Looks like USCIS won't be soliciting any more input for the EB-5 visa program via IdeaScale after the last round of suggestions proved to be quite potent.

About 7 months ago, the USCIS solicited input from EB-5 visa stakeholders on how to improve the process and the program. A Stakeholder offered a few popular suggestions that have essentially guaranteed the rejection of thousands of fraudulent petitions filed by Chinese if they were adopted, amongst which were suggestions to require authenticated documents such as tax returns, bank statements, etc. as well as using current unemployment rates to determine TEA status. The immediate impact of these recommendations, if adopted, would be to cause over 10 thousand EB-5 visa petitions to be rejected as well as cause the immediate closure of over 500 regional centers. From indications seen so far, we just might see that happening as it seems that not only is FDNS looking closely at the petitions, but Dept. of State and ICE HSI is also looking at the petitions themselves. This is separate from the securities fraud and money laundering being investigated by SEC and FBI + IRS respectively. As such, not only are thousands of EB-5 visa investors expected to get their petitions rejected, we can also expect to see several hundred regional centers collapse due to criminal and civil prosecutions, and they will go out of business. These factors also make it quite likely that regional centers will NOT be allowed to continue past September 2015, which makes Genuine Direct Investments the ONLY safe option for EB-5 visa seekers.

Genuine Direct Investment businesses are THE BEST option to get the EB-5 visa quickly, safely and usually profitably for the following reasons:

1. Faster processing and approval times.
2. Easy exit strategy.
3. Investors usually get a much higher Return on Investment.
4. Investors usually get a much higher Capital gain, whereas regional center investors usually get capital losses.
5. Our clients have a 100% approval rate of I-526 and I-829, while those who choose regional centers or other partnerships don't.
6. Our clients have very little risk as we conduct extensive due diligence and work hard to prevent fraud and conflict of interest, whereas regional centers and partnerships are overrun with fraud and conflict of interest.
7. Full control of business and capital, which helps prevent fraud, conflict of interest and losses.

EB-5 visa investors need to remember that we offer THE BEST service when it comes to offering a turnkey solution for the following reasons:

1.  Our clients ALWAYS have full control of their business and their money. Those who choose regional centers and partnerships usually have to kiss their money goodbye, and are STUCK for 5-9 years.
2. We offer a written guarantee of freedom from fraud and conflict of interest, whereas our competitors usually don't offer this guarantee.
3. We offer a written guarantee of FULL disclosure of material facts on an ongoing basis, whereas our competitors usually don't offer this guarantee.
4. We offer a written guarantee of full fee refund in case a client is rejected due to our team's fault, while our competitors usually don't offer this guarantee because they are incompetent cowards who are unsure about the quality of their work.
5. Since 2004, our clients have NEVER been denied at the I-526 and I-829 stage, and have NEVER suffered operating or capital losses, and have usually earned over 22% annual Return on Equity because of our focus on due diligence and our extensive efforts to reduce risk by preventing fraud and conflict of interest. Try finding a regional center or partnership that boasts of this record.
6. We are quite objective in our assessments, and owe a fiduciary duty to our EB-5 visa investor clients, while those who sell regional center and partnership securities usually do not owe fiduciary duties to EB-5 visa investors. In plain words, we are required by law to put our clients interests first, and we do so because it helps us more than it helps our clients! We advise our clients diligently and help them make solid decisions.
7. We are probably the ONLY firm that actually encourages our clients to always stay in full control of their business and their funds at every stage as this helps us avoid escrow accounting and reduces potential for fraud, embezzlement and litigation.

If you're an EB-5 visa investor who wants to get their green card quickly, safely and in a usually profitable manner, please contact us. You'll be glad you did!

Yours truly,

Mohammed Shaikh, Licensed RE and Business Broker (CA & FL)

Phone: +1 407 535 0616 Online: htttp://www.smartbusinessbroker.com

EB-5 visa investors who invested in Regional centers based in Texas, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Louisiana, etc. look all set to lose BILLIONS in equity thanks to the crash in oil prices.

As we're seeing in the news, thousands of jobs are being slashed, residential and commercial real estate prices are going down, and the poor EB-5 visa investors who made the mistake of investing in regional centers in Texas, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Louisiana, etc. look all set to see a significant drop in the value of their investments as regional centers invested in real estate that is expected to see a significant drop in the value of the assets.

Genuine Direct Investment businesses are THE BEST option to get the EB-5 visa quickly, safely and usually profitably for the following reasons:

Faster processing and approval times.

