reported cases where project principals engaged in
activities that are harmful to investors’ EB-5 process.
Some project principals have defrauded investors’ money,
others decide not to use investors’ money anymore, and
still others decide not to change their business plans. As
such, some regional centers decide to stop sponsoring
these projects, forcing investors to withdraw their I-526
petitions and refile with another project. In fraud cases,
some investors would pursue legal action.
These cases may cause agents and investors to question:
Do the project principals know the consequences of their
actions?
Each I-526 petition does not just represent a sum of
money – it represents an individual and his or her family’s
dream to immigrate to the United States. It is their future.
When an investor decides to invest in an EB-5 project,
they are entrusting their future in that project’s hands.
Project principals must take this responsibility seriously.
Every decision they make must take the investors’ best
interests into consideration.
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EB5 INVESTORS M AGAZINE
Under the existing EB-5 law, when investors withdraw
and refile their I-526 petitions, they lose their priority
dates and have to start at the end of the increasingly
long visa line again. They will have to wait much longer
before they can immigrate to the United States. Children
may face age out issues. Many investors in these
situations decide not to refile their petitions and give up
their dreams to immigrate to the United States.
Thus, no matter what happens during the investors’ EB-5
process, be it more attractive financing or difficulties
in construction, project principals must do their best to
follow through with the plans submitted to USCIS. Or
else, they are ruining the futures and dreams of innocent
investors.
For regional c enters that do not own or control the
projects they sponsor, they cannot prevent project
owners from engaging in behaviors that put investors’
green cards in jeopardy. In these cases, seasoned agents
would not only look at the regional center principals
to ensure that they are experienced and committed to