Mark Ivener, a Nationally Recognized EB-5 Business Immigration Attorney and trusted source for EB-5 News and the EB-5 Process

Mark Ivener has successfully assisted over 100 individuals from all over the world to obtain Green Cards through the EB-5 investor program.

Mark Ivener, an immigration lawyer with over 40 years experience, has a global practice with its principal office in Los Angeles, California. Members of his staff are fluent in Chinese and Farsi.

Representing EB-5 investors, domestic/international companies and individuals in all business immigration matters, Mark Ivener works to open doors for clients ranging from Fortune 500 corporations to investors and movie stars. The scope of work includes representation of investors, foreign executives, managers, professionals and entertainers for temporary and permanent visas. Read More

Important Regulation Highlights

🆕 EB-5 Visa Investment Minimum Lowered!

In 2019 the US Citizenship and Immigration services (USCIS) made major changes to the EB-5 program, most relevant to this news was the increasing of the minimum investment amount. Previous to the 2019 regulations, a foreign investor would have to contribute a minimum amount of $500,000 if investing in a Target Employment Area (TEA) or $1 million if it was a standard investment outside of a TEA. However, following the regulations, even if you invested in a TEA, your minimum investment amount needed to be $900,000, along with other over-restrictive rules, which priced out many foreign investors who were interested in the program.

➤ Read more about the June 22, 2021, ruling concerning the lowering of the minimum investment here.

The New EB-5 Act

After long deliberation and postponing, on March 15, 2022, President Joe Biden approved the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022. Also known as the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022, this will provide new reforms to the EB-5 Program for a 5-year reauthorization period lasting until September 30, 2027.

➤ Click here to read more about the new changes.

The EB-5 Regional Center Program Expired on June 30th Only Temporarily

After Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) objection to extend the EB-5 Regional Center program via unanimous consent, the program expired as of June 30, 2021. The Regional Center program enables foreign investors to obtain green cards in exchange for investment in US businesses and project Regional Centers.

There is still a positive hope that the Regional Center Program will be revived, as it has been for over 20 years. Though Senators are currently on recess, we expect there to be further debate on this issue. Congress could reauthorize the EB- Regional Center program relatively quickly, thus ending current expiration.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss the implications of this change, please reach out to Mark Ivener at mark@usworkvisa.com.

New EB-5 Regulations Struck Down By U.S District Court: $500,000 Investment Sufficient For A Short Time

A lawsuit challenging EB-5 regulations was successful on June 22, 2021, as the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that the regulations were not lawfully promulgated.

The regulations at issue, which came into effect in November 2019, significantly increased investment amounts from $500,000 to $900,000 for investments in a targeted employment area (TEA) and from $1 million to $1.8 million for investments not in a TEA. The regulation also restricted the ability for investments to be considered within a TEA and made other changes to the EB-5 visa category.

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New EB-5 Regulations in Effect as of Nov. 21, 2019

The new EB-5 regulations came into effect on November 21, 2019, and several amendments have been introduced to the program. Established in 1990 by the Immigration Act of 1990, the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program allows eligible, foreign investors to become lawful permanent residents by investing at least $1.8 million to finance a business in the U.S.

➤ Read More