Easy exit strategy.

Investors usually get a much higher Return on Investment.

Investors usually get a much higher Capital gain, whereas regional center investors usually get capital losses.

Our clients have a 100% approval rate of I-526 and I-829, while those who choose regional centers or other partnerships don't.

Our clients have very little risk as we conduct extensive due diligence and work hard to prevent fraud and conflict of interest, whereas regional centers and partnerships are overrun with fraud and conflict of interest.

Full control of business and capital, which helps prevent fraud, conflict of interest and losses.
EB-5 visa investors need to remember that we offer THE BEST service when it comes to offering a turnkey solution for the following reasons:

Our clients ALWAYS have full control of their business and their money. Those who choose regional centers and partnerships usually have to kiss their money goodbye, and are STUCK for 5-9 years.

We offer a written guarantee of freedom from fraud and conflict of interest, whereas our competitors usually don't offer this guarantee.

We offer a written guarantee of FULL disclosure of material facts on an ongoing basis, whereas our competitors usually don't offer this guarantee.

We offer a written guarantee of full fee refund in case a client is rejected due to our team's fault, while our competitors usually don't offer this guarantee because they are incompetent cowards who are unsure about the quality of their work.

Since 2004, our clients have NEVER been denied at the I-526 and I-829 stage, and have NEVER suffered operating or capital losses, and have usually earned over 22% annual Return on Equity because of our focus on due diligence and our extensive efforts to reduce risk by preventing fraud and conflict of interest. Try finding a regional center or partnership that boasts of this record.

We are quite objective in our assessments, and owe a fiduciary duty to our EB-5 visa investor clients, while those who sell regional center and partnership securities usually do not owe fiduciary duties to EB-5 visa investors. In plain words, we are required by law to put our clients interests first, and we do so because it helps us more than it helps our clients! We advise our clients diligently and help them make solid decisions.

We are probably the ONLY firm that actually encourages our clients to always stay in full control of their business and their funds at every stage as this helps us avoid escrow accounting and reduces potential for fraud, embezzlement and litigation.

If you're an EB-5 visa investor who wants to get their green card quickly, safely and in a usually profitable manner, please contact us. You'll be glad you did!

Yours truly,
Mohammed Shaikh, Licensed RE and Business Broker (CA & FL)
Phone: +1 407 535 0616 Online: htttp://www.smartbusinessbroker.com

Does self-proclaimed EB-5 due diligence expert Wassem Amin have a violent past? As it is, I wasn't very impressed with his "due diligence expertise", and now I have even less respect.

I just read an article (see link http://mainecampus.com/2004/10/14/police-beat-127/ ) about a domestic assault and threatening incident witnessed by Police in Bangor, Maine. I believe this is the same attorney of Dhar Law who has questionable knowledge of "due diligence", as Mr. Wassem Amin had apparently attended Husson University in Bangor, ME at the same time of the arrest, and this is probably the same individual. Lying about his background and expertise is one thing, but having a tendency to resort to violence is another thing entirely. In the past, I've raised several questions about Wassem Amin's competence and loyalties in doing due diligence, and what I've learnt now disappoints me even more. It is folks like Michael Gibson, Wassem Amin and Brian Sue who've caused hundreds of EB-5 visa investors lose their time and money.

EB-5 visa investors need to ask a simple fact: WHERE do an adviser's loyalties lie? I'm a Licensed RE Broker, and as such, my loyalties lie solely with my client and as I owe them a fiduciary duty, I have to place their interests ahead of mine. I can confidently state that most if not all regional centers commit securities fraud and violate securities and anti-money laundering laws.

The fact is, there is NO ambiguity when it comes to defining the best option for EB-5 visa investors, and any objective attorney and CPA will clearly advise EB-5 visa investors to choose a Genuine Direct Investment Business and avoid regional centers and partnerships due to fraud, conflict of interest, mismanagement, low returns and terrible exit strategies.

 EB-5 visa seekers should remember that Genuine Direct Investment businesses are THE BEST option to get the EB-5 visa quickly, safely and usually profitably for the following reasons:

1. Faster processing and approval times.
2. Easy exit strategy.
3. Investors usually get a much higher Return on Investment.
4. Investors usually get a much higher Capital gain, whereas regional center investors usually get capital losses.
5. Our clients have a 100% approval rate of I-526 and I-829, while those who choose regional centers or other partnerships don't.
6. Our clients have very little risk as we conduct extensive due diligence and work hard to prevent fraud and conflict of interest, whereas regional centers and partnerships are overrun with fraud and conflict of interest.
7. Full control of business and capital, which helps prevent fraud, conflict of interest and losses.

