Unlocking the benefits and investments of the EB-5 Visa Programme
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Unlocking the benefits and investments of the EB-5 Visa Programme
Sonja Clarke Regional Director South Africa FIRST PATHWAY PARTNERS
What is the EB-5 program . What are some of the most common reasons that people are interested in EB-5 . What are some additional benefits associated with EB-5 and does the money get invested into real estate if so where ?
It was created by the U . S . Congress in 1990 . The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Programme allows foreign nationals to obtain U . S . permanent residency ( a " green card ") for the investor , their spouse , and any unmarried children under 21 .
The programme requires a USD $ 800,000 investment in a qualifying " at risk " project , creating at least 10 American jobs per investor . In return , they become eligible to receive permanent U . S . green cards , allowing them to live and work anywhere in the U . S .
Manuel Ortiz Vice-President Global Business Development FIRST PATHWAY PARTNERS
Reasons why people invest in EB-5 ? EB-5 has typically generated interest from families who want to migrate to the United States to achieve the American Dream . Other times , parents look at the EB-5 programme as a superior alternative to the F1 student visa . Students who obtain U . S . residency through the EB-5 programme can save up to 3 times the cost of tuition that international students would have to pay . More importantly , once they graduate , they can apply and work anywhere they want without depending on corporate sponsorship ( H1-B Visa ). What is often overlooked is that once someone graduates from university on an F1 visa , they rely on a U . S . corporation to sponsor them through an H1B visa .
Most U . S . corporations want to avoid taking on the additional costs associated with sponsoring an employee . In addition , last year , there were over 700,000 applicants for H1B visas , and less than 14 % were
9 SEPT / OCT 2023 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine