subject: When It Comes To Uscis, Eb5 Visa Holders Should Investigate Before Committing To A Regional Center [print this page] Due to the popularity of the eb5 visa, more regional centers have been created. Because of this trend, more oversight has been demanded of USCIS. Eb5 rules need to be followed as closely as possible to ensure that immigrants are truly making a difference in the United States through their investment. Therefore, the agency has stepped up its regulations, and intends to enforce them more than ever.
Its additional oversight includes making sure that each center carefully checks the initial application of each investor. This includes making sure the money was gotten legally. Additionally, USCIS officials want to make sure that every immigrant investor complies with the requirements once they are accepted to the regional center. This means that they need to create at least ten fulltime jobs for citizens.
Most centers that have been approved by USCIS should have no problem meeting these requirements, but there might be some regional centers that try to get by through either hiding information from the agency, or trying to bypass acceptance by USCIS at all. For this reason, you will want to be selective when considering regional centers, as the one you pick should indeed be approved by USCIS. Eb5 regional centers are always subject to further review, and may have their regional center status revoked if USCIS finds that officials are not making sure that the investors involved are eligible for a green card. Not every center is approved, which should make it an honor to be involved with one that is.
The issue with regional centers that do not comply, and do not enforce the regulations, is that the investors involved are not there legally. In order to stay in the United States legally according to USCIS, eb5 visa holders have to have gotten the initial investment through legal means, need to create ten or more jobs, and need to pass the health exams and background checks during the application period. Therefore, it is crucial that you ensure that the regional center you are involved with is actually approved by USCIS. Eb5 visas will continue to be taken seriously only if this occurs.