EB-5 visa investors need to remember that we offer THE BEST service when it comes to offering a turnkey solution for the following reasons:

1.  Our clients ALWAYS have full control of their business and their money. Those who choose regional centers and partnerships usually have to kiss their money goodbye, and are STUCK for 5-9 years.
2. We offer a written guarantee of freedom from fraud and conflict of interest, whereas our competitors usually don't offer this guarantee.
3. We offer a written guarantee of FULL disclosure of material facts on an ongoing basis, whereas our competitors usually don't offer this guarantee.
4. We offer a written guarantee of full fee refund in case a client is rejected due to our team's fault, while our competitors usually don't offer this guarantee because they are incompetent cowards who are unsure about the quality of their work.
5. Since 2004, our clients have NEVER been denied at the I-526 and I-829 stage, and have NEVER suffered operating or capital losses, and have usually earned over 22% annual Return on Equity because of our focus on due diligence and our extensive efforts to reduce risk by preventing fraud and conflict of interest. Try finding a regional center or partnership that boasts of this record.
6. We are quite objective in our assessments, and owe a fiduciary duty to our EB-5 visa investor clients, while those who sell regional center and partnership securities usually do not owe fiduciary duties to EB-5 visa investors. In plain words, we are required by law to put our clients interests first, and we do so because it helps us more than it helps our clients! We advise our clients diligently and help them make solid decisions.
7. We are probably the ONLY firm that actually encourages our clients to always stay in full control of their business and their funds at every stage as this helps us avoid escrow accounting and reduces potential for fraud, embezzlement and litigation.

If you're an EB-5 visa investor who wants to get their green card quickly, safely and in a usually profitable manner, please contact us. You'll be glad you did!

Yours truly,

Mohammed Shaikh, Licensed RE and Business Broker (CA & FL)

Phone: +1 407 535 0616 Online: htttp://www.smartbusinessbroker.com

What happens to the securities issued by regional centers WHEN and not IF the I-526 petitions filed by over 11,000 investors are rejected?

Due to the fact that the SEC, FDNS Directorate of USCIS & IRS are now actively monitoring EB-5 visa petitions, and the GAO is conducting it's own audit of the EB-5 visa programs, it is quite likely that well over half of the I-526 petitions currently filed with the USCIS will be rejected as there is no way that most Chinese investors will be able to prove that they have lawfully earned their investment funds and will also be unable to prove that they didn't launder funds. Due to this, it is definitely true that there will be processing delays, but I can bet my bottom dollar that Bernie Wolfsdorf will end up looking like an idiot as his prediction of an EB-5 visa backlog falls flat on it's face. Bernard Wolsdorf says on his website "A Chinese EB-5 quota, or waiting line, (often called retrogression), is a certainty and the China EB-5 cut-off date will start in May or June 2015." and I say Mr. Wolfsdorf seems to be out of touch with reality, as apparently certain steps have already been taken to ensure that this time around, it will be impossible for adjudicators to ignore fraud, forged documents and money laundering, even if the corrupt Alejandro "Ali" Mayorkas himself tries to lean on USCIS Adjudicators, as he had earlier leaned on the USCIS adjudicators to illegally approve EB-5 visas for Sam Nazarian's casino in Las Vegas, at the behest of Senator Harry Reid.

I believe that anyone who is smart enough to short the securities (especially debt) of certain major securities issuers such as Related, Extell, SBE (SLS Casinos), Bay Area Regional Center, etc. will be laughing all the way to the bank if these entities default due to their visa investor's petitions being denied. Another factor that will work against the regional centers is that it is EXTREMELY unlikely that regional centers will be extended after September 2015. Nothing is impossible, but thanks to securities fraud, money laundering concerns, national security concerns, etc., the probability of regional centers existing after September 2015 is VERY LOW. 

EB-5 visa investors need to remember 2 things:

a) Regional Centers are NOT to be trusted, so whether an investor wants to go with EB-5 visas or EB-1C visas, a Genuine Direct Investment Business is the only safe option available for investors,

b) For the foreseeable future, EB-1C visas are safer, faster, cheaper and easier to obtain when  compared to EB-5 visas.

