Geographic coverage spanning all of San Antonio including Downtown, Five Points and other hot spots in the area—and the entire state of Texas—makes investing in an EB-5 project easy for San Antonio-based EB-5 investors. They can experience the benefits of investing in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)’s residency-for-investment program through the EB5AN State of Texas Regional Center.
Find out about the variety of benefits EB-5 green card holders enjoy after their investment in one of the most popular destinations in Texas and the United States.
Two Reasons the Majority of EB-5 Investors Choose Regional Centers
The first major reason EB-5 investment participants prefer working with EB-5 regional centers is the streamlined investment process. For example, EB5AN oversees hundreds of program-approved projects through multiple USCIS-approved regional centers from coast to coast. This affords the network the important ability to sponsor strong EB-5 projects in cities all over the country–including San Antonio, TX–more quickly and with fewer obstacles.
A regional center partnership also simplifies meeting the job creation requirement. How is that? USCIS grants regional centers the privilege of using an indirect method of calculating jobs. Because of this, rather than compiling stacks of documents proving full-time (W-2) job creation that spans a minimum of two full years, EB-5 investors only need to show that their capital was invested according to the regional center project’s business plan.
Investing in EB5AN San Antonio Regional Center
While each EB-5 investor is free to participate in program-approved projects anywhere in the United States, those already living in San Antonio, Texas (or eyeing the destination as so many other foreign investors are) may prefer to invest in projects located inside the state of Texas.
This makes a partnership with EB5AN’s regional center ideal. To learn more about how regional center investments generally work, and to get an overall sense of the investment process, click the link below:
General Requirements for the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program
Regardless of an EB-5 investment participant’s location, each investor must meet five basic requirements in order to have an investment deemed successful through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program. They are:
- The Selection of a Program-Approved Project. Qualified EB-5 investors must put their capital into a program-approved new commercial enterprise or troubled business.
- The Documentation for Lawfully-Sourced Funds. EB-5 investors must provide the proper evidence proving all EB5 investment capital was sourced lawfully.
- The Minimum Investment Amount. Projects located outside of designated targeted employment areas (TEAs) require a minimum investment of $1,050,000. All EB5AN projects, however, are located within TEAs, and thus qualify for a lower minimum investment of $800,000.
- The Minimum Job Creation Requirement. EB-5 investments must demonstrate the creation (or preservation) of 10 full-time employment positions minimum for U.S. workers for at least 2 years.
- The Maintenance of At-Risk Status. All EB-5 investment capital must maintain at-risk status for the entire period it is invested in a project.
While the investment process can be more complex and time-consuming than this list might suggest, meeting these five requirements does indicate the successful completion of an EB-5 investment.
How to Vet Potential EB-5 Investment Projects
Every San Antonio-based EB-5 investor (as well as those anywhere in Texas) should take the evaluation of financial and immigration risks seriously during the EB-5 investment project vetting process.
For example, take the EB-5 program’s requirement for maintaining an at-risk status on their investment capital for the duration of the investment period. USCIS implemented this rule to ensure that foreign capital is, in fact, benefiting the U.S. economy, and that investors are not simply “buying” a U.S. green card.
That said, maintaining “at-risk” status does not mean investing your capital into “risky” business. Rather, EB-5 investors are strongly recommended to conduct thorough due diligence in order to best insulate themselves to exposure of both financial and immigration risks. And that vetting process can become quite complex.
For this reason, EB5AN has collaborated with Klasko Immigration Law Partners on the creating of a highly-effective EB-5 Project Risk Assessment Tool for its EB-5 investment participants. The easy-to-use tool helps program investors navigate the initial stages of due diligence from both financial and immigration risk perspectives. Try it out by clicking the link below:
Download our EB-5 Project Risk Assessment Questionnaire
Why San Antonio, Texas Is Such a Popular Place for EB-5 Investment
The San Antonio River Walk, the Mission Trails, ultra-popular theme parks, and its rich history and cultural attractions are just the baseline for what makes this South Texas gem such a popular place for EB-5 investment participants. The University of Texas at San Antonio and Texas A&M University-San Antonio are two premier higher education facilities attracting students from around the globe.
Furthermore, San Antonio has outwardly pledged its support for the EB-5 Regional Center Program because it understands the massive benefit of having the world’s best and brightest in its midst, investing in the local economy. It welcomes EB-5 investors with open arms into this culturally diverse city.
A Quick Snapshot of San Antonio’s Population and Income Demographics
The EB5AN State of Texas EB-5 Regional Center is USCIS-authorized to oversee projects across the entire River City from Bexar and Medina to Comal Counties. It also covers local hotspots like Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills, and Olmos Park.
The San Antonio metropolitan area maintains a population of 1,492,510, spread out across 465.4 square miles. This spread makes it the 363rd most densely populated in the U.S.
So, what could an investment in the EB-5 program through EB5AN’s San Antonio regional center mean for local-area EB5 investment participants? Let’s take a look.
What Carrying an EB-5 Green Card Means to San Antonio Investors
There are plenty of direct benefits to securing an EB-5 green card and they can generally be categorized under four areas: employment, education, resident, and citizen and travel benefits. Learn some of the most popular benefits of each category below:
Employment Benefits
- Working and living anywhere in the country.
- Enjoying local benefits as any other local resident does (in Texas that means everything from no state income tax to a variety of cultural experiences).
- No employer or visa sponsorship or H-1B work visa requirement to work.
Education Benefits
- Free public elementary, middle, and high school education access.
- Access to in-state tuition savings, scholarships and other financial aid on public college and university expenses.
- Ability to work, study, intern, and apply for employment all at the same time.
Resident and Citizen Benefits
- A relatively direct path to U.S. permanent residency.
- Eligibility to apply for U.S. citizenship after five years of permanent residency.
- Both stateside and overseas pension access to retirees, some even qualifying for social welfare program access like Medicare.
Foreign and Domestic Travel Benefits
- Eligibility for travel anywhere in the U.S. without restriction.
- Reduced international travel restrictions, and the general ability to leave and return to the U.S. without risk of denied reentry.
- EB-5 investors and their families facing political change or other significant events in their home country may be granted immediate U.S. entry.
Getting Started on a San Antonio-based EB-5 Investment
Once you have had the opportunity to research the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program and had a chance to review our project evaluation tool, we encourage San Antonio-based EB-5 investors to reach out and learn more about how EB5AN can help you as you consider available San Antonio EB-5 regional center projects.
No matter your country of origin, when you’re considering making an EB-5 investment in San Antonio, the team at EB5AN can help. Call us at 1-800-288-9138, or send us an e-mail at info@EB5AN.com.
