Firm Unveils Fastest Way to Obtain US Green Card
For high net worth Nigerians, Houston EB-5 Investment is arguably the most secure and fastest way to obtain US Green Card, writes Nume Ekeghe who was recently in Houston to cover the event
In 1990, the United States Congress created a new immigrant visa category for qualified foreign investors seeking to invest in a business that benefits the U.S. economy by creating or preserving at least 10 full-time jobs. This piece of legislation gave birth to the EB-5 immigrant investor visa program. To receive a US Green Card, foreigners are required to invest $1 million in the U.S. economy, although that number is reduced to $500,000 if the investment is made in a Target Economic Area (TEA) as rural or high unemployment areas.
Approximately 10,000 green cards are available through the EB-5 program each year. Although interested applicants in the EB-5 can invest individually, most visas are granted to those who invest through Regional Centers (RCs), which operate as investor pools.
Essentially, RCs are US government approved third-party intermediaries that
connect foreign investors with US based project developers in need of funding for which they earn a commission.
One of such RCs is the Houston EB5. It is also one of the most successful RCs in the United States since it is one of the first RCs that is entirely focused on developing world-class award-winning real estate projects. Given that real estate investments are considerably safer than typical business investments, participants in Houston EB-5 projects can expect a more predictable and timely return on their investment.
According to Managing Director for Houston EB-5, Mr. Acho Azuike, the company was established in 2010 with a mission to
assist immigrant investors to gain permanent US residency by investing in high-quality real estate developments.
What makes Houston EB-5 unique is that it’s a wholly owned subsidiary of DC Partners, an award-winning real estate developer and investment conglomerate with the financial muscle and expertise to execute major real estate projects. As such, unlike traditional RCs which are dis-interested third party entities in the EB-5 transaction only interested in earning commission, Houston EB-5 is an equity participant in all it’s projects, ensuring total commitment to overall project success while far exceeding the statutory jobs creation requirement.
“We take exceptional care of each development as we also invest our own capital into the project,” Executive Vice President, Houston EB5, Emilio Guzman, said. “So, it’s not only our investors who are investing. Within the capital stack, we have a lot of skin in the game. And that is a key distinction. We also manage the EB-5 processing in-house, we handle the marketing and development in-house; and that makes us a unique player in the EB-5 world”.
Since inception in 2010, the organisation has and continues to partner leading industry experts to consistently deliver world-class projects. Houston EB5 has completed highly four successful raises, in excess of $93 million for their Astoria, Eighteen
25, Marlowe, and Arabella projects. They particularly take deep pride in their 100 per cent success rate on I-526 and I-829 visa approvals. In other words, investors are literally guaranteed a US Green Card and full redemption of their investments plus profit sharing.
Historically EB-5 investors have been predominantly from Asia. (In 2014, 85 per cent of the 10,692 EB5 visas issued went to Chinese nationals). However, Houston EB-5 was one of the first RCs to see the EB-5 potential in the Nigerian market and remains the most popular RCs among Nigerians. For example, in a recent round that culminated in a $45m raise for Houston EB5 $14 million came from Nigerian investors, according to Azuike.
“As such Nigeria is a very important market for us and are looking to grow our already successful Nigerian presence”, he added. “Having been in Nigeria since inception of our company, we have judicially sought to establish a stellar track record, which has resulted in many happy Nigerian Investors and their families successfully going through the EB-5 project lifecycle. They, in turn have become a valuable source of referrals for us”.
“Further evidence of our commitment to Nigeria is the new marketing campaign we’re launching under the banner “Turn Your Nigerian Success, Into Your American Privilege” complete with Print Advertising, Television and major online rollout of www. myamericanprivilege.com/nigeria.”
Since inception in 2010, the organisation has and continues to partner leading industry experts to consistently deliver world-class projects... They particularly take deep pride in their 100 per cent success rate on I-526 and I-829 visa approvals. In other words, investors are literally guaranteed a US Green Card and full redemption of their investments plus profit sharing