The recent trend shows that the EB-5 visa has been garnering popularity amongst Indians, who are looking for options to move to the USA. According to an article in The EB-5 Daily (dated 8 April, 2021), 17% of the EB-5 visas issued in fiscal year 2020 were obtained by Indians, and this number will continue to grow in the coming years.

The EB-5 visa, operated by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), is a route to a green card and permanent residency for foreign nationals in the USA through investment. This program allows foreigners investing in a U.S. business to acquire a green card and become lawful permanent residents, and gradually, citizens of the United States.

Reasons for the popularity of EB-5 visa

It would be beneficial for us to look at the reasons to understand why more and more Indians are showing inclination towards this program;

Safe future for your children: EB-5 visa allows your children to become Permanent Residents in the US and enjoy all the benefits that come with it. Moreover your children would not be dependent on their employers for sponsorship, and can find internships and placements through campus fairs and placements without any restrictions. Apart from this, they can switch jobs and shift to various parts of the US for better job opportunities. Finally, the constantly changing immigration regulations of the US will not affect your child, and they can live a worry-free and secured life in the USA.

Green Card for you and your family – Under the EB-5 Program, the principal investor, their spouse and all their unmarried children under the age of twenty-one are eligible for a US Green Card. As the whole family can qualify for a green card under the principal applicant’s petition, the EB-5 visa becomes the most efficient option to obtain green cards for your family.

Regional Centers – A Regional Center is an organization that is designated by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to sponsor capital investment projects for investments made by EB-5 visa investors. The investors can invest in EB-5 through Regional Centers instead of creating a new commercial enterprise. The significant advantage of investing through a regional center is that the investor can create indirect jobs to meet qualifying job creation requirements under the EB-5 program rules.

Faster path to Immigration – It is also possible for some developers to get their Project classified as “Expedited Project” which may lead to faster processing of the EB-5 visa application for all the investors in such a project. Although there are no set benchmarks, the USCIS(United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) may grant such expedited approval to certain projects which are deemed to be of compelling Government Interest. Investors in an expedited I-526 approval project, on an average, can expect a decision on their I-526 petition in 3-6 months, compared to the 2 to 3 years (or more) wait under the normal process.

Freedom of mobility in the U.S. – EB-5 investors do not need to live near their investment. They can purchase a home and reside anywhere in the U.S without any restrictions.

Therefore, looking at the above mentioned reasons it is not surprising to know that more Indians are interested in investing in EB-5 visas, and this interest seems to only grow in the coming years.

Acquest Advisors is an immigration advisory firm specializing in Business Immigration and Residency and Citizenship by Investment programs offered by Governments of American & European countries.