Regional centers usually commit securities fraud, which is why the SEC strongly advises EB-5 visa investors to avoid regional centers. Even ICE recommended that ALL regional centers be permanently shut down (see link to memo at http://www.smartbusinessbroker.com/EB5_ICE_fraud_memo.pdf). 

Securities fraud is so rampant amongst regional centers that a regional center's CEO & CFO will usually refuse to offer EB-5 visa investors the following 2 guarantees in writing:

1) Guarantee of freedom from fraud and conflict of interest,

2) Guarantee of full disclosure of material facts.

Some of the material facts that regional centers don't disclose to EB-5 visa investors is that they illegally market and sell securities overseas. Other facts that regional centers and unscrupulous direct investments such as those offered by E3 Investment Group or Joe Sloboda's Voodoo BBQ and Twistee treat don't disclose is that they have significant conflict of interest embedded in their offerings structures, which causes significant capital losses. Regional Centers also don't disclose the fact that not only the SEC but also ICE has strongly recommended that regional centers be avoided by EB-5 visa investors due to serious concerns about fraud and money laundering. See link athttp://www.smartbusinessbroker.com/EB5_ICE_fraud_memo.pdf and read the blog at http://eb5-expert.blogspot.com/ to learn more. Regional Center marketers and promoters usually don't disclose the material fact that regional center petitions take far longer to process compared to Direct Investment petitions.

As it is, many EB-5 visa investors now understand that Genuine Direct investment businesses are the safest option in every single aspect. Here are some of the critical reasons that EB-5 visa investors should ALWAYS choose Genuine Direct Investment Businesses and avoid regional centers:

In a Genuine Direct Investment Business, it is quite unusual to encounter fraud or conflict of interest. This alone is THE biggest reason why EB-5 visa investors usually experience capital loss if they opt for regional centers or unsafe Direct Investments (such as Twistee Treats or Voodoo or Marcos Pizza), while those who opt for Genuine Direct Investment Businesses usually NEVER experience capital loss.

EB-5 visa investors who choose Genuine Direct Investment Businesses usually earn annual ROI of 15% to 40%, while those who select regional centers usually earn 0-2% annual ROI.

Genuine Direct Investment Businesses offer easy exit strategies to EB-5 visa investors while those who invest in regional centers experience TERRIBLE exit strategies.

Regional Centers usually commit securities fraud and securities law violations while this is usually unheard of in Genuine Direct Investment Businesses.

EB-5 visa investors usually get capital gains if they invest in a Genuine Direct Investment Business and almost NEVER get capital gains if they invest in a regional center.

EB-5 visa investors in Genuine Direct Investment Businesses see faster processing and approval of their petitions, while it takes much longer for EB-5 visa investors to get their immigrant visa through regional centers.

EB-5 visa investors in Genuine Direct Investment Businesses have a higher chance of getting their permanent green card, while those who opt for regional centers have a lower chance of getting their green card.

The ONLY safe, fast and usually profitable way to get an EB-5 visa is through investment in a GENUINE Direct Investment Business. An even faster and easier way to get a PERMANENT green card is to apply for the L1A visa and then the EB-1C visa.

Many immigration attorneys and so-called due diligence "experts" fail to disclose important facts to investors. One such set of facts is that it takes 3 years to get a temporary green card and an additional 30+ months to get a permanent green card in EB-5 visa category, while investors can get a permanent green card in 2 years with EB-1C category visas.

Unscrupulous immigration attorneys, Regional center promoters and marketers deliberately conceal the important fact from investors that it is expected that EB-5 visa investors will take at least 2-3 years to get a temporary green card under EB-5 visa category, and an additional 2.5 years to get a permanent green card. In this period, the investor faces an unnecessary delay that can be easily bypassed simply by using the EB-1C visa option, with which investors can get a permanent green card in as little as a year to two years.

The advantages of EB-1C are as follows:

1) Very little chance of fraud, compared to rampant fraud seen in regional centers in the EB-5 visa program.

2) Significantly lower investment amount. In EB-5 visa, a minimum investment of $500,000 is needed, whereas I've had clients get approved with even $350,000 investment in EB-1C visa category.

3) There is total flexibility about location: EB-1C visa investors face no restrictions about location, whereas EB-5 visa investors see significant location based restrictions if they invest only $500,000, and investors have to invest minimum $1 Million to avoid location based restrictions.

4) The EB-5 visa program has onerous proof of fund requirements, whereas the fund documentation requirements are definitely not as stringent in EB-1C visa program.

