015 EB-5 101

  15. Regional Center v. Individual Eb-5 • Individual Eb-5 Petition • Investor buys business or starts new business • Must be 10 direct full-time, W-2 employees who are USCs or LPRs • Few applications • Regional Center Eb-5 Petition • Investment into a business associated with a USCIS Approved Regional Center • 95% of all applications • Main advantage • Indirect employment counts through the use of an economist report to predict project job creation. NY AILA 2015 EB-5 101

  16. What is a Regional Center? • A Regional Center (“RC”) is not merely a defined geographic area but rather it is a business entity that coordinates foreign investment within an approved geographic area in compliance with the EB-5 statutory, regulatory and precedent decision framework • Regional Centers do not hold sole jurisdiction over their geographic region – several RC’s may cover the same area(s) and/or have partially overlapping boundaries • Purpose of the RC: Promotes economic growth through increased export sales, improved regional productivity, increased domestic capital investment, and job creation NY AILA 2015 EB-5 101

  17. Regional Center v. Direct EB-5 • Over 90% of I-526 petitions filed annually are Regional Center-affiliated. Perceived benefits of RC Investment may include: • A particular RC-affiliated investment project may be pre-approved by USCIS; • Indirect employment counts through the use of an economic impact report to project job creation • less active role in the day-to-day policy formation and management of the business

  18. RC Affiliated Projects may count both Direct and Indirect Jobs • Regional Center affiliated projects may count direct jobs of full time, W-2 employees, as well as indirect jobs in meeting the ten jobs per investor requirement: • “notwithstanding the requirements of 8 CFR 204.6, the Attorney General shall permit aliens admitted under the pilot program . . . to establish reasonable methodologies for determining the number of jobs created by the pilot program, including such jobs which are estimated to have been created indirectly “ (Section 610, 1993 Act) NY AILA 2015 EB-5 101

  19. Who Creates a Regional Center? Relationship to the project? • Project developers may create their own regional center in order to raise capital for their own development projects • Project developers may have a project sponsored by a non-affiliated regional center (“Rent-a-Center”) • The Regional Center and the investment Project are separate entities, but are affiliated • Regional Center has oversight/compliance obligations independent of the Project NY AILA 2015 EB-5 101

  20. Regional Center Functions • Tracks infusion of capital into job-creating enterprise and monitors JCE’s compliance with Biz Plan and foundational facts in economic impact report, as well as other requirements of the immigration regulations • Ex: Maintain up-to-date “TEA” verifications; no “material change” • Other ongoing administration and compliance/reporting requirements, such as: • Track, monitor and report on Form I-924A • Offering and sale of investments conducted in accordance with securities regulations • IRS reporting requirements (maintain up-to-date IRS form W-8 or W-9’s, as applicable; distribution of K-1’s

  21. Regional Center Functions, Cont. • May screen investors for securities and immigration issues • May coordination with immigration counsel and provide oversight of the immigration petitions/processes: • Provide I-526 templates to investors/counsel • May review investor source of funds • Allocates jobs among investors • Provide I-829 templates to investors/counsel • May provide investors with project updates • Evaluates and selects potential new projects for suitability within the EB-5 program’s framework NY AILA 2015 EB-5 101

  22. Regional Center Approvals • Approved for certain industries – NAICS codes • Approved for a certain geographic area • Approved for a certain economic methodology • What should an attorney look for in a RC designation when representing an investor? • All of the above PLUS: • Project Pre-Approval? • Job Allocation between investors? NY AILA 2015 EB-5 101

  23. Role of the Immigration Attorney in Representing the Investor • Attorney’s relationship with the client • explaining the limits of attorney representation • Understanding client’s goals and ensuring EB-5 is the appropriate option • Managing expectations • Immigration due diligence

  24. Timeline for EB-5 Process Individual EB-5 investors file I-526 petitions • Approx. 14* months; PLUS • approx. 4-9+ months for Consular Processing / Adjustment of Status Two-Year Conditional Lawful Permanent Residence Status • 24 months I-829 Petition to Remove Conditions • Filed during 90 day period before CLPR status expires • Approx. 12.3* months *As of March 31st, 2015 NY AILA 2015 EB-5 101

  25. Ethical considerations • Knowing when to co-counsel and when to use experts • Payment of finder fees to attorneys • Engagement letters

  26. Panel’s top tips for newer EB-5 practitioners

  27. QUESTIONS?

  28. Disclaimer • This presentation outline and the presentation itself are for general educational purposes only and are not intended to provide specific guidance or legal advice about what to do or not to do in any particular case. You should not rely on this general information to make decisions about specific immigration matters. If you are not yourself a lawyer, you should seek the assistance of an immigration lawyer to help you resolve these issues. Thank you. NY AILA 2015 EB-5 101

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