Rural EB-5 Investment: A Faster Path to U.S. Green Cards

Investing in a rural EB-5 project is one of the fastest ways to get U.S. Green Cards for yourself and your family. Under the EB-5 program, investors who choose EB-5 projects in rural targeted employment areas (TEAs) gain exclusive benefits. These benefits include a reduced minimum investment amount and a faster immigration process.

By investing $800,000 in a rural EB-5 project, you could obtain work and travel authorization in just days. Your initial rural EB5 Green Card could be approved in a matter of months. For those facing roadblocks to U.S. immigration, such as Indian and Chinese nationals, the benefits of making a rural EB-5 capital investment are especially significant.

We invite you to consider how a high-quality, low-risk EB5 rural investment offers a faster, safer path for you and your family to live, work, and study in the United States.

Watch EB5AN Investor Interviews: Rural EB5 Success Stories

What Is a Rural EB-5 Investment?

A rural EB-5 investment is a qualifying capital investment in a project that is in a rural TEA as defined by the EB-5 program. Rural TEAs are one of two types of TEAs. The other type is a high-unemployment, or urban, TEA. These two TEA categories were created to encourage EB-5 investment in U.S. locations that have a significant need for projects to stimulate economic growth.

EB-5 Rural TEA Requirements

EB-5 rural TEAs are based on population. An area must meet the following criteria to qualify as a rural TEA:

• Be located outside a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
• Not be located on “the outer boundary of any city or town having a population of 20,000 or more.”
• Have a population of no more than 20,000 according to the most recent decennial census.

EB5 Rural vs. Urban TEAs

While EB5 rural areas are based on population, urban TEA status depends on the national average unemployment rate. Investments in urban TEAs can help improve the labor force employment measure.

A location qualifies as an urban TEA if it meets the following criteria:

• Be located within an MSA as defined by the OMB.
• Have an unemployment rate that is at least 150% of the national unemployment average.

Beyond differences in how EB-5 rural versus urban TEA status is decided, these two types of TEA offer different benefits. Urban TEA projects tend to benefit from their location in major population centers. But rural projects offer EB-5 investors added benefits that are not available through urban TEA projects. Specifically, applications for investors in rural projects are processed more quickly. And each year, more rural EB-5 visas are available than urban EB-5 visas.

The rural EB5 investor benefits are described in more detail below.

Key Rural EB-5 Benefits

Foreign investors who choose EB-5 projects in rural TEAs qualify for the reduced EB-5 investment amount of $800,000 as well as other EB5 rural immigration benefits.

Lower Investment Amount

By investing in a rural targeted employment area project, you qualify for the EB5 rural minimum investment amount of $800,000. The standard minimum investment amount is $1,050,000.

Priority Rural Petition Processing

While the application process for rural EB-5 investors is the same as for urban investors, the way the application is handled is different. By investing in a rural EB-5 project, you qualify for priority processing of your Form I-526E, which is the initial immigrant application. Your Form I-526E may be adjudicated in a matter of months, not years. This means you could get your U.S. Green Cards months or years faster than otherwise.

We often see a faster rural EB-5 processing time for Form I-526E petitions. Many immigrant investors in rural EB-5 projects have received Form I-526E approval within 12 months—and sometimes significantly less time than that. An investor in EB5AN’s Twin Lakes project, for example, received Form I-526E approval in about 9.5 months.

After you and your family receive your initial U.S. Green Cards, you will be able to live, work, and study in the United States. You will have the freedom to travel within the country or internationally.

Rural Set-Aside Visa Category

Under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA), new categories of EB-5 visas were created for investments in TEAs. The EB5 rural visa category makes up 20% of all EB-5 visas, while the EB-5 urban visa category makes up only 10% of all EB-5 visas. Unlike the standard EB-5 visa, these set-aside visas are current and not subject to any backlogs.

