Invest in America... Obtain a Green Card

Transcription

1 Texas Growth Fund Invest in America... Obtain a Green Card THE DIRECT EB-5 VISA PROGRAM

2 The Green Card Investment Program The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program is a United States Green Card program that provides foreign nationals with a method of obtaining lawful permanent residence (a Green Card) in the United States of America. It was created by the Immigration Act of To qualify for a Green Card under this program, applicants must invest at least $500,000 USD in a qualified business or development project that is located in a targeted employment area, and it must be demonstrated that the investment results in the creation of at least 10 full-time jobs for U.S. workers. The invested funds may come from any legal foreign or domestic source, including business income, wages, savings, gifts, loans, inheritance, the sale of a home, business or any investments, and divorce settlements. Borrowed investment funds qualify as long as the assets of the U.S. business that receives the investment are not used to secure the investor s loan. Under USCIS regulations, foreign investors that are approved for an EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa receive a conditional Green Card that is valid for a two year period. Upon receipt of the conditional Green Card, the EB-5 Visa investor and their immediate family members are entitled to permanently live and work in the U.S., and enjoy the same benefits as all other lawful permanent residents of the United States. Twenty one months after the conditional Green Card is issued, a three month period of time occurs during which the investor must file a petition with USCIS to verify that the required funds have been invested and that the job creation requirements for the business or development project they have invested in have been fulfilled. As long as these two conditions have been met, the conditional status of their Green Card will be adjusted to a non-conditional status meaning that the conditions will be removed from the temporary Green Card and full resident status will be granted to the EB-5 Visa investor and their immediate family members. EB-5 Visa investors can come here from any country outside the United States, and can even include people who are already legally in the U.S. under a temporary visa. 10,000 Green Cards are currently available through the EB-5 Visa program each year. APPROVED EB-5

3 Benefits of the Green Card Investment Program Obtaining a Green Card through the EB-5 Visa Program provides qualified investors with many benefits that help them accomplish the goals they have for themselves and their family members. Some of the benefits of securing a U.S. Green Card include: Conditional residents admitted to the United States under the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program enjoy the same legal rights as every other lawful permanent resident of the United States; the U.S. is a safe harbor for your family, your business assets and your personal possessions. Any member of your immediate family who obtains a Green Card can enter the United States at any time and stay here as long as they like; their permanent residency requires no renewal or re-application. Permanent residents are allowed to travel to and from the U.S. without needing to obtain a travel visa. EB-5 investors may work, live and own their own businesses anywhere they like in the United States. The U.S. has many internationally recognized colleges and universities for both undergraduate education and graduate study. As a permanent resident, EB-5 investors may benefit from lower tuition costs that are available exclusively to permanent residents of the United States. EB-5 investors can bring other family members to the United States after proper application; they can also obtain U.S. citizenship after 5 years. The Direct EB-5 Visa Program The term EB-5 Visa literally translates to Employment Based - Fifth Preference Visa. This implies that the EB-5 Visa category is based upon the creation of jobs. There are two separate paths to obtaining an EB-5 Visa: the Direct EB-5 Visa Program, or the Regional Center Program. While Regional Center projects are allowed to use complex job creation methodologies to fulfill the employment requirements for businesses receiving its EB-5 funds, this process is subject to extensive review when EB-5 Visa petitions that are associated with such projects are submitted to USCIS thus slowing the approval process for EB-5 Visa petitioners who invest in projects affiliated with Regional Centers. Green Cards obtained under either path are exactly the same, but the two pathways differ in the way the job creation component is fulfilled, the amount of time required for approval, and the degree of control the investor is required to have in the business or project their funds are invested in. Direct EB-5 projects count only the full-time employees working directly for the business that receives the investment, so the need for a complicated analysis of the job creation methodology is not necessary thus reducing the overall processing and approval time that is required by USCIS when evaluating EB-5 Visa petitions that are affiliated with Direct EB-5 Visa projects. Additionally, whereas Direct EB-5 projects may be developed anywhere within the U.S.A. without obtaining any prior approval from USCIS to do so, Regional Centers must obtain USCIS approval to develop projects that are located outside of the geographic area in which they have already been permitted to do business. Such approvals can be subject to lengthy evaluations by USCIS, and can often take a year or longer for a Regional Center operator to obtain. The Direct EB-5 Visa is the quickest path to obtaining permanent residence in the United States

