Mengci Samantha Shao , 28 , filed the I-526 petition together with her husband in 2015 . After college , the couple was lucky enough to both get H-1B visas but are still waiting for their EB-5 green cards .
“ I decided to use the EB-5 program because of the flexibility it brings to my family ,” said Shao , who earned her B . S . magna cum laude in Business Administration from University of Denver and her law degree from The George Washington University Law School .
“ When I was a student and by myself , $ 500,000 was a lot of money and I wasn ’ t even sure if I wanted to immigrate . After getting married , however , my husband and I soon decided to do EB-5 because we made the decision to settle down in the U . S . and build a family here .”
WHAT DID YOU CHOOSE TO INVEST IN AND WHERE ARE YOU AT IN YOUR EB-5 JOURNEY ?
I invested in a multi-use commercial real estate development project in Washington , DC because I was attending law school in DC , and it just felt good that I was familiar with the project location . My $ 500,000 investment was through a regional center .
Unfortunately , soon after I invested , the retrogression started . My I-526 was approved under normal processing time , but I am still in line waiting for my priority date of January 2015 to become current .
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE DURING THE EB-5 PROCESS ?
It was the decision-making process . My parents put me in charge of choosing the investment project . Given the big investment amount and the fact that I was a fulltime law student then , it was a lot of pressure on me .
HOW IS YOUR LIFE NOW SINCE MOVING TO THE UNITED STATES ?
We ’ ve settled down in Silicon Valley , CA . Although we have yet to file our adjustment of status applications , we know that it will be our turn soon . We made some other investments here in CA , and started a life here . I have become a licensed attorney in CA and work at a law firm .
WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH AS AN IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY ? WHAT SERVICES DO YOU OFFER ?
I work as the Supervising Attorney at American Visa Law Group , a full-service immigration law firm based in San Jose and Fremont in California . Our firm represents clients in all aspects of immigration cases , family based and employment based , removal proceedings and asylum . We also specialize in investment based immigration cases , such as E2 and EB-5 . Given my background in finance and my experience with EB-5 , my focus is on the business side of immigration law .
WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND ?
I graduated from University of Denver with a BS in Finance , and I went on to law school and obtained a JD degree from The George Washington University Law School . During law school , I became very interested in immigration law , partially because of my EB-5 experience . I participated in the Immigration Clinic at GW Law , interned at various immigration law firms in DC , and when I relocated to California , I worked as a Law Clerk for a multi-national immigration law firm in San Francisco . I am now the Supervising Attorney at American Visa Law Group .
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER INVESTORS WHO WANT TO USE THIS PROGRAM ?
Make wise investment decision , understand the risk and be patient with the current backlog for China . For many , investing $ 500,000 in a foreign country and in an industry , which they are completely unfamiliar with seems to be a remote and almost impossible task . Well , speaking from my own experience , it is certainly doable .
The investors should be prepared to spend the time and energy to study the project , the industry , and seek advice from experts who are trained to help them in these situations .
At the same time , they should understand the inherent risks associated with any EB-5 projects , and be realistic about them . Finally , although the retrogression for Chinese investors are frustrating , there is hope that the situation will change soon as law makers are already working on it . I am optimistic about it .
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