5) The job creation requirements are a lot more onerous in EB-5 visa, and I've seen that creating even 4 jobs suffices for an EB-1C visa.

6) Unlike the EB-5 visa program, there is no conditional green card in EB-1C visa program.

7) The time to get a permanent green card under EB-1 visa program ranges from 1-2 years, whereas it takes almost 5 years to get a permanent green card under EB-5 visa category. Business owners & executives can immediately move to the US on L1A visa, and get their green card in hand within a matter of months, whereas EB-5 visa holders have to wait for about two years to just get a temporary green card.

Keeping the above factors in mind, most investors are now choosing to go with EB-1C visa as it is a lot cheaper, faster, safer and easier to get compared to the EB-5 visa.

If you are a business owner or high net worth individual interested in migrating to the US, please hire our team. We offer a turnkey solution and have a solid track record of success, as we believe in delivering results and not excuses to our clients. That is why we have a 100% fee refund guarantee while our competitors usually don't offer such a guarantee.

Mohammed Shaikh, MBA (Accounting), CFE, Licensed Business & RE Broker (CA & FL)

Online:  http://www.smartbusinessbroker.com Phone: +1 407 535 0616

Yet another case surfaces with a Greenberg Traurig client linked to fraud.

Greenberg Traurig seems to be a name linked quite often to fraud, from the infamous Abramoff to the latest EB-5 visa crooks recently, and now it seems that the firm has gone ahead and signed up yet another criminal as a client. Do crooks and criminals have an inexplicable affinity for Greenberg Traurig?

Read the article in NY Times to learn more (see link  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/13/nyregion/on-planned-mob-films-multimillion-dollar-fraud-is-alleged-before-cameras-ever-roll.html) and then ask a simple question: Considering the fact that several EB-5 scammers have used their services, should EB-5 visa investors give a wide berth to regional centers that are in any way affiliated with a firm that seems to strangely attract more than it's fair share of crooks?

The safest option for EB-5 visa investors remains a Genuine Direct Investment Business, and we can proudly and honestly say that we've the longest and best track record when it comes to helping EB-5 visa investors become permanent residents under the Direct Investment Category since 2004. If you're interested in learning more, please let me know.

Yours truly
Mohammed Shaikh, MBA (Accounting), CFE, Licensed Business & RE Broker (CA & FL)
Online: http://www.smartbusinessbroker.com Phone: +1 407 535 0616

Delays look certain and EB-5 visa retrogression will not happen as USCIS looks all set to crack down on money laundering and fraud in the EB-5 visa program.

The EB-5 visa stakeholder's conference call held on 5th December was quite informative about not only what WAS said but also about what was left unsaid. It seems that a ton of regional centers will go belly up due to the fact that due to heightened scrutiny of securities offerings and the source of funds, a large number of EB-5 visa petitions will be rejected due to securities fraud and money laundering concerns.

It appears that delays in processing are expected to worsen due to the fact that the Government Accountability Office is conducting an audit of the EB-5 program with respect to fraud risk and mitigation strategies (and USCIS will be on their best behaviour and acting VERY diligently while this happens), and to study the validity of economic model job creation. Attendees were also led to believe that the USCIS will prioritize fraud prevention in the EB-5 visa program with a 15-member Fraud Detection National Security team being dedicated for this purpose.

Another unsaid fact that regional center promoters didn't discuss on the conference call is that USCIS has joined the SEC, US ICE, FBI and IRS in recommending to Congress that regional centers be banned from the EB-5 visa program due to rampant fraud and money laundering. EB-5 visa investors need to keep in mind that Congress is now fully within the control of Republicans, and 3 very powerful Republican Senators are publicly working to shut down regional center, it is very unlikely that regional centers will be able to continue in the EB-5 visa program after September 2015. The public reason (which in and of itself is quite valid) given by the Republican Senators is that they are acting on the legitimate concerns voiced by FBI, SEC, IRS, ICE and USCIS that there is rampant visa and securities fraud and money laundering in the EB-5 visa program due to regional centers, but the unsaid agenda item is that the regional center program is a very effective tool to hamstring Hillary Clinton's presidential aspirations as GCFM is too juicy a target to not use to directly tarnish the reputations of not only Tony Rodham and Bill Clinton directly for fraud and money laundering, but also Hillary Clinton's reputation as she had also actively helped Tony Rodham in GCFM. In politics, it is quite common to see 2 birds killed with one stone, and with Republicans having complete and unprecedented control of Congress, payback will stink for Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton and other Democrats.

