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EB-5 Regional Center: Gain Permanent Residency by Investment in the United States, Including Louisiana

Do you and your family want to immigrate to Louisiana or elsewhere in the United States? Or perhaps you’re an immigrant already living in Louisiana, and you want to gain permanent U.S. residency? One of the best ways to achieve this is through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, which enables you to obtain a U.S. Green Card by investing in the country’s economy.

Although you can invest anywhere in the United States, there are certain benefits to investing in Louisiana. If you live in Louisiana or plan on moving there, you might also wish to invest in a project located close to home.

Just like in other parts of the United States, the easiest way to make an EB-5 investment in Louisiana is through a regional center. This article explains everything you need to know about this process.

What Is the EB-5 Program?
Primary EB-5 Investment Requirements
What Is a Regional Center?
Why Invest in a Regional Center?
EB5AN’s Midwest Regional Center
EB-5 Investors Based in Louisiana
How to Evaluate EB-5 Investment Projects
Reasons to Immigrate to Louisiana
Louisiana: Population and Income Demographics
EB-5 Investment: Your Gateway to Permanent Residency in the U.S., Including Louisiana

What Is the EB-5 Program?

The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program is a program that allows foreign investors to gain permanent residency in the U.S. by investing in a new commercial enterprise (NCE). If, after two years, you are able to prove that your investment has generated and maintained 10 full-time jobs for U.S. workers, you can apply for an unconditional Green Card.

Read our article on the steps you need to take to obtain an EB-5 visa to learn more about the application procedure.

Primary EB-5 Investment Requirements

Investments made under the EB-5 program are required to meet certain criteria. These include:

  • ✔️ Investing a minimum of $1,050,000 in a project or business venture, or a minimum of $800,000 in an infrastructure project, or in a project or business venture located in a targeted employment area (TEA). All of EB5AN’s projects are located in TEAs and therefore qualify for the lower investment amount.
  • ✔️ Creating at least 10 full-time jobs for qualifying U.S. workers and sustaining these jobs for a minimum of two years. Those who invest through a regional center can count indirect and induced jobs towards job creation. We discuss this in greater detail later in this article.
  • ✔️ Investing in a new commercial enterprise.
  • ✔️ Maintaining the at-risk status of the investment and using lawfully sourced investment funds.

 

💡 What Is a Targeted Employment Area?
A TEA is a part of the United States that is either a rural TEA or a high-unemployment TEA:

  • A rural TEA is not situated within a metropolitan statistical area or on the outer boundary of a city or town with a population equal to or exceeding 20,000 persons.
  • A high-unemployment TEA is a census tract or combined adjacent census tracts that have a combined average unemployment rate that is at least 150% of the national average unemployment rate.

There are several benefits to investing in EB-5 projects located in a TEA, including:

  • A lower minimum investment amount.
  • Faster application processing for rural TEA projects.
  • A lower likelihood of your visa application being caught in a backlog, as 20% of visas are reserved for rural TEA investors, and 10% of visas are reserved for high-unemployment TEA investors.

EB5AN offers several projects located in rural TEAs.

What Is a Regional Center?

EB-5 regional centers streamline the EB-5 investment process for potential EB-5 applicants. Investing through a regional center has several benefits:

Indirect Job Creation Counts Toward Your Total Job Creation

Investments that aren’t made through a regional center can only count full-time jobs created by their project—direct jobs—toward the required total of 10. If you invest through a regional center, however, full-time jobs generated because of your project—indirect jobs—also count.

Faster Form I-526E Approval for Rural TEA Projects

Once you have invested, you can apply to the EB-5 program by completing Form I-526E. This form requires you to provide details of the project you are investing in. A rural TEA project qualifies for priority processing, meaning your application will likely be processed faster.

Passive Management

Project managers acting for or on behalf of the NCE or the job-creating entity that owns and develops the project handle most of the business and fund management on behalf of investors. This is great if you want to avoid the hassle of managing a business yourself.

Why Invest in a Regional Center?

Potential EB-5 investors may select EB-5 investments located anywhere in the United States. However, opting for an EB-5 investment in Louisiana offers several advantages:

Residency benefits are granted to all direct and indirect (via a regional center) EB-5 investors, irrespective of where in the United States the project is located; however, certain advantages apply to investing and living in Louisiana.

  • The EB-5 program is one of the fastest ways to gain U.S. permanent residency for the EB-5 investor, their spouse, and their unmarried children under 21 years of age.
  • Retired Green Card holders can access their pensions earned abroad and in the United States. They may also qualify for Medicare and other social welfare programs.
  • Green Card holders may apply for U.S. citizenship after five years of established permanent residency in the United States.

