For new EB-5 investors, there is real value in hearing directly from people who have already begun the EB-5 process. Successful EB-5 applicants can give insights into how they approached their decision, what they prioritized, and how they evaluated risk.
If you are in the planning stages of your EB-5 investment, an experienced investor can explain many of the key steps: how to review project documents, how to compare regional centers, how to select an immigration attorney, and how to build a clear strategy for the entire immigration process. Learning from successful investors helps new applicants avoid delays and focus on the factors that truly matter.
That’s why EB5AN launched a groundbreaking investor testimonial series—with impressive results.
Over the past few years, we’ve built one of the most comprehensive testimonial libraries in the EB-5 industry. With more than 20 full-length interviews—each recorded with real EB5AN investors across multiple EB-5 projects—this series gives prospective investors an unusually transparent look at the full decision-making process. No other EB-5 firm has gone to these lengths to show how real investors think through project selection, diligence, timelines, and risk.
These interviews have become an essential resource for anyone planning their own EB-5 investment. And we are pleased to announce that many of the investors we’ve interviewed already enjoy I-526E approvals, work and travel documents, and even U.S. Green Cards.
This post is the first installment in a retrospective series that revisits some of the most compelling excerpts from our testimonial archive. Each installment will focus on one key part of the EB-5 journey.
For this first piece, we’re looking at one of the key questions we ask our investors: Why did you choose EB5AN as your regional center? Their answers highlight the themes we hear most often—transparency, responsiveness, project quality, and easy access to documents and information. These insights will help new investors understand what to look for when evaluating a regional center and how to make a decision that results in both U.S. Green Cards and a timely repayment.
You’ll hear from multiple EB5AN investors—across both rural and urban projects—from Germany, India, and Canada.
We also invite you to watch these highlights in the following compilation video featuring our investors’ key responses.
Watch All EB-5 Investor Testimonials
Direct Access to EB5AN Principals and Responsive Communication
Investor Education and Open Access to Information
EB5AN’s Industry-Leading Track Record
EB5AN’s Relationship of Trust With Its Investors
EB5AN’s Portfolio of Institutional-Quality Rural and Urban Projects
Making the EB-5 Process as Seamless As Possible
Getting Your EB-5 Journey Off to a Successful Start
Direct Access to EB5AN Principals and Responsive Communication
“In most cases, with the regional centers, we did not actually speak with the principals… We were talking to very knowledgeable senior people, like VPs of sales. Very knowledgeable people, but not with the actual principals themselves. So, having the opportunity to speak with you directly and easily; you returned calls quickly, emails quickly… I was really amazed. I really appreciated that.”
“This is a life-changing decision for an investor in their families. They’re talking about moving to a new country, starting a new life. I would say the concern and the interest you have for the investors and the fact that this is a big life decision for them, not simply a financial investment—that has come through in your approach.” — James
Across the interviews, the ability to reach the principals directly is one of the most consistent reasons investors chose EB5AN. James from Canada compared his experience with other regional centers, where he interacted only with sales teams, to EB5AN, where he could speak with the managing partners (Sam Silverman and Mike Schoenfeld) without delay. This direct access clearly showed EB5AN’s commitment to transparency and sincere interest in its investors.
It also showed James that the people making decisions at EB5AN were willing to take personal responsibility for the explanations and guidance offered to investors. He also emphasized that this responsiveness made a difference because EB-5 is a life-changing decision for families, and he could sense genuine concern from the principals about what the investment meant for him and his future.
“Whenever I spoke with you, your professionalism, the way you communicate—you’ve never forced us to sign on any project without helping us as much as you can and letting us complete our due diligence… You never said, ‘Invest with us, otherwise I’m going to withhold all this information.’ You were ready to present the information, and it wasn’t just about your projects…” — Rahul
Rahul, an investor from India, emphasized a similar point. The communication was steady, respectful, and centered on helping him understand what mattered for his decision. He repeatedly noted that he never felt pushed to invest. Instead, the focus was on giving him the information he needed to make a clear decision. This approach contrasted sharply with other regional centers that framed conversations around sales, timelines, or urgency rather than genuinely helping investors get informed. He added that EB5AN’s communication was thanks to its knowledgeable team that consistently followed through on its promises.
“EB5AN was extremely great at communicating… When I took a look at the subscription agreement, I liked how everything was laid out in a clear and legible way… and it felt like I was actually getting into business with people that were trustworthy. It showed me as an investor what I needed to know in order to make the right decision, which I didn’t find in any other regional center.” — Karthik
For Karthik, an Indian investor, responsiveness and clarity were the main reasons he chose EB5AN. He wanted straightforward explanations about the project, the repayment timeline, the job creation status, and the firm’s track record. EB5AN’s communication gave him enough confidence to invest.
