EB5 Investors Magazine Volume 7, Issue 1 | Page 32

EB5 INVESTORS M AGAZINE 30 currently waiting “ They for are approval to upgrade their green cards to permanent green cards. For Pham, mak ing t heir investment choice was challenging. Even though they felt assured that their project of choice — a charter school in Florida — was good and safe, the process felt like gambling. There was trust, but not 100 percent trust, he said. “We didn’t have a lot of information, but I really wanted to do it, so we decided to just gamble with it,” Pham said. Pha m c re d ite d her successf u l EB-5 jou r ne y to t he t e a m at I m m i C a I nv e s t m e nt M i g r at io n, a Califor nia-based agency. For the last t wo and a half years, Pham and her family have been living their American Dream in Garden Grove, a city near Disneyland in California. Initially, EB-5 granted them conditional green cards that lasted two years. They are currently waiting for approval to upgrade their green cards to permanent green cards. Eventually, they can apply to become naturalized U.S. citizens. In Ho Chi Minh City, it would not have been easy for them to have a large house. But in A merica, they now have a big home with a swimming pool. I n t he U. S., Ph a m’s f a m i ly e njo y s a c le a n a nd sa fe env i ron ment, a nd a so c iet y t hat prov ides opportunity to grow. “I’m really thankful for the EB-5 program because we have always wanted the chance to come and live in the United States, but we didn’t think we would have such opportunity,” Pham said. Pha m ha s t wo c h i ld ren: a 15-yea r-old son a nd 23-y e a r-ol d d a u g ht e r. He r d a u g ht e r r e c e n t l y g r a d u a t e d w i t h a d e g r e e i n b i ol o g y f r o m t h e University of California, San Diego. She plans to continue her education at a medical school. In the United States, Pham’s family appreciates how the American education system values critical thinking skills, being independent and self-directing. Pham is finding new success in the coffee industry as well. She sells an instant coffee formula called Explore Your Taste through her company, Conga USA, Inc. Pham is looking to expand the company