| We must know that not all United States visas | | | | creating a new commercial enterprise, invested at |
| are applicable to an individual. There are certain | | | | least $1,000,000 or $500,000 in a targeted |
| requirements or qualifications of a particular visa | | | | employment area, created at least 10 direct jobs |
| which one may not meet. Just like the EB-5 Visa | | | | for the United States workers, expanded a |
| which is solely designed for immigrant investors. | | | | business by at least 140 percent of the |
| This visa attracts foreign investors in the United | | | | pre-investment number of jobs or helping out a |
| States and thereby creating jobs for American | | | | business which has lost 20 percent of its net |
| workers. It is a programme that serves as a | | | | worth in the past 12 to 24 months. |
| direct route to a United States Permanent | | | | To apply as an immigrant investor, one must file |
| Resident Card (green card), provides permanent | | | | a USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration |
| residency to for the investor and his immediate | | | | Services) Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien |
| family (children should be under 21 years of age) | | | | Entrepreneur. This form needs to be filed |
| and grants the freedom to live and work in the | | | | together with supporting documents which clearly |
| United States or even retire. | | | | states that the applicant's investment meets the |
| Under section 203(b)(5) of the Immigration and | | | | requirements. Once the Form I-526 is approved, |
| Nationality Act (INA), there are 10,000 EB-5 visas | | | | the immigrant investor may obtain conditional |
| available annually for qualified individuals who seek | | | | conditional resident status by filing the USCIS |
| permanent resident status in the United States | | | | Form I-485 which is an Application to Register |
| provided that they engage in a new commercial | | | | Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, if residing |
| business. Out of these 10,000 visas, 3,000 of | | | | within the United States or applying for an |
| which are set aside for the designated regional | | | | immigrant visa at a U.S. consulate abroad for |
| centers which exist in Philadelphia, Seattle, | | | | individuals residing outside the United States. To |
| California's Imperial Valley, eastern Washington | | | | become a permanent resident, a USCIS Form |
| state, parts of South Dakota and Iowa, and the | | | | I-829 which is a Petition by Entrepreneur to |
| entire states of Vermont and Hawaii. | | | | Remove Conditions must be filed within 90 days |
| Eligible investors can opt to come alone or with | | | | before the second anniversary of an alien |
| the spouse and unmarried children. These eligible | | | | investor to the United States as a conditional |
| aliens are those who have created an original | | | | resident. |
| business, purchased an existing business thereby | | | | |