Before Investing, I Carefully Studied Each EB-5 Project’s Investment Memorandums: The Story of Mr. Lin from China

Mr. Lin, an EB-5 investor in EB5AN’s Snake River project, has graciously shared his experience making an EB-5 investment as well as advice for fellow EB-5 applicants. In this post, he explains why he chose our project and outlines the steps EB-5 investors should take to evaluate an EB-5 project’s risk profile.

A legal professional with a degree from Duke University, Mr. Lin used his background in law to analyze each potential investment and choose the option most likely to succeed financially and result in a prompt Green Card approval.

For many years, I had the goal of moving to the United States to study law at a prestigious school, and then pursue a career in the country. Growing up in China, I knew that if I wanted to make my career in law as successful as possible, the United States was the best place to do it.

In fact, the U.S. legal services market is projected to reach a value of $456.4 billion by 2030.

However, my options to immigrate permanently to the United States as a Chinese national were limited, and I quickly found that many of the more well-known visa programs wouldn’t work for me.

I’m very fortunate to have come across the EB-5 program, which I believe is the fastest and most direct way to become a permanent resident of the United States. I didn’t only want to live in the United States on a temporary work visa like an H-1B; instead, I wanted to obtain a Green Card and pursue my career there in the long term.

In this post, I’ll share my story of why I made an EB-5 investment and how my legal background helped me avoid risky offerings and find the best choice for me.

Watch Mr. Lin’s Interview (Full)

Watch Mr. Lin’s Interview (Highlights)

Watch Mr. Lin’s Interview (Chinese)

My Background and Why I Made an EB-5 Investment

I left China to study law in the United States, and I have been here for about three to four years.

I was accepted at Duke University, one of the most prestigious schools in the United States. Duke ranked sixth among national universities in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report.

After finishing my studies, I’m happy to say that my legal career is off to a strong start. And I want to continue making progress in the U.S. legal field.

There are two main reasons why I decided to pursue a U.S. Green Card and stay here in the long term.

First, I have a promising job here, and I see many opportunities for my career to grow over the following years. Staying in the United States would allow me to continue on this path.

Second, I want to bring my parents to the U.S. when they retire. Once I have held my Green Card for five years, I will be able to apply for U.S. citizenship. Then, I’ll apply for Green Cards for my parents, allowing them to join me here.

Before deciding on the EB-5 program, I explored different options to stay in the U.S. I followed the traditional path: first, I was an F-1 student. Then, I used Optional Practical Training (OPT) to work after graduation. I applied for an H-1B visa, but my application was unsuccessful.

This led me to consider the EB-5 program.

The EB-5 program was clearly the best option for me to pursue permanent residency. Through the EB-5 visa, I could simply invest in a real estate project and obtain a Green Card—without relying on employer authorization or other cumbersome requirements.

How to Choose an EB-5 Immigration Attorney

When I decided to participate in the EB-5 program, I knew I needed an experienced immigration attorney to help with my I-526E petition. As an attorney myself, I understood how important it was to have everything well-documented. I spoke with attorneys from three or four different firms before making a decision.

There were several things I considered during my search. First, I wanted an attorney who had ample experience helping EB-5 investors. The process can be complex, so having someone who knows the ins and outs of the EB-5 program was crucial. Second, I wanted someone who was independent and capable. I personally reached out to different attorneys and chose one myself.

I didn’t want someone who might have conflicting interests or who was connected to other parties involved, such as regional centers or project developers.

Finally, I decided to hire Mr. Yang from Reid & Wise. My experience with him and his team has been great. They are very responsive. They’ve been helping me with my source-of-funds documents and answering all types of different questions. It’s reassuring to have someone knowledgeable guiding me through the process.

Hiring an independent attorney was really important to me. This is a significant investment of $800,000, and I wanted someone who is looking out for my interests and my interests alone. Finding an independent attorney means there’s someone on your side, not secretly helping out other parties or thinking about others’ interests. That is key, and it applies to any situation where you’re hiring an attorney.

Having just gone through the source-of-funds process, here is my advice for other investors who are currently looking for an immigration attorney.

First, shop around. You need to talk to several attorneys before you make a final decision. Don’t just talk to just one. Instead, see what each attorney offers, ask them how many cases they’ve dealt with, and what their experience is.

You can ask for suggestions from other EB-5 investors or regional centers. They may provide you with some references, and you could decide from there. Of course, nothing stops you from doing your own research to find the most reputable EB-5 attorneys available.

Again, it’s important to find an attorney who is experienced and independent. Make sure they have dealt with EB-5 cases before and understand the process. Ask them about their experience, how many cases they’ve handled, and what kind of results they’ve achieved.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions about their track record, and make sure you feel comfortable with them.

My #1 Advice: Before Investing, Carefully Read an EB-5 Project’s Investment Memorandum

After doing a lot of research on potential regional centers and EB-5 projects, I decided to work with EB5AN. There are several regional centers active in the EB-5 industry, but I think EB5AN is one of the largest and has an outstanding track record with consistent success.

I contacted several regional centers and their projects, asking them for their investment memorandums.