Interestingly, this theme was repeated across the interviews: investors responded strongly to direct access and consistent communication from senior leadership. Karthik’s calls with Sam and Mike showed him that he was entering a partnership with people who were prepared, well-informed, and willing to take time to guide him through details that other regional centers glossed over.
“EB5AN was actually one of the first regional centers I contacted. And afterwards, I think I spoke to maybe three or four more. But what really stood out was, first of all, I mean you are one of the founders and I contacted you and you almost immediately responded, it was very easy to get on a call with you and that wasn’t the situation with the other regional centers. So even though I spoke to very knowledgeable, friendly, and experienced people, I never spoke to any of the principals or founders in any of the other regional centers. “
“So I thought that was already a big difference. EB5AN seems very transparent in that perspective and also obviously super responsive, very professional in your approach and the communication. I don’t think it ever took longer than three to four hours before I got a response from you. So that was amazing. That really appealed to me …” — Daria
Daria from Germany reached the same conclusion. She noted that the founders’ willingness to speak with her was unusual in the EB-5 space and revealed a level of transparency she did not see elsewhere. She also mentions that the responses consistently came within a few hours, something she never experienced with any other EB-5 firm.
Investor Education and Open Access to Information
“I also find that EB5AN has a whole variety of YouTube interviews and explanations… an effort to help educate investors. This is a life-changing decision, and that has come through in your approach.” — James
A recurring point in every interview is EB5AN’s emphasis on investor education. James highlighted our long-standing approach of producing online posts, in-depth guides, and, of course, our interview series. He noted that other regional centers later began copying this practice, but EB5AN was the first to make comprehensive education a standard part of the process.
“You were ready to present the information, and it wasn’t just about your projects… ‘If you invest with us or through anybody else, these are the things you need to keep in mind.’ And number two, looking at your track record, your pedigree… the infrastructure that you’ve put together… you can tell that you have a team of great individuals that are constantly working on getting things done.” — Rahul
Rahul pointed out that EB5AN explained key concepts even when those explanations did not directly promote EB5AN’s projects. He was given tools to evaluate any EB-5 offering, including how to examine job creation, project capital structure, developer history, and timelines. This reinforced his impression that EB5AN prioritized investor understanding over simply “selling” their projects. He also noted that this approach aligned with the broader discipline and pedigree of the EB5AN team.
“The amount of content and information available in your website, I think that was really good. I did a lot of study—not just about the project, about the whole EB-5 visa categories and the whole process timeline. I think your website provided a lot of information which really helped educate myself on it.”
“But compared to that, other regional centers just had maybe a few lines about the project and not much information about the whole process and timelines and everything. I never saw those kind of monthly updates or quarterly project status reports directly available to everyone on the website. So that was a clear difference between EB5AN and other groups.” — Anoop
For Anoop from India, the depth of the materials available on our website—project documents, construction updates, timelines, and clear explanations—made a difference. He did not see comparable transparency elsewhere. Other regional centers offered short descriptions but did not show detailed project materials or ongoing progress reports. EB5AN’s openness allowed him to verify project status himself, rather than rely on verbal claims. For Anoop EB5AN was the only regional center that paired this transparency with a broad project selection, allowing him to study and compare multiple offerings in detail.
“Sam and his colleagues, when we interacted, were very professional and they were open, they were able to share what all could be shared, and they were able to give us opinions. They also had an excellent repository of data, so we could look into a lot of the data, even testimonials, including about different projects. Even the Dropbox files gave all the information. They gave everything upfront, the subscription documents—everything they had advance. At every stage, if we had any doubt, we could call and that was answerable.
The most important thing is that Sam was clear when I was asking about the project, how much they had sold, everything. We used to get reports—last month they sold this, this month they sold this. This means that they are on track of how it is doing, and all that made a very big difference in terms of building the confidence. That’s the reason why EB5AN, which we chose, was fantastic.” — Mohan
Mohan, an investor from India who funded his son’s EB-5 application, described a similar experience with EB5AN’s transparent data. He reviewed reports, internal updates, job creation information, sales progress, and full subscription documents. We made these materials available before he invested, allowing him to evaluate everything independently. This level of transparency helped him verify what he was being told. For him, the fact that EB5AN proactively shared detailed sales reports—month by month—was a sign that we tracked operations carefully and respected investors’ need for clear information.
EB5AN’s Industry-Leading Track Record
“EB5AN, it stood out to me for multiple reasons. One, it had a 100% USCIS approval rate, which was huge. And for the Twin Lakes project specifically, all the jobs had been created already, and that was big, because there were so many other regional centers that I had come across and projects where they were taking your money but construction hadn’t even begun. So that was a giant red flag. But when I came across EB5AN and all the work that you did, I just knew that you had a really good track record, and it was something that I felt very safe going with.”
