How to emigrate as an entrepreneur or investor to the United States

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There is growing interest even in a pandemic to invest in the United States due to its stability and because its economy and demand for labor are strong. The real estate market, for its part, has no inventory and 3.8 million houses are missing according to the current demand of people in the United States.

This leads to the expansion of the opportunities to apply for investor visas for entrepreneurs, businessmen, or individuals who want to expand their business in that country, without ceasing to have their project in Argentina; or try your luck in the northern country.

How to start?

There are six key steps to consider.

1) Define the immigration strategy according to who is requesting it. Among other things, the following are evaluated: the capital available; the need or urgency of time to move or achieve residency; if a person, a couple, or a family travels; and the type of project, that is, if you want to undertake, invest or a combination. There are student visas, job sponsorship, minor investor, but they require renewal and more risk than the EB5, which are permanent residence visas.

2) If the person or family has the desire to reside in the United States and/or obtain permanent residence and an American passport, a specialist in EB-5 investment immigration programs should be contacted. Today it can be applied with almost a 50 percent discount, by investing in a qualified business in the USA for $ 500,000 and creating 10 jobs.

3) Investor's sources of funds are prequalified to ensure the case is successful, before spending money on attorneys. If positive, they are introduced to two or three qualified EB-5 immigration attorneys and guided in contract negotiation.

4) The immigration attorney prepares the client documentation and source of funds, a passive EB-5 project is chosen and applied.

5) Waiting for approval to receive permanent residence - approved conditional green card. This usually takes between 31-48 months, unless there is a short-term bridge visa (which is evaluated in the immigration strategy). Deadlines change daily and times are expected to decrease substantially.

6) Finally, 100 percent of the principal capital contributed + accumulated rate is recovered, if you chose the loan structure with secured collateral, whether or not the application is approved.

10,000 ANNUAL VISAS

The United States government issues 10,000 EB-5 visas (including recipients) each year.

This is the safest and most efficient instrument to emigrate as an investor or entrepreneur to the USA. More than 90 percent of the capital is invested in new construction real estate projects.

In the last 10 years, more than 1,200 Argentines emigrated in this way, and although in the total number of visas granted by the United States Government, they barely represent 0.5 percent.

While South America contributed 8.3 percent (2019 data), ranking led by Brazil, Venezuela, and Mexico. This trend is very likely to intensify in the coming years.