likely lead to more potential immigrants to consider
the U.S. for relocation, and, in particular, EB-5. Interest
in the U.S. market has also been bolstered due to
new policies in Europe regarding the sharing of bank
information between Western
European countries and
Russia. Pursuant to Russia’s
decision in 2016 to accede
to the Common Repor ting
Standard regime, starting in
2017 Russian authorities will
be able to acquire account
information for Russian
citizens in partner jurisdictions
that are also subject to the
CRS.
SENTIMENT AMONG
RUSSIAN-SPEAKING
INVESTORS REGARDING EB-5
Despite the longevity of the
EB-5 program, knowledge of
the EB-5 program in Russia
an d su r ro u n din g mar ke ts
remains relatively low. This
is true not only among actual
investors but also advisors,
agents, and other professionals
in legal and financial spheres
who could serve as potential
referral sources. Even agencies
w i t h s i g n i f i c a n t ye a r s of
experience in dealing with
European and other jurisdictions for second citizenship
have at best a rudimentary understanding of the general
requirements of the EB-5 program and typical project
structures.
"Interest in the U.S.
market has been
bolstered due to new
policies in Europe
regarding the sharing
of bank information..."
This includes most major
jurisdictions in Western Europe.1 This development
has been the source of serious concern for Russian
high net-worth individuals, since they traditionally
have kept the majority of their assets in banks in
Western Europe. As a result, affluent investors from
Russia and surrounding markets are increasingly
turning to the United States as a favorable jurisdiction
for capital.
There have been an increased number of Russian-
language sites with information related to EB-5.
However, for the most part, these are opportunistic
sites set up by intermediaries with limited, if any,
experience and knowledge in the EB-5 program and
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