“Plus, for most EB5AN projects, the EADs and the advanced parole documents were being issued in 60 to 90 days, which is exactly what happened to me. And I needed that because I had a job at the time and, in order for me keep my job, I needed my employment authorization.”— Karthik
Karthik focused heavily on compliance and job creation. He compared EB5AN’s track record to other regional centers offering early-stage projects with uncertain timelines. Seeing that the jobs at his EB-5 project were already created meant he did not need to worry about whether the project would generate enough positions for his permanent Green Cards. The approval history reinforced his confidence that EB5AN understood how to structure USCIS-compliant projects.
And with so many EB5AN investors having received fast approvals for their work documents and Green Cards, Karthik knew he was in good hands.
“Looking at your track record, your pedigree… the infrastructure that you’ve put together… you have a team of great individuals… constantly working on getting things done.” — Rahul
Rahul echoed this point. He mentioned the team’s record of success with both financial returns and immigration approvals. This reassured him that EB5AN could support him throughout the process, even if complications arose or the program’s policy’s changed.
EB5AN’s Relationship of Trust With Its Investors
“You’re caring concern… at a human level… for what the investor is doing for themselves and for their family… that human contact and element was really important to me, and that’s something I really appreciated from dealing with you and Mike.” — James
“Also, each team member thereafter, after the initial meetings with you for documentation purposes and for transfer of money to the escrow account and such, every team member I interacted with, they were aligned with your organization’s goal, demonstrated prompt, professional communication. I was really happy.” — Felix
Throughout James’s and Felix’s interviews, trust was a dominant theme. They appreciated the professionalism and speed of communication, but also valued the human element—the sense that EB5AN understood the personal importance of an EB-5 investment.
“I have three letters, and they are S-A-M… It’s you, Sam… because whenever I spoke with you, your professionalism, the way you communicate—you’ve never forced us to sign on any project without helping us as much as you can and letting us complete our due diligence.” — Rahul
“It felt like I was actually getting into business with people that were trustworthy… And yourself and Mike, it was very great when we had the initial call and you told me about what EB5AN does and your track record and how you guys operate. And EB5AN, right from the get-go, was very responsive. It was quite helpful. It showed me as an investor what I needed to know in order to make the right decision, which I didn’t find in any other regional center. So it was kind of a no-brainer.” — Karthik
Rahul and Karthik were impressed by the transparency and commitment of Sam and Mike, managing partners of EB5AN. They highlighted that EB5AN and its principals provide investors with as much support as possible so they can succeed in the immigration process.
Again, our investors consistently feel that we are more than just another regional center—we are genuinely committed to helping our investors succeed. Their success is our success.
EB5AN’s Portfolio of Institutional-Quality Rural and Urban Projects
“And the other difference I found was the range of projects available itself. So some of the other regional centers which I talked to had probably one project or two projects, which would start probably two months out to three months out—pretty early stage. So they never had multiple projects ongoing at the same time in the various segments of rural versus urban. So I think EB5AN was the only group which I found had a lot of options at the same time, and we could just choose and pick one based upon our liking.” — Anoop
Anoop felt that our varied selection of EB-5 projects was a green flag. He compared EB5AN’s project portfolio with other regional centers offering only early-stage developments with uncertain timelines. The ability to choose between multiple active, well-documented projects gave Anoop more control and let him select a project that matched his goals. He noted that other groups usually presented only one or two projects that were months away from starting, which made EB5AN’s range of active options stand out even more.
Making the EB-5 Process as Seamless As Possible
“So working with you guys—specifically you, Sam, and your team—that was amazing. Each step of the process was pretty clearly laid out, I would say. As I mentioned before, an enormous amount of educational resources to guide someone novice like me—the webinars, the blog posts, the documentation. It was a well-informed decision that I made, and I made it with confidence.” — Felix
As an Indian EB-5 investor, Felix’s experience highlights another theme: a hassle-free EB-5 process. He described the steps as clear and structured, from initial calls to document preparation to escrow transfers. His confidence came not only from project fundamentals but from how efficiently the EB5AN team managed each stage.
Getting Your EB-5 Journey Off to a Successful Start
Taken together, these interviews show what mattered most to EB5AN’s investors: they could speak directly with the principals, get clear answers, see project documentation, and understand exactly how each project was progressing before making a decision.
At EB5AN, we build a relationship with our investors focused, not on profits, but on trust. For anyone beginning the EB-5 process, these testimonials offer a simple lesson: choose a regional center that is willing to let you see everything for yourself and stand behind the details.
“We’ve earned our investors’ trust,” concludes Silverman, “by our ironclad commitment to transparency and project quality.”
“Simply put, our investors’ success is our success. “