In practical terms, it means that the chances for regional centers to get renewed are zero and the impetus will now be to shut down every single one sooner rather than later. As it is, the backlog of over 11,000 I-526 petitions is primarily due to the fact that actions of corrupt USCIS officials such as Alejandro Mayorkas (the very same former US Attorney who got a presidential pardon for a convicted drug dealer caught with about 400 kilos of cocaine) are now being reviewed by other agencies as well as DHS OIG, so the chances of rejection are now quite high. Moreover, due to the fact that source of funds is now being extensively scrutinized, the expected backlog in EB-5 visa availability may not even materialize simply due to the fact that most of the Chinese funds are illicit and not documented at all.

EB-5 visa investors need to remember 2 things:

a) Regional Centers are NOT to be trusted, so whether an investor wants to go with EB-5 visas or EB-1C visas, a Genuine Direct Investment Business is the only safe option available for investors,

b) For the foreseeable future, EB-1C visas are safer, faster, cheaper and easier to obtain when  compared to EB-5 visas.

Regional centers usually commit securities fraud, which is why the SEC strongly advises EB-5 visa investors to avoid regional centers. Even ICE recommended that ALL regional centers be permanently shut down (see link to memo at http://www.smartbusinessbroker.com/EB5_ICE_fraud_memo.pdf). Securities fraud is so rampant amongst regional centers that a regional center's CEO & CFO will usually refuse to offer EB-5 visa investors the following 2 guarantees:

1) Guarantee of freedom from fraud and conflict of interest,

2) Guarantee of full disclosure of material facts.

Some of the material facts that regional centers don't disclose to EB-5 visa investors is that they illegally market and sell securities overseas. Other facts that regional centers and unscrupulous direct investments such as those offered by E3 Investment Group or Joe Sloboda's Voodoo BBQ and Twistee treat don't disclose is that they have significant conflict of interest embedded in their offerings structures, which causes significant capital losses. Regional Centers also don't disclose the fact that not only the SEC but also ICE has strongly recommended that regional centers be avoided by EB-5 visa investors due to serious concerns about fraud and money laundering. See link athttp://www.smartbusinessbroker.com/EB5_ICE_fraud_memo.pdf and read the blog at http://eb5-expert.blogspot.com/ to learn more. Regional Center marketers and promoters usually don't disclose the material fact that regional center petitions take far longer to process compared to Direct Investment petitions.

As it is, many EB-5 visa investors now understand that Genuine Direct investment businesses are the safest option in every single aspect. Here are some of the critical reasons that EB-5 visa investors should ALWAYS choose Genuine Direct Investment Businesses and avoid regional centers:

In a Genuine Direct Investment Business, it is quite unusual to encounter fraud or conflict of interest. This alone is THE biggest reason why EB-5 visa investors usually experience capital loss if they opt for regional centers or unsafe Direct Investments (such as Twistee Treats or Voodoo or Marcos Pizza), while those who opt for Genuine Direct Investment Businesses usually NEVER experience capital loss.

EB-5 visa investors who choose Genuine Direct Investment Businesses usually earn annual ROI of 15% to 40%, while those who select regional centers usually earn 0-2% annual ROI.

Genuine Direct Investment Businesses offer easy exit strategies to EB-5 visa investors while those who invest in regional centers experience TERRIBLE exit strategies.

Regional Centers usually commit securities fraud and securities law violations while this is usually unheard of in Genuine Direct Investment Businesses.

EB-5 visa investors usually get capital gains if they invest in a Genuine Direct Investment Business and almost NEVER get capital gains if they invest in a regional center.

EB-5 visa investors in Genuine Direct Investment Businesses see faster processing and approval of their petitions, while it takes much longer for EB-5 visa investors to get their immigrant visa through regional centers.

EB-5 visa investors in Genuine Direct Investment Businesses have a higher chance of getting their permanent green card, while those who opt for regional centers have a lower chance of getting their green card.

The ONLY safe, fast and usually profitable way to get an EB-5 visa is through investment in a GENUINE Direct Investment Business. An even faster and easier way to get a PERMANENT green card is to apply for the L1A visa and then the EB-1C visa.

Many immigration attorneys and so-called due diligence "experts" fail to disclose important facts to investors. One such set of facts is that it takes 3 years to get a temporary green card and an additional 30+ months to get a permanent green card in EB-5 visa category, while investors can get a permanent green card in 2 years with EB-1C category visas.

