Questions and Answers > EB-5 Investments

Are any countries excluded from the EB-5 program?

I want to apply for the EB-5 program, but my home country is not on friendly terms with the United States. I was wondering what countries are excluded from the EB-5 visa program? If my country is, can I apply if I move to another country that isn''t excluded from the EB-5 program?

Answers

• Reza Rahbaran

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on March 4, 2014

  No country is excluded from the EB-5 program.

• Roberto Ortiz

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on November 4, 2013

  My understating is that the EB-5 program does not restrict foreigners from applying. However, if the investor is from a country that has issues with the United States, there might be some requirements when transferring the funds to the United States.

• Shahzad Q Qadri

  RC Creator

  Answered on October 30, 2013

  No country is excluded from the program, however, if your country does not have good relations, there may be restrictions on the flow of funds. As such you may need to obtain a license from OFAC.

• Philip H Teplen

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on October 28, 2013

  No country is excluded from the EB-5 program. The only issue is availability of consular processing explaining legality of funds. I can easily explain how all applies to you.

• A Mina Tran

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on October 25, 2013

  There are no countries excluded from the EB5 program. Be aware, however, that investment capital coming from certain countries may require additional scrutiny by the U.S. Department of Treasury.

• Mahsa Aliaskari

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on October 22, 2013

  All nationalities may utilize the EB-5 visa category. Lawful source and tracing of funds must be verified and documented. For some nationalities there must be clear evidence that funds are not connected to the government.

• Michael A Harris, Esq

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on October 22, 2013

  No, not specifically a particular country. Certain banking institutions, companies, individuals, etc., are banned due to terrorist, security, fraud, or other concerns. The U.S. Department of Treasury keeps track of most of this under its OFAC office, which you can find if you just google OFAC. Otherwise, for more information on whether you qualify for the EB-5, please contact me for more information.

• Salvatore Picataggio

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on October 22, 2013

  Unlike the E-2 treaty investor visa, the EB-5 visa does not have a list of approved countries. We have assisted and represented clients from Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. One issue you may need to consider is the availability of visas for investors from your particular country, as there are some numerical limits on visas issued to investors from certain countries.

• Ed Beshara

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on October 22, 2013

  No country is excluded from the EB5 program. Investors from some countries will have to address OFAC ( Office of the Foreign Assets Control ) regulations and policies regarding sources of personal funds and transfers from one country''s bank account to another bank account in another country such as the United States.

• Martin J Lawler

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on October 22, 2013

  No countries are excluded. There can be special monetary restrictions for people from Iran, Libya, Syria and a few other countries. You must not be a an active Communist or a persecutor of others or contributed to any origination related to terrorist. We have helped many people from over 40 countries use the EB-5.

• Kripa Upadhyay

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on October 22, 2013

  No countries are excluded from the EB-5 program, but there may be other issues like getting the money out of the country and possibly having to go through separate clearance checks before you can invest. Citizens of Iran, China and India for example, generally, have a more difficult time getting the funds out of the country due to restrictions placed by their governments which curtail the amount of foreign currency that can be taken out of the country at any given point. Also, citizens of Iran, generally, have to go through the process of getting an OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) clearance before you can invest in the United States.

• BoBi Ahn

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on October 22, 2013

  There aren''t any countries excluded from the EB-5 program; however, there may be certain sanctions or regulations which make it difficult to transfer funds from certain countries to the United States.

• David Morris

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on October 22, 2013

  There are many countries that are "not on friendly terms with the United States" (as you put it), but residents still engage in trade and investment with the United States. I cannot assess your possible conditions without you specifying your country of citizenship and place of residence. However, the U.S. Department of the Treasury is the primary federal agency responsible for managing the United States-imposed embargo and trade sanctions.

• Anthony Korda

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on October 22, 2013

  Although residents of certain countries may be excluded from the EB-5 process, the program is essentially open to all qualified applicants. If the applicant resides within an excluded country but is able to leave and is otherwise admissible to the US, the applicant may apply for the EB-5 visa program outside his/her own country if he has the required capital. For specific advice you should contact an attorney experienced in EB-5 matters.

• Fredrick W Voigtmann

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on October 22, 2013

  There are no countries excluded from the EB-5 program.

• Margo Chernysheva

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on October 22, 2013

  No one is excluded but you have to prove your funds are clean.

• Ying Lu

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on October 22, 2013

  According to my knowledge, the EB-5 Visa is open to all nationalities.

• Jason Feldman

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on October 21, 2013

  There are no countries that are excluded from the EB-5 program. Each country is subject to the annual category quotas. The only country that is in danger of reaching their quota for the EB-5 category is China.