4 Direct EB-5 Visa Requirements For an investor to qualify under the Direct EB-5 Visa Program, they must meet the following USCIS requirements: The investor must be accredited, as defined by the SEC Must make an equity investment of at least $500,000 USD in a qualifying U.S. commercial enterprise Investment must lead to creation of at least 10 full-time jobs within two years of obtaining the conditional Green Card Investor must have active enough role in the business that they have at least a policy-making position of authority Some Features of Qualifying Investment Projects that We Develop for EB-5 Visa Investors We remain directly involved in co-managing all the projects we develop We can develop USCIS-compliant projects anywhere in the United States We have over 20 years of success in developing Direct EB-5 Visa projects We provide a lower risk profile by intentionally keeping the capital requirements of our projects small We only develop projects that have substantial safety margins for our EB-5 Visa investors To ensure compliance with USCIS requirements, we only develop projects in job-creating industries that are naturally labor intensive We define a clear exit strategy for our EB-5 Visa investors from the inception of the project We have a 100 percent success rate in developing projects that result in Green Card issuance We develop projects in job-creating industries that are naturally Why Invest in Texas Growth Fund Projects? We provide immediate investment visa immigration solutions through the USC through the immigration process and obtain a Green Card. And we structure o control as they may like for the duration of their investment. We also have affil large-scale investment opportunities spanning a wide range of industries for t larger-scale projects, and every project we consider is subject to our extensive d it will meet the employment-based provision of the EB-5 Visa program. Our Role In full compliance with USCIS requirements, Texas Growth Fund provides safe, reliable, qualified business and development projects for foreign investors who wish to obtain a Green Card through the Direct EB-5 Visa Program. When developing projects as investment opportunities for EB-5 Visa participants, we carefully consider each of the details that will be evaluated by USCIS during its review and approval of each investor s EB-5 Visa petition. With a 100 percent track record of success in preparing business plans and developing investment opportunities that meet all the regulatory requirements, we understand what is required in order to obtain USCIS approvals for visa petitioners who invest in our projects.

5 Primary Objectives of the Investment Projects Developed By Texas Growth Fund Job Creation Preservation of Invested Capital Targeted Return on Investment The EB-5 Visa Process Regardless of the path chosen, all EB-5 Visa investors must complete four general steps in order to become permanent residents of the United States through the EB-5 Visa Program. If all of the documentation required by USCIS is submitted by the investor in a timely manner, this entire process will take about 30 months to complete from the time the initial visa petition is filed until the final, non-conditional Green Card is issued to the investor. Step 1 Select a qualifying y labor intensive, ensuring compliance with USCIS requirements CIS-compliant business projects we develop, so our investors can quickly move our projects so that each investor may retain as much financial and operational liations with Regional Center operators across the country that offer numerous those investors who prefer a more passive role, or who may prefer to invest in due diligence process in order to ensure that the investment is secure and that Once the investment is made, we take an active role in the creation, management, and ongoing operational activities for the business or development project on behalf of the EB-5 Visa investors we serve. We also track and provide all of the information necessary for the EB-5 Visa investors to comply with the reporting requirements that must be fulfilled in order to comply with USCIS regulations. Our involvement throughout the life of our relationship with the EB-5 Visa investors we serve is transparent. In our partnership with our EB-5 Visa investors our goal is simple to offer stable, job creating business and development projects that will enable the investor and their family to obtain a permanent residence Green Card. business project to receive the $500,000 capital investment that is required by USCIS. Step 2 Make the required capital investment in the selected project, then file the petition for a conditional EB-5 Visa with USCIS. Step 3 Become a two year conditional resident of the United States after the initial EB-5 Visa petition is approved by USCIS. Upon approval, the EB-5 Visa petitioner has up to 180 days to enter the country and establish their residency in the U.S. Step 4 Become a non-conditional permanent resident by meeting the investment and employment provisions required by USCIS, and then filing the petition to remove the conditional status of the EB-5 Visa approximately twenty one months after receipt of the conditional EB-5 Visa.