Employment Benefits

💡 What Is an H-1B Visa?
An H-1B visa is a work visa that allows foreign workers to come to the U.S. for a limited period to work in a specialist field. An employer must sponsor an H-1B visa; it is not an immigration visa.

Travel Benefits

  • Green Card holders can leave and enter the country without being denied reentry. However, some travel restrictions apply.
  • A bona fide resident and Green Card holder is free to travel to any part of the United States.

Education Benefits

  • Green Card holders have free access to public elementary, middle, and high schools and lower-cost in-state tuition at public colleges and universities.
  • U.S. residency significantly improves the likelihood of admission to U.S. universities.
  • Green Card holders may qualify for financial aid and scholarships.
  • Permanent residents can work while studying, complete internships, and apply for postgraduate positions.

EB5AN’s Midwest Regional Center

Although EB-5 investors can make their EB-5 investment in projects located anywhere in the United States, those in Louisiana may find it easier to invest in projects located within Louisiana. Thankfully, EB5AN already has a USCIS-approved regional center in Louisiana.

The EB5AN Midwest Regional Center contains 64 counties within Louisiana, including the state’s largest cities, ranging from the historic Natchitoches to the economic hub of New Orleans.

EB-5 Investors Based in Louisiana

EB5AN has EB-5 investment projects available to people already living in the United States, including Louisiana. The EB-5 program is the best way to obtain U.S. permanent residency by investment.

If you are a foreign national considering an EB-5 investment, EB5AN can help you. Schedule a call to learn more about currently available EB-5 investment opportunities and join other bona fide residents who have immigrated through the EB-5 program.

How to Evaluate EB-5 Investment Projects

EB-5 investors should evaluate financial and immigration risks when selecting an EB-5 investment project.

EB-5 visa investment capital must be at risk for the duration of the investment. This regulation ensures that investors invest their capital and are not simply “buying” a U.S. Green Card.

This “at-risk” requirement does not mean that EB-5 investors are obligated to invest in “risky” projects, but rather that there must be a chance of loss. Instead, EB-5 investors are recommended to conduct due diligence to minimize their exposure to financial and immigration risk.

Reasons to Immigrate to Louisiana

There are many reasons to choose to live in Louisiana and invest there.

Bustling Cities

  • New Orleans
  • Baton Rouge
  • Shreveport
  • Metairie
  • Lafayette
  • Lake Charles

It is also home to popular destinations like:

  • Bourbon Street
  • French Quarter
  • Mardi Gras
  • Jackson Square
  • Oak Alley Plantation

Louisiana is considered a nice place to live for a variety of reasons, offering a rich blend of culture, history, and natural beauty.

National Leader in Salt, Natural Gas, and Petroleum Production

Louisiana is a national leader in the production of salt, natural gas, and petroleum, which fuels a robust economy and creates job opportunities across these industries. The state’s energy sector is vital to both the local and national economy, offering stable employment in energy production, refining, and transportation. Living in a state with such resources provides economic resilience and opportunities for career growth.

Affordable Cost of Living

The cost of living ranking of Louisiana is 39, which makes it one of the most affordable states to live in the U.S.. Housing, utilities, and everyday expenses are generally more affordable, allowing residents to enjoy a higher quality of life on a modest income. The state’s affordability is particularly appealing to retirees, young professionals, and families looking for budget-friendly living.

Louisiana: Population and Income Demographics

According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau at the time of writing, Louisiana has a population of approximately 3.6 million people over the age of 16. Approximately 2.2 million of them are in the labor force—of these, 2 million are employed, and over 104 thousand are unemployed. The Bureau also quotes Louisiana’s total population as approximately 4.7 million.

Louisiana: General Economic Facts

  • Louisiana extends across 52,361.4 square miles (land and water), with a population density of 108 people per square mile of land.
  • The capital of Louisiana is Baton Rouge due to its strategic location, political considerations, and its historical significance.
  • Louisiana’s 2024 gross domestic product (GDP) was $256.4 billion. The main driver of the state’s economy was manufacturing industry, generating a value of $45.3 billion. It was followed by real estate, rental, and leasing ($29.9B) and government ($28.5B).Other top contributors to the state’s economy include oil drilling and gas extraction businesses.

EB-5 Investment: Your Gateway to Permanent Residency in the U.S., Including Louisiana

With its dynamic economic infrastructure and affordable living costs, the state of Louisiana is a great place to live. Investing in the U.S. economy under the EB-5 program is an easy way for foreign nationals to gain permanent U.S. residency status.

Best of all, if you gain citizenship under the EB-5 program, you will be able to live, work and travel anywhere in the United States. Book a free consultation today to find out how EB5AN can help you achieve this.

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