When meeting with prospective EB-5 investors from India and Dubai, I have found myself spending quite a bit of time clarifying and correcting what I would call ‘misinformation’ that the investors have gathered from a ‘visa agent’ or a ‘visa consultant’ in their home country. I believe the following key differentiators explain why it may not be such a good idea for an EB-5 investor applicant to engage a visa consultant or an agent for one’s EB-5 Investor Visa plans instead of a US licensed and registered financial professional.
US licensed, registered and experienced EB-5 financial professional v. Visa Agent and/or Consultant
- Specialist in EB-5 U.S. Investor Visa Program v. Generalist in All Visa Types and Countries
- Conducts Regulatory and Financial Project Due Diligence v. Little or No Project Due Diligence
- Works with Multiple Mix of Pre-Vetted Regional Centers v. Generally works with the Regional Center that pays them the most
- Highly Regulated by Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) v. Generally not Regulated at all in the Home Country
- Accountable and/or Liable to EB-5 Investor Applicant v. No Liability or Difficult to Enforce in Home Country
- EB-5 Practice Group may include Multiple U.S. Investment Experts v. Limited or No Knowledge of U.S. Investments and Associates Risks
- Associated with a U.S. Investment Bank v. No Formal Association with a Financial Institution
Let the legal, financial and business professionals at EB5 BRICS help you make a fully-informed decision about your EB-5 Investment which will likely be one of the biggest investments of your life!
Further Read: India in top 10 for US Investor Visa filings | Investor Visa Expiry in 2016