This is a U.S. government program administered through the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services which is the agency in charge of granting visas and other immigration benefits to the United States. It is a visa category which provides U.S. residency and Green Card for immediate family members and is a path to U.S. citizenship and U.S. passport.
It is a government residency program intended to encourage the flow of capital into the U.S. economy from foreign investors and it seeks to promote new job creation in the United States. To accomplish these goals, United States Congress enacted the EB-5 program so that foreign investors can invest into the U.S. economy, create jobs, and earn a Green Card and U.S. residency through their investment.
In simple terms, the program mandates that a family looking to obtain U.S. residency must together invest at least $900,000 USD. This investment must create 10 full-time jobs for U.S. persons. A spouse and minor children under the age of 21 can be included on one application, and each member of the family will earn their own Green Card.
The initial application is called Form I-526 which outlines both the investor’s source of funds documentation and information on the project in which they have invested their $900,000 investment. After holding the Green Card for two and a half years, investors must file Form I-829 which is essentially a check-up to ensure the investor has in fact invested $900,000 without withdrawing the funds, and their funds were invested into a legitimate business that was able to create at least 10 full-time jobs for U.S. persons.