Unscrupulous immigration attorneys, Regional center promoters and marketers deliberately conceal the important fact from investors that it is expected that EB-5 visa investors will take at least 2-3 years to get a temporary green card under EB-5 visa category, and an additional 2.5 years to get a permanent green card. In this period, the investor faces an unnecessary delay that can be easily bypassed simply by using the EB-1C visa option, with which investors can get a permanent green card in as little as a year to two years.

The advantages of EB-1C are as follows:

1) Very little chance of fraud, compared to rampant fraud seen in regional centers in the EB-5 visa program.

2) Significantly lower investment amount. In EB-5 visa, a minimum investment of $500,000 is needed, whereas I've had clients get approved with even $350,000 investment in EB-1C visa category.

3) There is total flexibility about location: EB-1C visa investors face no restrictions about location, whereas EB-5 visa investors see significant location based restrictions if they invest only $500,000, and investors have to invest minimum $1 Million to avoid location based restrictions.

4) The EB-5 visa program has onerous proof of fund requirements, whereas the fund documentation requirements are definitely not as stringent in EB-1C visa program.

5) The job creation requirements are a lot more onerous in EB-5 visa, and I've seen that creating even 4 jobs suffices for an EB-1C visa.

6) Unlike the EB-5 visa program, there is no conditional green card in EB-1C visa program.

7) The time to get a permanent green card under EB-1 visa program ranges from 1-2 years, whereas it takes almost 5 years to get a permanent green card under EB-5 visa category. Business owners & executives can immediately move to the US on L1A visa, and get their green card in hand within a matter of months, whereas EB-5 visa holders have to wait for about two years to just get a temporary green card.

Keeping the above factors in mind, most investors are now choosing to go with EB-1C visa as it is a lot cheaper, faster, safer and easier to get compared to the EB-5 visa.

If you are a business owner or high net worth individual interested in migrating to the US, please hire our team. We offer a turnkey solution and have a solid track record of success, as we believe in delivering results and not excuses to our clients. That is why we have a 100% fee refund guarantee while our competitors usually don't offer such a guarantee.

Mohammed Shaikh, MBA (Accounting), CFE, Licensed Business & RE Broker (CA & FL)

Online:  http://www.smartbusinessbroker.com Phone: +1 407 535 0616

Can EB-5 visa investors EVER trust so-called due diligence firms who claim to do due diligence on regional centers and their projects?

I've personally reviewed 8 "due diligence" experts and firms in the last 4 months alone, and can say with great disappointment that they are simply aiding and abetting regional centers in committing securities fraud.

In the US, failure to disclose material facts while offering / selling securities to an investor is known as securities fraud. Pretty much every single Regional center has committed securities fraud by failing to disclose some (or all) of the following facts to EB-5 visa investors:

1) Regional Centers as well as risky (and usually fraudulent) direct offerings such as E3 Investment Group (run by Matthew Gordon AKA Matt Gordon), Twistee Treat, Marcos Pizza Offerings by Brian Hall, Voodoo BBQ offered by Fred Burgess & Joe Sloboda, etc. usually have significant conflict of interest built into their offerings.

2) Regional Centers usually violate securities laws by illegally offering and selling securities in the US and / or abroad.

3) The due diligence guys are usually paid by the regional center / project / fraudulent direct investment team, due to which they are usually loyal to those who pay them.

4) Regional centers and fraudulent direct investments have truly terrible exit strategies and offer meager ROI.

5) Regional Centers and fraudulent direct investments often have junk fees known as administrative fees, which are used to pay high (and usually ILLEGAL) commissions to visa / immigration agents.

6) Capital loss is usually experienced by those who invest in regional centers and risky direct investments.

7) Per the latest USCIS figures, less than 50% of the EB-5 visa investors who choose to invest in regional centers get their permanent green card. See link at http://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports-studies/immigration-forms-data and compare the data for I-829 approvals and look at the number of I-526 approvals for years prior to that. i.e. in 2012, over 3600 I-526 petitions were approved, but only 1600 I-829 petitions were approved in 2014, which means that there are about 2000 petitions that still haven't received approvals. Not only that, the percentage of I-829 denials are now in excess of 11%. The so-called due diligence experts also usually don't disclose that due to heightened scrutiny, the number of I-526 denials is now in excess of 12%, and is expected to significantly increase.

