EB5 Investors Magazine "Top 25 Awards Edition" Volume 8 Issue 1 | Page 20

Comparing U.S. visa alternatives to EB-5 from a cost perspective While the L-1A, EB-1C and the E-2 visas might seem like less costly options, the least expensive process of obtaining U.S. permanent residency is investing in the EB-5 regional center project. By Edward Beshara T here are several U.S. visa processes for foreign national investors to enter the U.S. Some allow the foreign national investor to enter the U.S. within a matter of a few months and these are the nonimmigrant visa processes. W hile foreign national inves tors can inves t in U.S . businesses for EB-5 regional center projects or in U.S. subsidiary companies for U.S. permanent residency, there is a waiting period, usually a minimum of two years. The main question foreign national investors are asking in 2021, is how can they protect the wealth that they have accumulated in their own country and globally, and how can 20 EB5 INVESTORS MAGAZINE they minimize their investment in the U.S. to obtain either a temporary U.S. visa or permanent residency status? The alternative U.S. temporary visa processes include the L-1A intracompany transfer and, the E-2 investor visa process. While the U.S. permanent residency process will include the EB-1C intracompany transfer for executives, managers, or investment in an EB-5 direct or regional center project. Let’s discuss the diagnosis or comparison of the cost of investing in various U.S. visa processes and concluding that the least expensive process of obtaining U.S. permanent residency will be investing in the EB-5 regional center