Top U.S. Immigration Plans for Foreign Investors and Their Families

The concept of the “American Dream” has, for long since now, held the fancy of countless individuals. Generations and generations of people, consisting of university graduates and working professionals alike, have endorsed this narrative and jumped on to the bandwagon in a bid to fulfil their aspirations and summit the most ambitious of peaks during the course of their lives. The hard work, risk-taking, sacrifice, and the non-reliance on chance that the American Dream entails, thus, is almost second nature to these group of people. Subsequently for them, obtaining green cards in the US is not only the first step towards realizing this dream but also an experience which is as invaluable to them as it is pivotal.

Need for a Green Card in USA:

Although the United States of America has over time played host to a massive body of immigrants and rightfully prides itself in being a diverse and inclusive land, it nonetheless, has its own set of geopolitical limitations. Not everyone who travels to the country with the hope of kickstarting their careers and realizing their visions can wish to seek refuge in the country. To be able to properly utilise a country’s resources and to subsequently channelise it to your own benefit, you first need to have a legal permit to reside in the country.

This is where green cards come into the picture. With respect to the legal framework of the U.S., a green card serves the purpose of granting an individual the authorization to live, as well work, in the United States on a permanent basis. To validate their legal status, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) furnishes the individual with a permanent resident card, which is commonly referred to as a green card. If you happen to be a foreign investor, this development is more crucial for you as it gives you the liberty to invest in a host of investor immigration options upon your discretion.

Listed below are some of the best U.S. immigration plans for a potential investor.

EB-5 Regional Center Investment:

This option gives you the choice of investing $500,000 in a regional center that is EB-5 government-approved for a total duration of five years. In the subsequent 18 months, you are provided with conditional or provisional green cards that provide both you and your family legal permission to enter the U.S. You get the freedom of residing, studying, and working anywhere in the country. Additionally, there are no age, education, or English language requirements that are imposed upon you.

This investment can be visualised as a passive investment wherein your capital gets infused in another party’s commercial project. Here, however, the money which is invested through the project must provide 10 American workers employment for at the least two years. Once this requirement is sealed you become eligible to remove the condition off your green card, which gives you permanent resident status. Your money is refunded back to you post the completion of five years from the date of your U.S. entry.

EB-5 Direct Investment:

In this case, the investment no longer is passive and the focus shifts directly to your own business or enterprise. Here, you first need to invest a sum of $1 million in your own venture to procure the requisite conditional or provisional green cards that are needed by you and your family. Similar to EB-5 Regional investment, you are expected to employ a minimum of 10 workers for a period of two years as well. The processing period of this investment takes up a duration of roughly 18 months.

However, should you happen to merge it with an E-2 visa, there’s a good chance that you will be able to enter the country perimeters within six months as well. Once you’ve sealed the employment of the workers and registered it on paper and the amount of your investment stands validated, you will be eligible to remove the condition off your green card and permanent green card status. Bear in mind that if you wish to invest in an area that is plagued with high unemployment, the amount that is required for the qualification stands at $500,000.

Inter-corporate Transferee:

This plan is often considered to be among the cheapest alternatives to secure a green card for yourself. The inter-corporate transferee comes into play when an employee gets transferred from a company abroad to an affiliated U.S. firm to work in an administrative or executive capacity. At the outset, there are a couple of prerequisites that need to be taken care of for the transfer to fall in place properly. Firstly, the employee in question is required to have worked for a period of one year out of the last three years at the affiliated company abroad. Secondly, the job for which the employee is being transferred to the U.S. must be similar in nature to the one that they were pursuing at their home. The processing time taken for facilitating inter-corporate green card transferees is approximately 18 months.

Hire the Right Attorney for Your Immigration Case:

Securing a green card in the US can end up becoming a long and stretched out affair if it is not handled by an expert attorney right from the very beginning. The paperwork involved in the entire process is rather tedious and the associated technicalities a touch complex. If you haven’t hired a competent lawyer yet, consider getting in touch with us at Reyes & Schroeder Associates, P.C. We are dedicated to keeping families together and protecting your rights. Call us at (323) 553-1541 for a consultation today!