8) The so-called due diligence experts usually don't disclose the fact that in 2014 alone, over 60 regional centers have already been shut down and another 5-9 are expected to be shut down soon by the USCIS.

EB-5 visa investors now know and understand that Genuine Direct investment businesses are the safest option in every single aspect. Here are some of the critical reasons that EB-5 visa investors should ALWAYS choose Genuine Direct Investment Businesses and avoid regional centers:

In a Genuine Direct Investment Business, it is quite unusual to encounter fraud or conflict of interest. This alone is THE biggest reason why EB-5 visa investors usually experience capital loss if they opt for regional centers or unsafe Direct Investments (such as Twistee Treats or Voodoo or Marcos Pizza), while those who opt for Genuine Direct Investment Businesses usually NEVER experience capital loss. 

EB-5 visa investors who choose Genuine Direct Investment Businesses usually earn annual ROI of 15% to 40%, while those who select regional centers usually earn 0-2% annual ROI.

Genuine Direct Investment Businesses offer easy exit strategies to EB-5 visa investors while those who invest in regional centers experience TERRIBLE exit strategies.

Regional Centers usually commit securities fraud and securities law violations while this is usually unheard of in Genuine Direct Investment Businesses.

EB-5 visa investors usually get capital gains if they invest in a Genuine Direct Investment Business and almost NEVER get capital gains if they invest in a regional center.

EB-5 visa investors in Genuine Direct Investment Businesses see faster processing and approval of their petitions, while it takes much longer for EB-5 visa investors to get their immigrant visa through regional centers. 

EB-5 visa investors in Genuine Direct Investment Businesses have a higher chance of getting their permanent green card, while those who opt for regional centers have a lower chance of getting their green card.

The ONLY safe, fast and usually profitable way to get an EB-5 visa is through investment in a GENUINE Direct Investment Business. An even faster and easier way to get a PERMANENT green card is to apply for the L1A visa and then the EB-1C visa.

Many immigration attorneys and so-called due diligence "experts" fail to disclose important facts to investors. One such set of facts is that it takes 3 years to get a temporary green card and an additional 30+ months to get a permanent green card in EB-5 visa category, while investors can get a permanent green card in 2 years with EB-1C category visas.

Unscrupulous immigration attorneys, Regional center promoters and marketers deliberately conceal the important fact from investors that it is expected that EB-5 visa investors will take at least 2-3 years to get a temporary green card under EB-5 visa category, and an additional 2.5 years to get a permanent green card. In this period, the investor faces an unnecessary delay that can be easily bypassed simply by using the EB-1C visa option, with which investors can get a permanent green card in as little as a year to two years.

The advantages of EB-1C over EB-5 visas are as follows:

1) Very little chance of fraud, compared to rampant fraud seen in regional centers in the EB-5 visa program.

2) Significantly lower investment amount. In EB-5 visa, a minimum investment of $500,000 is needed, whereas I've had clients get approved with even $350,000 investment in EB-1C visa category.

3) There is total flexibility about location: EB-1C visa investors face no restrictions about location, whereas EB-5 visa investors see significant location based restrictions if they invest only $500,000, and investors have to invest minimum $1 Million to avoid location based restrictions.

4) The EB-5 visa program has onerous proof of fund requirements, whereas the fund documentation requirements are definitely not as stringent in EB-1C visa program.

5) The job creation requirements are a lot more onerous in EB-5 visa, and I've seen that creating even 4 jobs suffices for an EB-1C visa.

6) Unlike the EB-5 visa program, there is no conditional green card in EB-1C visa program.

7) The time to get a permanent green card under EB-1 visa program ranges from 1-2 years, whereas it takes almost 5 years to get a permanent green card under EB-5 visa category. Business owners & executives can immediately move to the US on L1A visa, and get their green card in hand within a matter of months, whereas EB-5 visa holders have to wait for about two years to just get a temporary green card.

Keeping the above factors in mind, most investors are now choosing to go with EB-1C visa as it is a lot cheaper, faster, safer and easier to get compared to the EB-5 visa.

If you are a business owner or high net worth individual interested in migrating to the US, please hire our team. We offer a turnkey solution and have a solid track record of success, as we believe in delivering results and not excuses to our clients. That is why we have a 100% fee refund guarantee while our competitors usually don't offer such a guarantee.

Mohammed Shaikh, MBA (Accounting), CFE, Licensed Business & RE Broker (CA & FL)
Online:  http://www.smartbusinessbroker.com Phone: +1 407 535 0616