In 1990 Congress created a program known as “EB-5”: the Immigrant Investor Program. Immigrants invest large sums of money in America and then the U.S. grants them an “EB-5” visa. This visa program is administered by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Through this program, the United States encourages international entrepreneurs to invest in America, developing American jobs and companies through the program. However, the program limits the number of visas they offer and the U.S. maintains conditions on whom may apply
The state has given Our Economic Development Division the authority to designate project sites as a Target Employment Area (TEA), a requirement within the application for smaller investment opportunities.
A simplified summary of the program:
- The investor must create or preserve at least 10 full time jobs within 2 years
- The investor must invest in a new commercial enterprise or
- The investor must invest at least 1 million U.S. Dollars
- The investor must devote 500 thousand Dollars in a high unemployment or rural zone