Rural TEA EB-5 Projects in California

EB5AN’s Far West Regional Center for California

EB5AN has established the EB5AN Far West Regional Center to provide EB-5 visa applicants with best-in-class investment opportunities throughout the entire state of California. The EB5AN Far West Regional Center is licensed to sponsor EB-5 investment projects in all 58 counties in California. California’s strong economy makes it an ideal location for rural TEA projects.

EB5AN-sponsored rural targeted employment area (“TEA”) projects in California provide EB-5 investors with a high level of both immigration and financial safety. And a rural TEA investment is one of the fastest ways for immigrant investors to relocate to the United States with their families.

EB5AN has helped more than 2,000 families start on the immigration process toward an EB-5 Green Card. Many of these families made investments in rural TEA projects.

Foreign investors looking for a quick way to immigrate to the United States as permanent residents are invited to contact EB5AN for more information on available rural TEA projects.

What is a Rural TEA?

In the EB-5 immigrant investor visa program, TEAs are areas that show a significant need for economic development. These areas are the intended target for EB-5 capital funding. An area may qualify as a TEA either because of its high unemployment rates or rural status.

EB-5 projects located in rural TEAs are quickly gaining more importance in the EB-5 industry. Rural TEA projects offer many incentives for investors. These incentives were introduced by the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (the “RIA”).

An EB-5 project’s location qualifies as a rural TEA if it meets the following criteria:

• Does not border a municipality with a population of 20,000 or more
• Does not fall within a metropolitan statistical area
• Does not have a population of 20,000 or more

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) is responsible for determining whether or not an area qualifies as a TEA. Foreign investors, however, must prove to USCIS that the project he or she invested in is located in a rural TEA. When an EB-5 applicant submits his or her Form I-526E, he or she must include relevant demographic statistics that prove the project is in a rural TEA.

USCIS accepts data from the latest 10-year national census and data from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget as valid indicators of rural TEA status. These statistics must be current as of the date an investor submits his or her Form I-526E. If the demographic information changes before the investor’s Form I-526E is filed, USCIS may not consider it valid proof of rural TEA status.

EB5AN’s free TEA map instantly shows whether any location in the United States qualifies as a rural TEA. The TEA map uses the latest demographic statistics.

Why Invest in a Rural TEA Project?

The standard minimum amount for an EB-5 investment is $1,050,000. Foreign investors who choose to invest in TEA projects are eligible to make a reduced investment of only $800,000.

A major benefit of investing in rural TEA projects, specifically, is the ability to get a Green Card more quickly. The immigration process is sped up in two ways: through priority processing of Form I-526E and through access to reserved visas.

Priority processing of Form I-526E means fewer delays for rural TEA investors. This perk is especially valuable given the trend of rising processing times and is only available for those who invest in rural TEAs.

Under the RIA, 20% of the annual number of EB-5 visas are reserved for investors in rural TEA projects. As long as these reserved visas remain available, rural TEA investors will be able to apply for their EB-5 visas upon receiving Form I-526E approval.

Access to these reserved visas especially benefits investors from countries undergoing visa retrogression. Retrogression occurs when a country has more EB-5 investors than it has available EB-5 visas. In such cases, investors often must wait many additional months—often years—before they can apply for and receive their Green Cards.

The only way for investors from retrogressed countries to avoid these delays is to obtain a reserved visa. In other words, while the supply of reserved rural TEA visas lasts, a foreign national who invests in a rural TEA project will have access to an EB-5 visa even if his or her country is in visa retrogression.

Access to reserved rural TEA visas currently represents a major opportunity for Chinese, Indian, and Vietnamese EB-5 investors who do not already live in the United States under another visa.

Why Invest in a Rural TEA Project in California?

According to the U.S. Census, California has a population of approximately 39,237,836. Of this, approximately 19,805,371 people are in the civilian labor force: 18,156,051 employed and 1,649,320 unemployed.

California’s GDP per capita is $85,546.00.

California is not only the most populous state in the U.S., it is also one of the most visited places in the world. From the stunning Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, there is no shortage of attractions in California. The Pacific Coast Highway in Big Sur provides road-trippers with one of the most breathtaking coastal scenic drives in the world. Further down the coast in San Simeon is the famous Hearst Castle, famously the inspiration for Citizen Kane. And for families, Disneyland in Anaheim is truly the “happiest place on Earth”.

Yosemite National Park, with its 1000-foot waterfalls, is one of the most visited national parks in America. Sequoia National Park and Redwood National Park are home to the largest and tallest trees on earth, respectively. Other natural wonders in California include Joshua Tree National Park, Channel Islands National Park, and Lake Tahoe, home of year-round skiing and the clearest water on the planet.

Rural TEA Counties in California

California is one of the best locations for rural TEA EB-5 projects.

Project locations in the following counties in California are generally eligible as rural TEAs. This list is a useful way to find potential sites for rural projects.

Foreign investors should also be sure to check the relevant population data for a given location. As noted above, rural TEAs cannot be located in metropolitan statistical areas. They also cannot border or be located in a municipality with a population of 20,000 or more.

A best practice followed by many in the EB-5 industry is to check whether the project’s address qualifies as rural on EB5AN’s free TEA map. This map uses all relevant population data to determine whether an area qualifies as a rural TEA.

• Alpine County
• Amador County
• Calaveras County
• Colusa County
• Del Norte County
• Glenn County
• Humboldt County (except for Eureka city)
• Inyo County
• Lake County
• Lassen County
• Mariposa County
• Mendocino County
• Modoc County
• Mono County
• Nevada County
• Plumas County
• Sierra County
• Siskiyou County
• Tehama County
• Trinity County
• Tuolumne County