HELPING EB-5 INVESTORS PRESENT BUSINESS PLANS BEYOND COMPLIANCE
He insists that educating while orienting and presenting a compelling business plan requires skills pivotal in any immigration team counseling EB-5 investors .
" We really dig deep into the essence and spirit of the program and really help immigrants who aren ' t well versed in this country to see viable business opportunities in the U . S ."
" I really look at myself as the quarterback ," Khalili said . " We work hand in hand with clients , and oftentimes I get clients that come to me first to help them pick their entire team . Because as business plan writers , we have the privilege of seeing all different players in the ecosystem . So , we can be a trusted advisor (…) We have the privilege of dealing with diversity , with people from all around the world and very unique cases ."
TRENDS SHAPING THE EB-5 LANDSCAPE FROM A BUSINESS PLAN PERSPECTIVE
Khalili says the EB-5 landscape is thriving with emerging trends and changes since the implementation of the Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 ( RIA ).
to see so much fluff , long documents of extraneous detail ."
As for the type of projects behind better-performing business plans in EB-5 applications , he identifies two compelling features : owner-occupied facilities and reshoring .
The first would be gaining favor among investors because they provide better chances of direct job creation than management projects , increasing their chances of approval .
" With RIA , you can ' t pool direct jobs anymore . We ' re starting to see direct EB-5 projects . Now people that want to pool operating ventures need to use regional centers , so we get the benefit of construction for creating jobs and we get the benefit of tenant job creation and any sort of direct job creation ,” he said .
As a second trend , Khalili says reshoring resonates better with USCIS ' s demands as it brings jobs back to the U . S . and builds on current supply chain , technology , and automation trends .
" Nothing is more beautiful to an immigration officer ' s ears than to see reshoring jobs abroad in a regional center , in direct EB-5 investments , creating jobs in the U . S .," he said .
THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS PLANS IN EB-5 APPLICATIONS
Khalili foresees an EB-5 industry that thrives on tangible job creation and viable business opportunities .
He adds that providing successful , well-crafted business plans in this landscape is paramount to making this future real . For them to work , he believes any potential project pitched to EB-5 investors should meet three features : " One is marketable . Second , a commercially viable business that ' s going to actually work in the marketplace based on all the benchmarks and trends we see . And definitely the third , practical in creating the amount of jobs ."
First , shorter , investor-focused business plans are increasingly passing the USCIS scrutiny . Regardless of the nature or size of the investment , plans highlighting sources of funds , direct job creation , and critical technical components are gaining traction .
" I ' m finding more success with shorter plans that align with what investors are looking for . And that means proformas showing real assumptions , showing sources . Highlighting the key points ,
talking to a human being , not making it overly technical and overly complicated ," Khalili explains .
He also notes immigration officers are more focused on their application processing , driving the demand for concise and substantiated information . " They don ' t want
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