6 Timeline for Direct EB-5 Visa Program Investment Process for Direct EB-5 Visa Program

7 Our Team Burke Edwards, our CEO, has been involved in over 500 oil and gas exploration and exploitation projects during the past 30 years. He also controls a substantial real estate and investment portfolio and owns or controls numerous entrepreneurial ventures located across the United States. Burke is also actively involved in numerous charitable and philanthropic organizations, and holds seats on the board of directors for some of Austin s leading charitable organizations. John Chatmas, our Financial and Investment Advisor, is the Managing Principal of Waterloo Capital Management, a registered investment advisory firm based in Austin, Texas with over $200,000,000 under management. Before launching his own wealth management firm, John held leading positions with Morgan Stanley and with Smith Barney in New York City. He has also launched and helped fund numerous entrepreneurial endeavors over the past 20 years. John has considerable expertise in the analysis of complex corporate financial structures and in the management of high value public and private financial endeavors. Jerald Salisbury, our Director of Operations, is a certified public accountant and has more than 20 years experience in the development of Direct EB-5 Visa investment projects and business plans. He has helped dozens of immigrant investors meet the rigorous EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program requirements, and has worked closely with the lawmakers who drafted the Immigration Act of He has also helped build numerous venture-backed companies and posture them for high value acquisitions and IPOs. Jerald is an expert in business operations and in evaluating the financial and operational feasibility of potential business opportunities. Marc Buffkin, our Director of Business Development, is a seasoned entrepreneur and business manager with 20 years of experience recruiting, developing and managing high-performing teams. He is an energetic visionary with strong business insights, and a top performer with a career-long record of accomplishments in negotiating complex, multi-million dollar deals from project launch through completion. Marc has expertise in forming strategic partnerships, developing strategic planning initiatives, leading product and project launch teams, and crafting successful market penetration strategies. Martin Lawler, our Immigration Attorney, is widely recognized as one of the nation s foremost authorities in immigration law. Martin frequently lectures at American Immigration Lawyer Association events, Harvard Law School, the American Law Institute and the San Francisco Bar Association. With over 30 years of experience in immigration law, Martin has successfully represented hundreds of EB-5 Visa investors. Contact Us To obtain additional information on the Direct EB-5 Visa Program, or to discuss how we can help you achieve your immigration goals, we invite you to contact us at: Toll Free: (888) Local: (512)

8 In our partnership with our EB-5 Visa investors our goal is simple to develop stable, job creating investment projects that will enable the investors and their family members to obtain Green Cards. Texas Growth Fund Our primary business objective is to help foreign investors obtain Green Cards for themselves and their family members. We accomplish this task by developing investment projects that qualify our investors to obtain Green Cards under the Immigrant Investor EB-5 Visa Program. As a developer of small to mid-sized real estate and entrepreneurial investment projects that meet the qualifications of the Immigrant Investor Green Card Program, we can develop projects that are located in any geographic region and industry cluster within the United States. For ease of complying with the job creation requirements of this program we tend to focus on development projects that are located in Texas the state with the fastest growing economy and the highest rate of growth in employment for the past seven years. As the fastest growing economic region in the United States since 2007, Texas has led the U.S. in 18 economic indicators, and its Capital City Austin is the only city in the country to have had a double-digit job growth rate of 11.8 percent and a five-year wage growth rate of 15 percent. No other city in the country has had a job growth rate higher than 8 percent for that same period. And since 2007 Austin has had the highest growth in GDP of any city in the country, with a five-year GDP growth rate of 21.7 percent. According to the December 26, 2013 issue of Forbes Magazine, cities in Texas are the place to be in terms of job creation, wealth formation and overall growth. Texas Growth Fund is currently involved in multiple development and entrepreneurial endeavors that qualify as suitable investment projects which meet the job creation requirements of the EB-5 Visa program. Projects we develop or sponsor have substantial safety margins for EB-5 Visa investors both in terms of job creation and in the overall economic scope of each enterprise. Texas Growth Fund Development Group is Organized as a Texas Limited Liability Company Texas Growth Fund 3001 RR 620 South, Ste. 321 Austin, Texas Toll Free: (888) Local: (512)