What exactly does a Regional Center do for EB5 Visa

The EB5 Investment visa
The EB-5 Investor Visa is an immigrant visa which allows a foreign investor to make investments worth $100,000 or $500,000 in a commercial venture in the US. This business needs to necessarily be set up in an area designated as a Target Employment Area by the Government. It has to generate at least ten fulltime job opportunities for US citizens and contribute to the US economy.

An investor applying for the EB5 Investment Visa gets a conditional visa for two years. In these two years the investor has to prove that business has generated employment opportunities and met the entire criterion promised by the investor while proposing the business venture. In these two years the investor has to use the investment amount in establishing and expanding the business venture. Any additional cost incurred by the business, like fees and other charges, have to borne separately by the investor.

A good EB5 regional center holds promising business opportunities for a seeking investor. An investor can choose to invest in a commercial plan proposed by a Regional Center.

What exactly does a Regional Center do?
A Regional Center is either a public group or private group who have gotten together to sponsor projects for investors willing to invest via EB5. Any business owner with more than one proposition for a commercial venture within a fixed geographical area in the US can initiate the formation of a Regional Center. A regional center has to be approved by the USCIS. Commercial ventures considered feasible and hold the promise of generating job opportunities are subject to approval. The USCIS usually takes around nine months to process an application. However in case of ‘shovel-ready’ projects the USCIS has proposed a premium processing option which ensures a speedy processing of the application.

There are currently over 150 USCIS approved Regional Centers in the US. An investor has to just latch on to a business plan best suited to his investment. Regional centers occasionally advertise their business plans and tempt investors to invest with them. Understanding what is really offered by the Regional Center requires the direction and guidance of a good consultant.

Benefits of an EB5 consultant
An EB5 consultant has worked closely with more than just one or two Regional Centers. An EB5 consultant takes the pain to understand the business propositions offered by various regional centers and helps an investor narrow down his search to a regional center best equipped to match his business ideas.

However the US market is teeming with consultants. How does an investor then choose the right consultant? Before an investor finalizes on a consultant it is necessary for him to check the following things with the consultant:

•    How many clients has the consultant previously serviced?
•    Are any of his clients currently at the I-829 stage?
•    Have any of his clients received their funding back?
•    How many regional centers does the consultant work with?
•    What is his motivation behind recommending a particular regional center?
•    Does he work only for investors or does he from time to time consult the regional centers too?
•    Can he recommend any clients who can vouch for him?

A good consultant can ensure that an investor makes the best of his EB5 Investment Visa.