TOP IMMIGRATION AT TORNEYS
IGNACIO A. DONOSO
I.A. DONOSO & ASSOCIATES | FOUNDER
Ignacio A. Donoso is a leading
business immigration attorney
whose career spans 20 years,
with par ticular exper tise in
visas for EB-5 entrepreneurs,
companies expanding
operations to the U.S., start-ups and skilled professionals.
Donoso founded I.A. Donoso & Associates in 2013, after
previously working as partner of FosterQuan, LLP (now
Foster, LLP), one of the top immigration law firms in the U.S.
Donoso has been selected to serve in many AILA national
committees. Donoso has been recognized among the
Top 25 immigration attorneys in the United States in 2015
and 2016. Donoso is a frequent speaker at national and
international conferences.
WHAT TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING
IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY?
Investors and regional centers are searching the horizon for
predictability. They face issues such as the potential for
changes in regulations, new visa waiting lists, and slowing
demand for EB-5 visas from key markets such as China,
India and Vietnam. At the same time, increased competition
for fewer investors is causing available projects to trend
toward having higher quality features for investors, such as
I-924 approvals, negotiable administrative fees and
increased potential for return-on-investment paid to
investors. Regional centers and EB-5 investors are likely to
emerge from this phase of the EB-5 program strengthened
in their roles.
WHY DID YOU GET INVOLVED
IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY?
The EB-5 program holds great promise for the U.S. by
offering lawful permanent resident status based on an U.S.
job-creating investment. The merits of the EB-5 program
became especially compelling during the economic
recession that started in 2008. I recall businesses struggling
to find financing and seeking out the EB-5 program as a
solution. The EB-5 program created real jobs at a time when
capital was scarce and businesses were struggling to
survive. The EB-5 program has grown, matured and hopefully
will continue to provide an extraordinarily creative and
helpful solution for combining investment and immigration
to the U.S.
ROBERT P. GAFFNEY
LAW OFFICES OF ROBERT P. GAFFNEY | ATTORNEY
Robert P. Gaffney is a State Bar
of California certified specialist
in immigration and nationality
law. Through the Law Offices of
Robert P. Gaffney based in San
Francisco, Gaffney has for over 30 years counseled clients
in employment, investment and family-based immigration
matters. The firm has a strong practice focus on the
representation of immigrant investors. Gaffney attended
the University of Michigan and is fluent in the Chinese
language. His publications include “Practical Approaches to
Lawful Source of Funds Issues” in the EB-5 Book (ILW.com
2012/2017) and “Can a Minor File an EB-5 Petition,” in EB5
Investors Magazine (October 2016).
WHAT TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING
IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY?
Global diversification of the marketplace brings increased
competition among offerors seeking to raise capital from a
generally more well-informed investor pool. The need to redeploy
capital due to lengthy visa wait times for investors from
oversubscribed countries has created increased complexities
for offerors and investors alike. Investors are demanding greater
offeror transparency and are increasingly seeking expert advice
from experienced and unconflicted immigration attorneys and
financial advisors to support a fact-based project-selection
process. To increase investor confidence and develop and
maintain market share, the implementation of independent
third-party oversight procedures is becoming a recognized best
practice for project planners.
WHY DID YOU GET INVOLVED
IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY?
When the EB-5 program was launched in 1991, taking on
immigrant investor cases was a natural outgrowth of our existing
employment-based immigration practice. The EB-5 program
offered advantages over other visa categories which typically
have strict entry requirements and require an offer of full-time
permanent employment in the U.S. The EB-5 program allowed
us to develop a new class of immigration clients who might lack
pre-existing ties to prospective employers or qualified family
sponsors in the U.S. but who possess a record of financial
success in their home countries, thereby offering new
opportunities for diversification of our law firm’s practice.
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