For investors from countries with EB-5 visa backlogs, set-aside EB-5 visas help them avoid long delays. Eventually, these set-aside visa categories could face backlogs, too. But with twice as many visas each year as the urban category, the EB-5 rural category is expected to stay current the longest.

As of June 2024, Chinese and Indian nationals face backlogs of pending visa applications for standard EB-5 visas. These backlogs mean that EB-5 investors from these countries often have to wait months or years longer to immigrate through the EB-5 program. With the set-aside EB-5 visa categories, however, no backlogs have been announced.

The urban set-aside category could become backlogged soon. China and India are likely to face backlogs first. Investors from these countries may face long delays before receiving their Green Cards unless they choose rural EB-5 projects.

For a more detailed explanation of why projects in EB-5 rural areas are the safest option for Chinese and Indian investors, please see EB5AN’s analysis of the set-aside categories.

(In addition to rural and urban TEAs, infrastructure projects also qualify for set-aside visas. However, there is still some confusion as to what kinds of developments can qualify as infrastructure projects. In addition, the infrastructure project category makes up only 2% of all EB-5 visas.)

Why Invest in EB-5 Rural Real Estate Through a Regional Center?

Most investors choose projects sponsored by EB-5 regional centers under the EB-5 Regional Center Program.

Regional centers are entities designated by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to sponsor EB-5 projects. Regional centers manage the flow of EB-5 funds and ensure projects comply with all EB-5 program rules and USCIS requirements.

Regional center sponsorship benefits both EB-5 projects and investors.

For project developers, a benefit of regional center sponsorship is the ability to pool funds from multiple foreign investors. Under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022, pooling funds is allowed only for projects sponsored by regional centers. Since most rural real estate projects seek more than $800,000 in EB-5 funding, most are sponsored by regional centers.

For EB-5 investors, a key benefit of regional center sponsorship is that the project has more flexible job creation rules. Under the EB-5 program, each investor must create 10 qualifying jobs. Without a regional center, only jobs created directly by the project count. For regional center projects, though, indirect jobs from spending and revenue can be counted as well.

This method of calculating job creation makes regional center rural EB-5 projects safer for EB-5 investors. As a result, investing through a regional center can increase your chances of receiving timely USCIS approval and your U.S. Green Cards.

What Is a New Commercial Enterprise?

In regional center investments, the flow of EB-5 funds is overseen by an investment fund set up by the regional center. This investment fund is known as the new commercial enterprise.

First, an investor’s funds go into an escrow account set up by the new commercial enterprise.

The funds are then transferred from escrow into the operating account used by the new commercial enterprise. This step usually takes place once the investor receives an I-526E receipt notice from USCIS.

Finally, the funds move from the new commercial enterprise operating account to the EB-5 project (known as the job-creating entity).

The RIA has introduced strict reporting and accounting requirements for each new commercial enterprise in the EB-5 program. Each new commercial enterprise must issue regular reports to USCIS.

These measures ensure that each new commercial enterprise transfers the full investment amount to the job-creating entity.

EB5AN’s Rural EB-5 Projects: High-Quality, Low-Risk Rural EB-5 Investment Opportunities

EB5AN has sponsored over 15 successful projects under the EB-5 Regional Center Program. Our previous projects in the regional center program have a 100% USCIS project approval rate. All invested EB-5 funds are in good standing or have already been repaid.

Our EB5 rural projects offer the benefits listed above. Also, investors in these rural projects who are currently in the United States on other visas—including those from China and India—can apply for employment authorization documents (EADs) and advance parole (AP) travel documents concurrently with Form I-526E.

Following are some of our high-quality, low-risk rural EB5 investment opportunities.

