EB5 Investors Magazine Volume 3 Issue 3 | Page 76

An Interview with DAVID BROWN by EB5 Investors Magazine Staff EB5 Investors Magazine: When did you decide to immigrate to the United States? What is your main motivation for becoming a permanent resident? David: We decided to move to the United States in 2007. I had been vacationing to Florida for several years off and on, and had bought a few rental properties. We started thinking about making the move for our four young children, and my family enjoyed vacationing there. I started to look into optio ns, in Christmas of 2007, we made the trip as a family to Florida to make a decision about the program. EB5 Investors Magazine: How did you learn about the EB-5 program? David: When we began researching ways to come to the United States I came across the EB-5 program. With being a business owner, I did not think that I could qualify to be sponsored under any other kind of visa, so I started doing research into the program. Fortunately, I was in the financial position to make that a possibility, and began researching how to make that happen. I met with a few people in Florida, and one in London, and then started performing due diligence to look into projects. EB5 Investors Magazine: Could you briefly describe your professional background and business? David: I am from Northern Ireland, and owned a family farm with my brothers. I also had purchased a few rental properties in the United States over the years, and managed those. EB5 Investors Magazine: Did you conduct your own due diligence before making the investment? How much time did you spend evaluating the project you invested in? David: Yes, I did. I evaluated 12 projects in total, and spent at least a few months looking into the projects. I did not wanted to find a project that was an investment in a property, in real estate. I knew that the investment had to be at risk and was not guaranteed, and wanted to make a decision on a project that had as little risk as possible. There were some projects that offered 1 percent back, some that offered five percent, but I was looking for one that offered the most secure investment and return in terms of job numbers. EB5 Investors Magazine: Can you briefly describe what the EB-5 process was like from an investor’s perspective? David: CMB made the process very smooth. From the beginning, I spoke directly with Kraig at CMB. Having that contact with someone from high up in the organization helped with peace of mind through the process – when you are investing half a million dollars, you want to be able to know what is happening with that money and when. 74 EB5 INVESTORS MAGAZINE