Background on the EB-5 Regional Center program

Congress created the fifth employment-based preference (EB-5) immigrant visa category in 1990. This was designed to encourage qualified Foreign Investors to invest in a business that will benefit the US economy and create or save at least 10 full-time jobs. The Foreign Investor must invest $1 million, although only $500,000 is required if the investment is made in a rural or high unemployment area.

In 1993 the US Congress created the EB-5 Regional Center Pilot Program. Under that program, Congress empowered the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to designate “Regional Centers.” The Regional Center is a company or other entity which is charged with aiding Foreign Investors by targeting their investment into a specific geographic region of the United States in specific investment categories.

With an investment through the Upstate New York Regional Center, the Foreign Investor may base the proof of job creation on expert economic analysis of job creation in the regional economy. This is a significant advantage for the investor’s immigration petition.

An added benefit is that the Foreign Investor does not personally have to run all the aspects of a specific business in the United States and can reside anywhere in the US.

Upstate New York Regional Center, LLC (“UNYRC”) has been designated as a Regional Center by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Investments made pursuant to the UNYRC are made in the Western Counties of New York State. Those investments can be made in a wide spectrum of commercial activities. UNYRC provides the expert economic analysis of job creation.