Rural EB5 Projects 2024

Snake River Sporting Club EB-5 Rural Project (Loan)

RURAL EB-5 PROJECT NOW OPEN

✅ Rural TEA Status
✅ $800,000 Investment Required
✅ Rural Set-Aside Visas
✅ Priority Processing
✅ Concurrent Filing for an EAD and AP

Project Information

Snake River Sporting Club is a master-planned luxury golf community development near Jackson, Wyoming. In addition to its award-winning golf course, this project features a host of other amenities, including a main lodge, 18 lodge cabins, 19 residential units, and four ranch estates. The project has already sold 10 of its 18 lodge cabins for an average sales price of ~$3.3 million

Immigration Safety

• Significant job creation is already in place, with 500+ jobs for EB-5 investors as of June 2024 and significantly more than 10 per investor upon project completion.
• The project is sponsored by an independent regional center with a 100% USCIS approval rate, including 10+ Form I-956F approvals.

Financial Safety

• 10 of 18 Lodge Cabins have been sold for an average of ~$3.3 million.
• A senior construction loan has been secured.
• The project has an exclusive partnership with Compass, the largest independent real estate brokerage in the United States.
• The EB-5 loan is secured by pledges of membership interests plus first and second mortgages.
• The project features a short four-year EB-5 loan term.
• The project offers a Form I-526E approval refund guaranty; investors’ funds can be returned if their petitions are denied.
• The project offers a construction completion guaranty; the developer will complete development of the project.

Learn More About This Rural EB-5 Project

Visit the Official Project Page

Why Snake River Sporting Club Is a Compelling EB-5 Rural Project

Twin Lakes Georgia EB-5 Rural Project (Loan)

RURAL EB-5 PROJECT NOW OPEN

✅ Rural TEA Status
✅ $800,000 Investment Required
✅ Rural Set-Aside Visas
✅ Priority Processing
✅ Concurrent Filing for an EAD and AP

Project Information

Twin Lakes Georgia is a single-family home community outside Atlanta, Georgia, for active adults aged 55 and older. The Twin Lakes community is already thriving, with over 600 home sales and over 500 homes closed and delivered to buyers.

Immigration Safety

• Twin Lakes has created thousands of EB-5-eligible jobs.
• United States Citizenship and Immigration Services has issued Form I-956F approvals for multiple phases of the Twin Lakes project, showing that the project complies with USCIS policies, including its rural targeted employment area status.
• Investors benefit from a job creation guaranty—the developer pledges to spend enough funds to create at least 10 jobs per investor.

Financial Safety

• The Kolter Group is the developer for the Twin Lakes project. Since 1997, Kolter has invested in projects valued at over $29 billion and has never failed to repay a loan.
• Kolter has a strong presence in the single-family home market and has developed over 29,000 homes. Kolter has been recognized as one of the top 20 largest private home builders in the United States.
• Twin Lakes has secured a senior loan from Third Coast Bank, which holds over $3.8 billion in total assets.
• With over 600 homes sold and more than 500 closings, Twin Lakes is making steady progress toward completion. Hundreds of residents already live in the community and enjoy its high-end amenities.
• Each investor has a unique five-year loan term that starts on the release of the investor’s funds to the project.
• The project offers a Form I-562E approval refund guaranty; investors’ funds can be returned if their petitions are denied.

Learn More About This Project

Why Twin Lakes Is a Compelling Rural Project

Twin Lakes Year-End 2023 Update

Featured by the Wall Street Journal

Learn More About Kolter, the Project Developer

Get Your Rural Set-Aside Visa With EB5AN

With a 100% USCIS project approval rate, 15 top-tier real estate projects, and more than $2.9 billion in development, EB5AN is a leading regional center operator. EB5AN matches investors with best-in-class projects, which include high-quality, low-risk rural projects.

EB5AN provides you with the information you need to apply for your rural EB5 visa with confidence. We help you understand the requirements for a rural EB-5 visa so you can obtain U.S. Green Cards for yourself and your family.

To learn more about obtaining U.S. Green Cards through a rural EB-5 project, schedule a free consultation with EB5AN. We also invite you to discover other investors’ rural EB-5 success stories.