USCIS administers the Immigrant Investor Program, also known as “EB-5,” created by Congress in 1990 to stimulate the U.S. economy by allowing foreign investors to bring in capital investment and help with job creation. Under an authorized immigration program first enacted in 1992, certain EB-5 visas also are set aside for investors in Regional Centers designated by USCIS based on proposals that promote economic growth.
The key element in a successful EB-5 investment opportunity is the creation of new jobs.If at least 10 new jobs are created for each investment of a project, the threshold requirement is achieved. Each of the current Omega Florida Regional Center projects creates over 400 jobs. Omega will only allow 15 investors per project, which means the job creation requirement is 150. As a result, there is a significant job cushion for the investor looking to participate in an Omega project. In other words, there are almost 30 new jobs created for each investor (29.3 to be precise), well above the 10 required.
Job Creation Requirements
Create or preserve at least 10 full-time jobs for qualifying U.S. workers within two years (or under certain circumstances, within a reasonable time after the two-year period) of the immigrant investor’s admission to the United States as a Conditional Permanent Resident.
Create or preserve either direct or indirect jobs. Direct jobs are actual identifiable jobs for qualified employees located within the commercial enterprise into which the EB-5 investor has directly invested his or her capital. Indirect jobs are those jobs shown to have been created collaterally or as a result of capital invested in a commercial enterprise affiliated with a regional center by an EB-5 investor. A foreign investor may only use the indirect job calculation if affiliated with a regional center.