I am a business holder in Australia and was considering setting up my own business through EB-5 visa with the investment of $500,000.00 in the Seattle area. I have visited US and done the research. The job creation and investment scenarios look positive. I have 2 questions about it. - Would Seattle be considered a Targeted employment area? - Can I apply for EB-2 to start the business and then apply for EB-5 while I am running the business?
There are some free resources to check TEA status (like on this very website!) that can be confirmed by economists and maybe by the state of Washington (the rules went back to states being able to do this, but if they are anything like Florida, they are not ready). I think you may be E-2 to start, and yes, E-2 to EB-5 direct is very much a thing.
You must have the specific address to determine whether your business is located in a targeted area - the city is too large. You can also apply for an E-2 if you want; they are taking about one year to adjudicate those petitions. So you will most likely need to apply for an E-2 or hire a manager to run the U.S. business for the first 2-3 years it takes to process an EB-5, or an EB-2.
