ARTICLE · 16 APRIL 2015

A Path To U.S. Citizenship May Lead Straight Into A Minefield

Pallett Valo LLP

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For over a generation, the United States government has been encouraging high net worth investors and entrepreneurs to earn conditional permanent residency status through the EB-5 Investor Visa Program.

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Pallett Valo LLP

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For over a generation, the United States government has been encouraging high net worth investors and entrepreneurs to earn conditional permanent residency status (which may lead to eventual U.S. citizenship) through the EB-5 Investor Visa Program (the "EB-5 Program") by investing at risk capital in the United States that leads to the creation of jobs. To further enhance the EB-5 Program, Congress established a pilot project allowing immigrant investors to link their investment capital with a regional center (each a "Regional Center") which has been approved by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS") for the promotion of economic growth in a targeted area. Despite the establishment of the Regional Center project, few foreign investors took advantage of the EB-5 Program during the program's first 15 years. For example, in 2005 only 332 visas were issued under the EB-5 Program, even though up to 10,000 visas are reserved for issuance each year under the

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