EB-5 Investors from Buffalo, New York, Seeking EB-5 Investment

EB-5 investors from, or looking to move to, Buffalo, New York, who are seeking an EB-5 investment project should consider the benefits of investing with an EB5AN visa project.

EB5AN’s New York regional center extensively covers Buffalo, New York, and any potential EB-5 investment project.

Primary EB-5 Investment Requirements

The primary EB-5 investment requirements can be summarized as follows:

Investing a minimum of $800,000 for EB-5 investments made in rural or high unemployment areas designated as targeted employment areas (TEAs). Projects outside of TEAs require an investment of $1,050,000, but all of EB5AN’s EB-5 investment projects are located in TEAs and qualify for the lower investment threshold of $800,000.
Creating or preserving at least 10 full-time jobs for qualifying U.S. workers that last a minimum of two years.
Investing in a new commercial enterprise or a troubled business.
Maintaining the at-risk status of the investment and using investment funds that have been lawfully sourced.

Green Card Benefits for Buffalo EB-5 Investors

EB-5 investors who obtain a green card through their EB-5 investment would receive the following benefits:

Residency and Citizenship Benefits

While getting a green card in the United States is not often a quick process, an EB-5 visa is one of the fastest methods to gain permanent residency in the United States for the EB-5 investor, his or her spouse, and their unmarried children under 21 years of age.
Retired green card holders can access any foreign and domestic pensions as well as any social welfare programs for which they qualify.
Green card holders have the option to apply for U.S. citizenship after at least five years of established permanent residency in the United States.

Employment Benefits

The United States does not restrict work within the country for Green card holders.
- Live anywhere, from quaint National Park towns to urban coastal cities, from the mountainous West to the sandy beaches of the South.
- Live in states such as Florida and Texas with no state income tax.
The EB-5 program does not require a visa sponsor or employer sponsor
Green card holders do not need an H-1B work visa in order to work

Education Benefits

Green card holders have access to the U.S. public education system and lower-cost in-state tuition at public colleges and universities.
U.S. residency improves the likelihood of U.S. university admission by as much as 350%.
- Green card holders qualify for in-state tuition, financial aid, and scholarships.
- Permanent residents can also work while studying, complete internships, and apply for postgraduate positions.

Travel Benefits

As long as the U.S. government does not have reason to believe green card holders are primarily established elsewhere, green card holders can freely cross U.S. borders.
Green card holders are free to travel to any part of the United States.
In the event of a political change or significant event in the investor’s home country, the investor and his or her family can immediately gain entry to the United States.

How to Evaluate EB-5 Investment Projects

Before deciding upon an EB-5 investment project, EB-5 investors should evaluate both the financial and immigration risks associated with their project.

In order for an EB-5 visa investment to be successful and the investor to obtain a green card, the investment capital must be at risk throughout the entirety of the investment. This requirement was put in place to ensure investors were not just “buying” a green card but actually investing their capital.

However, “at risk” does not require the investment to be “risky.” Quite the contrary—before investing in a project, it is encouraged EB-5 investors conduct thorough due diligence of the potential financial and immigration risk in their project.

To help EB-5 investors evaluate the risk of their project, EB5AN, in collaboration with Klasko Immigration Law Partners, has developed an EB-5 Project Risk Assessment Tool. This efficient, convenient tool guides investors through the initial diligence of EB-5 projects from both financial and immigration risk perspectives.

Download our EB-5 Project Risk Assessment Questionnaire

EB-5 Investment in Buffalo

Buffalo: Population and Income Demographics

Buffalo is the 119th-most densely populated U.S. city with 256,902 people in 52.5 square miles. Local support by Erie County’s City of Good Neighbors encourages EB-5 investors to move to the area and choose Buffalo as the place for their EB-5 investment project. They recognize the potential successful EB-5 investors bring to their neighborhoods. A new EB-5 investment in Buffalo would help generate an economic boost to the growing city.

The Culture and Economy of Buffalo, New York

EB-5 investors looking to invest in New York should keep Buffalo on their radar. It attracts domestic and international students to its SUNY Buffalo campus and tourists to famous sights such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Darwin D. Martin House Complex. Additionally, the Buffalo community sees EB-5 investment projects as positive investments in their community and a beneficial way to attract successful immigrants.

Why Do Most EB-5 Investors Use Regional Centers?

Most investors choose to invest through a regional center rather than through direct investment because EB-5 regional centers simplify the process for new investors and make it easier to prove job creation. When investing through a regional center, investors can use the induced and the indirect method of calculating jobs. This benefits EB-5 investors because they only must show that they properly allocated invested funds, rather than being required to document full time (W-2) employees were hired and remained employed for at least two full years.

EB5AN is responsible for multiple USCIS-approved regional centers, each of which have broad geographic coverage. This enables a successful EB-5 project to be immediately sponsored in cities across the United States, including Buffalo, New York.

The EB5AN Buffalo, New York Regional Center

Potential investors living in Buffalo may choose to invest locally which would be enabled by the USCIS-approved regional center that covers Buffalo. However, potential EB-5 investors could choose to invest in projects located throughout in the United States.

Our EB5AN State of New York Regional Center includes broad geographic coverage of the entire state of New York, including Buffalo. Most EB-5 investors look to obtain U.S. permanent resident status and can do so through an EB-5 investment under our New York EB-5 regional center.