TOP IMMIGRATION ATTORNEYS
ROHIT KAPURIA Attorney at Law Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP
Rohit Kapuria is an attorney at Saul
Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP. He regularly represents EB-5 lenders, borrowers, banks, regional centers, real estate developers and migration brokers. Uniquely, Kapuria’ s legal practice is a dual hybrid of corporate securities and EB-5 immigration. He has worked on over 350 EB-5 transactions, with a combined capital development cost in excess of $ 6 billion. Over the last 5 years, he has actively worked to develop the Indian and Gulf countries’ EB-5 markets, frequently traveling and making presentations to audiences in those regions, and he now represents a sizeable portion of the Indian EB-5 market. Kapuria is fluent in Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Hausa. Prior to entering the legal profession, he worked as an economist and fund manager where he, with a team of analysts, created and analyzed predictive fund models for a NGO’ s portfolio.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE FUTURE OF THE EB-5 INDUSTRY LOOKS LIKE?
There has and will continue to be some level of consolidation in the marketplace following a steady explosion of interest in EB-5 over the past few years. Compliance and integrity are two key issues that are increasingly getting airtime and require practical solutions to reform some of the problems we are witnessing. I have worked to develop several compliance services, a principal component of which is EB-5 loan compliance. There is an inherent need to ensure that the EB-5 loans are properly underwritten and the terms of the loan agreements comply with the original intent disclosed to EB-5 investors.
WHY DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY?
It was actually by happenstance. I was directed to a meeting with Ron Klasko a few years back. Because I have a graduate degree in mathematical economics, Klasko engaged me in a number of questions on RIMS II and IMPLAN. Until that point, I was not aware of the inherent importance the economic impact analysis plays within the regional center structure. This crossover between transactional law, immigration law and economics had me hooked and so began my journey in the EB-5 world. I owe my growth and knowledge in this space to Klasko and Ronnie Fieldstone.
PARISA KARAAHMET Partner Fragomen Worldwide
Parisa Karaahmet is a partner at Fragomen
Worldwide and specializes in corporate, individual and complex immigration matters. Her areas of specialty include advising clients with respect to the EB-5 investor visa and other entrepreneurial visa options, criminal and inadmissibility grounds, employer sanctions and I-9 compliance. Karaahmet leads a team that specializes in EB-5 immigrant investor and entrepreneurial visas, and is a member of the firm’ s Worldwide Investor Group. She has served as a member of IIUSA’ s Editorial Committee and writes and presents extensively on EB-5 related issues. Prior to joining Fragomen, Karaahmet served as an assistant district counsel and acting deputy district counsel for the Immigration & Naturalization Service, New York District.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE FUTURE OF THE EB-5 INDUSTRY LOOKS LIKE?
I would like to see greater consistency and efficiency in EB-5 adjudications overall, and faster review of 526 and 829 petitions. It is important not to lose sight of the value that this program offers in terms of economic development. In order to remain competitive with other global investment programs, investors need to see the light at the end of the tunnel and faster processing times are necessary in this regard. It would also be ideal to see concurrent filing of 526 petitions and adjustment of status applications, as well as priority date retention and age-out protections for investors and their family members.
WHY DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY?
EB-5 is a dynamic and challenging field and provides a different perspective in terms of representing high net worth individuals in the business immigration context. Our lawyers enjoy working on EB-5 matters and interacting with the players in the industry. Overall, it is an exciting time to work in this area.
WHAT TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY?
The trend seems to be toward a much more diversified investment pool, and I think we have already seen a shift in EB-5 interest into investor markets outside of China. In addition, the EB-5 industry overall has become more compliant and self-regulating.
55 EB5 INVESTORS MAGAZINE