When Shah first started looking into EB-5, though, his
journey was about discovery. What was the investment?
The financial risks? The immigration risks? What about
maintaining a U.S. green
card?
Shah felt comfor table
doing his own research,
par ticularly with regards
in placing his investment.
In India, he was a venture
capital and private equity
investor. As a char tered
accountant from the
Institute of Char tered
Accountants of India, he
said he can look at stacks
of documents and not feel
intimidated.
“I’ve looked at investments
all my life,” he said. “My
bread and butter is to look
at investor opportunities.”
Shah wanted to immigrate
to the U.S. for both personal
and professional reasons.
Personally, he sought to better the educational opportunities
for his family, such as his daughter’s college. Professionally,
he wanted to expand his investment experience to Silicon
Valley, a hub of venture capital activity.
“I thought it would be interesting and a challenge to be
in that ecosystem,” he said.
Shah started examining regional centers.
“ While the market seemed ver y big from an external
perspective, like any space, it boils down to the top two
or three players,” Shah said.
Of those, he picked CanAm Enterprises, a New York
City-based regional center. He liked how the company
presented itself to potential investors - “forthcoming in
terms of their transparency and track record,” Shah said.
He pu t his money toward an infrastruc ture projec t
in Philadelphia. Shah said the immigration process
was speedy, simple and smooth. He also retained an
immigration attorney and CPA.
“Everybody played a fantastic role,” he said.
F o r S h a h , e v e r y t h i n g w o r ke d o u t a s p l a n n e d . N o
surprises.
“I understood the entire EB-5 process,” Shah said.
Santa Cruz – and even get ting the bonus of paying
its California resident low-tuition rate, not the higher
international student rate. He likes how California ,
and S ilicon Valley in
particular, are welcoming
of immigrants. His son ,
11, attends a local middle
school and his wife works
in a bank.
“ Yo u l o o k f o r t h o s e
p o c ke t s w h e r e yo u c a n
easily assimilate yourself
to become a functioning
m e m b e r of so c i e t y,” h e
said.
Now that he’s in the U.S.,
Shah hopes to establish
himself in the investment
banking and venture
capital fields. He wants to
be a “value creator” in his
new ecosys tem. He has
a Series 7 license and is
working to complete his
Series 66 license by the
end of 2018.
Shah has been spreading the word about EB -5, too.
He has hosted seminars about the program for his
community, talked with some H-1B visa holders about
applying, spoke about how prospective investors should
select projects and the challenges for the source of
funds statements.
S h a h l i ke s h o w E B - 5 i s a v i s a o p t i o n t h a t a l l o w s
immigrants to work anywhere they want.
“ That was a big draw for us,” he said. “We would not
have had that freedom on other visas…as an EB-5, you’re
completely free.”
Shah says EB-5 applicants shouldn’t get discouraged
about what they may read online.
“When you do a Google search on EB-5, a lot of things
are negative … you won’t find enough success stories
like mine,” he said. “Don’t just look at some Google
searches and decide that it is not the right kind of
program for you. Keep the faith, engage an attorney, do
a proper analysis.”
Shah advises applicants to stay positive.
“ T he sys te m wor ks ,” he said. “ L ike wi th any othe r
system, there will be challenges, but keep the faith.”
Shah moved to California with his wife and daughter
in July 2017. His daughter, now 18, is at tending UC
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