1 September 2011. Effective immediately. We have moved to a new London office in Berkeley Square and the telephone number is (0)20 7887 1326.
Steps before investing
Costs
Timescale
Panel of Attorneys
Agents
Steps before investing. It might be useful to:
1. Discuss the EB-5 visa and its requirements with Richard Robinson by email or tel: 020 7887 1326. Richard is familiar with the other US visa categories and has more EB-5 experience than anyone in Europe.
2. You may prefer to have an informal meeting. Meetings are private question and answer discussions, free of charge. Richard's nine years of experience with immigration are at your disposal. He is in the London office most weeks, but also travels around the UK, South Africa, India and some continental European countries. Meetings can be arranged by calling the number above.
3. Further information is on our website and if you would like to talk with other EB-5 applicants, contact details are available upon request.
Frequently asked questions
Client testimonials
USCIS information and links
Guide for permanent residents
4. Prospectuses are available upon request. Look over our EB-5 qualifying current projects and request a prospectus.
5. Treat this as you would any other significant investment. Seek accredited investment advice. There are many EB-5 advisors and consultants out there who are not authorised or licensed to give investment advice. The choice of Regional Center is primarily an investment choice. If you find a Regional Center project which interests you, it could be useful to discuss it with an Independent Financial Advisor (registered IFA). Be wary of a Regional Center that does not let you see the project prospectus.
6. Consider a trip to meet the American Life team and visit the Regional Center to see the property you might invest in..
7. If you wish to emigrate, appoint an immigration attorney. American Life has a 'panel' of approved* and experienced EB-5 attorneys. Once your attorney has reviewed and assessed your documentation, fund the $530,000 to enable your EB-5 visa petition to be compiled and submitted.
8. Your visa application may not be submitted until your investment is fully funded. This ensures American Life can fulfill its business plan promptly and efficiently. American Life guarantees full refund of your investment and syndication fee if your EB-5 petition is unsuccessful.
* American Life EB-5 visa petitions must be managed by one of the ‘Panel’ attorneys. You may appoint an attorney of your choosing. However, we do require that your attorney work with a member of our Panel. Neither American Life nor Taroa Investment Company receives commission or reward from our Panel of Attorneys. Our goal is your successful EB-5 petition.
Costs
Please be aware of all the costs:
- In addition to the minimum capital contribution of $500,000, American Life requires a fee of $30,000.
- Legal fees vary according to the work involved but are unlikely to exceed $17,000.
- The EB5 visa filing fee, payable to the USCIS, is $1,500 per applicant family.
- The fee to the NVC (National Visa Center) is $380 per family member.
- Medical examinations vary from country to country, but can be about $320 for each adult and $150 for children under 15.
The total fees for a family of two adults and a child will total approximately $50,000.
Taroa Investment Company, as an agent of American Life Inc., does not charge a fee.
Timescale
The green card and permanent residency. After you have invested and your attorney has submitted your visa application, EB5 visa processing takes approximately 9 months. Processing times vary and we advise that, for planning important issues such as children’s schooling, it is best to allow 9-12 months between visa application and the issue of your green cards. With your green cards, all family members have conditional permanent residency.
Unconditional permanent residency. Once you have emigrated, you must apply to have ‘conditions’ removed from your green card after 1 year and 9 months in the USA. Processing takes up to six months. ‘Conditions’ removal means that all family members have permanent residency and your visa is no longer tied to your investment.
The investment. The minimum period for an American Life EB-5 investment is approximately three and a half years. This is the time between making the investment and 'conditions' removal. Once conditions are removed you are free to sell your investment.
Citizenship. EB-5 visa investors who have held a green card for 5 years are eligible to apply for US citizenship.
Panel of Attorneys
The EB-5 visa is one of the more complex visa applications, due in large part to numerous court and State Department rulings over the years. American Life now has a 'panel' of approved EB-5 attorneys who have the experience and expertise needed for our investors' successful EB-5 petitions.
American Life requires that an attorney from the Panel manage your visa petition. That is, you may appoint a Panel attorney or another of your choosing and, if your attorney is not on the Panel, we require that he work with a member of our Panel.
Neither American Life nor Taroa Investment Company
receives commission or reward from our Panel of attorneys.
Our goal is your successful visa.
Agents
We have numerous professional organisations who introduce their clients as prospective immigrant investors and they receive a commission. Our agents are typically immigration lawyers from all over the world as well as immigration consultants. American Life and Taroa Investment Company do not accept introductions from, or pay commissions to, 'independent advisers' who claim to provide guidance on the best Regional Centers unless they are licensed by the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission in the US) or the FSA (Financial Services Authority, if based in the UK) to provide investment advice.
Taroa Investment Company and American Life, Inc. comply with the FSA by producing investment documentation in the UK in accordance with the UK Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as well as meeting the requirements of the SEC in the USA. As such, both companies adhere to all appropriate financial regulations and only accept introductions from properly regulated organisations.
We encourage all our investors to seek professional investment advice before making any investment.
