Top Strategies for New EB-5 Investors to Streamline Their Green Card Process

The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program can feel complicated, especially for new investors. With the right strategies, though, you can simplify the process and avoid common mistakes. More specifically, by understanding how the program works and taking the right steps, you can reduce delays and make the whole EB-5 process much smoother and less stressful.

If you’re looking to become a lawful permanent resident of the United States, this article will cover practical tips and strategies to help you do so through an EB-5 investment.

Selecting Rural TEA Projects

The U.S. government incentivizes investments in certain regions—known as targeted employment areas (TEAs)—to encourage economic growth where it is needed. As a result, TEA projects benefit from reserved set-aside visas, and they have no visa retrogression at the time of writing. Of the three set-aside visa categories, rural TEAs provide the most streamlined option.

Rural EB-5 projects offer investors numerous advantages. First, rural projects have the greatest number of reserved visas, which means there’s less competition and a lower chance of long backlogs. This makes them especially attractive to investors from India or China, countries that have historically faced backlogs in the unreserved visa categories, with more expected in the high-unemployment category soon.

Moreover, rural projects are the only ones that benefit from priority processing. As a result, investors in these projects experience shorter waiting times for their applications, with most investors receiving approval in under a year.

For these reasons, rural projects provide a steady, quick path to a Green Card, making them excellent options for prospective investors. As always, though, it’s important to ensure you do your due diligence before investing in any project, rural or otherwise.

Choosing a Reliable Regional Center

A good regional center is incredibly important for a successful EB-5 process. Regional centers manage many aspects of EB-5 projects, like making sure investors’ funds are used to create jobs and ensuring compliance with U.S. regulations. Regional centers also handle economic reports and compliance audits so that investors don’t have to.

Working with an experienced and trustworthy regional center can make the process much easier and lead to a higher chance of immigration and financial success. Look for a regional center that has a strong history of successful project approvals.

Transparency is also important. Before investing, you should be able to review important documentation, including the project’s financial statements. Then, once you invest, you should receive regular updates about your project and its job creation metrics.

Partnering with a dependable regional center ensures that your investment contributes to economic growth and satisfies USCIS’s requirements. EB5AN, for example, has a 100% USCIS project approval rate, making it a strong choice for investors.

Getting Your Documentation Right

Incomplete or incorrect paperwork is one of the most common reasons for delays in the EB-5 process. That’s why it’s important to make sure your documents are complete and accurate from the start.

The most common bottleneck for investors stems from documenting their investment funds. USCIS requires detailed proof of your source of funds, so keeping all financial records organized and easy to follow is crucial. This includes bank statements, tax returns, and any other documents that show the lawful source of your investment funds.

If your documents are in a language other than English, be sure to get them professionally translated. Also, double-check your Form I-526E for accuracy before submission.

Staying organized and thorough can prevent unnecessary delays caused by USCIS requests for more information. Additionally, as discussed in more detail below, working with an immigration lawyer who specializes in EB-5 cases can help ensure your documentation meets the strict required standards.

Using Concurrent Filing to Your Advantage

Concurrent filing is an option for EB-5 investors who are already in the U.S. on a valid visa. This option allows you to file Form I-526E and your adjustment of status application at the same time. The main benefit is that you can apply for work authorization and travel permissions at the same time, too.

Concurrent filing is ideal for foreign nationals who want to start working or traveling without waiting for their Green Card to be approved. This strategy can save time and reduce the stress of waiting for processing times to improve. For example, some investors have received employment authorization documentation in as little as 90 days, allowing them to stay and work in the U.S. while their application is being processed.

Working With Immigration Experts

Navigating the EB-5 process without professional help can be overwhelming—and risky. Immigration attorneys and experts can guide you through the steps, identify potential challenges, and make sure you’re correctly following all regulations.

An experienced attorney can help with reviewing documents, staying updated on policy changes, and preparing for the visa interview, if applicable. Choosing an attorney who specializes in EB-5 cases will make a big difference in how smoothly your application process goes.

Experts can also explain requirements for job creation and TEA investments, making sure your chosen project meets USCIS standards. They can additionally provide guidance on redeployment of funds if your project experiences delays.

Keeping Up With EB-5 Program Changes

The EB-5 program frequently updates its policies, so staying informed is important. Recent changes, like the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022, introduced reserved visa categories, stricter compliance requirements, and updated processing times, in addition to updating the minimum investment amounts and investment sustainment period rules.

Knowing about changes in processing times, sustainment period regulations, or job creation requirements can help you adapt your strategy and avoid unnecessary delays—and the quicker you become aware of any changes, the quicker you can respond to them.

To stay up to date, check USCIS announcements and reliable sources like EB5AN for news and guidance. Attending webinars or industry events can also provide useful insights into the latest trends. Your immigration attorney should also be able to help you stay informed in this regard.

EB5AN Can Help You Through the EB-5 Process

By focusing on rural projects, working with reliable regional centers, staying organized with your documentation, considering concurrent filing, and keeping up with program updates, you can simplify the EB-5 process and meet your Green Card goals more easily and efficiently. Consulting EB-5 experts at various stages of the process can also be of tremendous help.

EB5AN has assisted more than 2,300 families from 70+ countries in becoming lawful permanent residents of the United States. Our expert team has more than a decade of experience, and we offer our clients first-rate, low-risk EB-5 regional center projects.

If you want to learn more about strategizing your EB-5 process or need advice on choosing the right project, feel free to book a one-on-one call with our EB-5 team.