An investment memorandum for an EB-5 project is a detailed document outlining the investment’s terms, risks, financial projections, and business strategy. In my opinion, this is the most important tool for EB-5 applicants to evaluate a project and make an informed investment decision.

An investment memorandum is like a prospectus document if you’re buying shares from a company that goes public. It includes the structure of the funds, the risk factors, and when and how you’re going to be repaid from the loan.

I read each investment memorandum carefully. The ones from EB5AN tended to be projects that I personally liked most—hospitality and residential developments. I think these types of projects are safer in terms of financial risks. I also looked at the terms in the investment memorandums, and they seemed more reasonable compared to others I have looked at.

Having read several different memorandums from various regional centers, I think that the memos and projects from EB5AN tended to have more reasonable terms. I’ve seen some unreasonable terms in other contracts from other regional centers. From my perspective and considering all the different factors, I think that the investment memorandums from EB5AN tend to be more balanced, more reasonable, and more beneficial to EB-5 investors.

EB5AN did a great job in terms of transparency for all this data. They clearly show how many jobs have been created and how much funding has been invested in each project. They also allow you to visit the project in person and access capital spend data.

Other regional centers might provide you with the same information if you ask, but it’s not as accessible or up-to-date as with EB5AN.

I found that with EB5AN, you can simply go to their website and find very up-to-date figures.

Why I Invested in EB5AN’s Snake River Rural EB-5 Project

I prefer traditional real estate development projects, like hospitality and housing. The main reason is that these types of investments have straightforward business models. We all know how hotels operate and how houses are sold. I understand how the housing market works. I didn’t want to get into industries where I have little knowledge, like infrastructure or other sectors I’m not familiar with.

Another key factor in my decision was that the Snake River project had almost all of its jobs created before I invested. This was a big plus for me. As an EB-5 investor, my priority is getting my Green Card, and my investment must create at least 10 jobs for me to qualify.

When deciding between urban and rural EB-5 projects, I looked at the backlogs for investors from China and India. According to the latest statistics published by USCIS, there is already a huge backlog for urban projects. Put simply, if you invest in an urban project as a Chinese or Indian investor, you are potentially looking at a wait of five to ten years before getting your Green Card.

For rural projects, there may be a short backlog, but not nearly as severe.

The faster priority processing for rural projects and the 20% set-aside also influenced my decision. There are about 10,000 EB-5 visas available each year, and USCIS sets aside 2,000 visas for rural projects and 1,000 for urban projects.

This makes a huge difference if you’re from China or India. If you invest in a rural project, you may able to get your Green Card in a few months, instead of multiple years.

I first came across EB5AN and the Snake River project through a Google search. I typed in “EB-5 investment projects,” and EB5AN was one of the regional centers that came up. I also looked at several other regional centers and projects—maybe five or six in total.

I chose the Snake River project mainly because of (1) the ample job creation, (2) its flexibility in allowing for a partial investment, and (3) its I-956F approval. By the time I invested, almost all of the jobs had been created. Therefore, as long as there are no problems with their source-of-funds documents, every investor is very likely to get a U.S. Green Card.

Additionally, EB5AN allows you to make a partial investment. You can invest a portion of the $800,000 amount and then submit all of your USCIS filings. You are granted a set period to get the rest of the funds ready and invest them. This arrangement was very convenient for me.

The Snake River project had also obtained an I-956F approval from USCIS. When a project receives I-956F approval, USCIS is essentially saying that it has reviewed the project carefully and found it to be compliant with EB-5 policies. This means that the investors are even more likely to gain fast I-526E approvals—USCIS has already “pre-approved” the project.

The Snake River project was a 10 out of 10 in terms of what I was looking for—rural, under construction, with proven sales. The second-best option I found was another project, a car parts factory. They had also created all the jobs, but they would not accept partial investments. That made a huge difference for me.

My experience working with the EB5AN team has been positive. The team is very responsive, especially Patrick Pavlick. He has been answering my different types of questions quickly and timely. The rest of the team is also very communicative. I asked for different types of documents, which they provided promptly. Everyone is polite and friendly. Interacting with the EB5AN team has been a pleasure.

To Succeed as an EB-5 Investor, Act Quickly, But Do Your Research

It’s important for EB-5 investors from China and India to act quickly. There’s already a backlog for both countries, and if you’re considering making an EB-5 investment, you should move fast. Once the backlog appears on the Visa Bulletins, we don’t know how long we’ll have to wait for our Green Cards.

At the same time, remember that $800,000 is a significant investment. Take the time to do your research, especially on each project’s investment memorandum. Hire an experienced attorney to guide you.

There are many EB-5 projects out there in the market. You need to look at several and compare them. Make a thorough comparison between these projects; don’t just go with the first option you see.

I would absolutely recommend Mr. Yang from Reid & Wise as an immigration attorney. He is definitely capable and has a lot of experience. Working with him has been smooth. The team is very responsive. They have been taking care of my documents and filings.

I’m thrilled to be on the path to a U.S. Green Card and an exciting career in the world’s leading legal sector. The EB-5 program has made it possible for me to live and work in the United States permanently and possibly become a citizen in a few years.

As long as you take the time to research each of your options carefully before investing, I’m confident you will also find a low-risk EB-5 project that will both return your funds and allow you to achieve your goals in the United States.