EB5 INVESTORS M AGAZINE
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opportunities of being able to be hired for their
dream summer job. Summer jobs during the junior
year t y pically turn into permanent positions as
students get offers at the end of the summer in
most cases.
Applying in the sophomore year is also a great option
since students in most cases could get their green card
before graduation. In their senior year, when applying
for a permanent position, letting interviewers know
that they have a green card, could be the deciding
factor between an offer and a rejection.
The same is true if they apply in their junior year
in college. If the conditional green card does not
arrive by the time they need to start their new job
following graduation, they could always use OPT
to fill the gap while waiting for their green card.
Employers w i l l be much more recept ive to hire
them on a permanent basis if they are convinced
that the student would be using the OPT as a bridge
until labor certification following the initial step of
the EB-5 process, that is I-526 approval.
Lastly, seniors could also apply for EB-5 despite
being what some may call “late,” since they could
add t he mont h s of t he s e n ior yea r to t he OP T
months and there is usually enough time to be able
to remain in the United States while the application
for the EB-5 is pending.
EB-5 is certainly not for everyone. Students coming
f rom cou nt r ie s t h at e x p e r ie nce re t rog re s sion
shou ld b e t h i n k i ng t w ice b e fore ge t t i ng t he i r
parents excited about the prospects of immigration,
on ly to fi nd t hat t he y need to w a it so long for
t he g reen card t hat it was not rea l ly wor t h t he
investment of time and money. On the other hand,
for citizens of other countries, like India, it might
be the only viable option.
M arko I ssever
is CEO of America EB5 Visa whose mission
is to connect international investors with EB-5 issuers. He is also
a managing director at Riverside Management Group, where he
leads the firm’s EB-5 capital-related activities via its wholly owned
subsidiary, BCW Securities. Previously, Issever was a managing
director at BNY Mellon, leading the firm’s financial institutions
derivative sales business globally. Issever earned his MBA in
finance from the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania.
He is also a graduate of Bogazici University and Robert College,
located in Istanbul.
Sources
1
https://www.hccmis.com/blog/study-abroad/4-ways-to-work-in-the-us-with-a-
student-visa/
2
https://www.geekwire.com/2016/obama-creating-startup-visas-encourage-
foreign-entrepreneurs-start-companies-u-s/
3
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-01/trump-booted-foreign-
startup-founders-other-countries-embraced-them
4
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/visa-and-immigration/
uscis-sought-additional-information-for-60-h-1b-applications-last-quarter/
articleshow/68163232.cms
5
https://www.voanews.com/a/international-students-can-use-us-investor-visa-
to-gain-green-card/4609136.html
6
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2018/09/stem-majors-
jobs/568624/
7
https://www.lcrcapital.com/blog/eb5-best-option-for-studying-in-us/
8
https://www.eb5daily.com/eb5-to-attend-top-us-colleges/
9
https://www.christiantylerproperties.com/en/eb5studentbenefitsblog/
10
https://www.eb5insights.com/2018/09/11/maintaining-eligibility-for-
permanent-residence-for-eb-5-investors-nonimmigrant-status/
11
https://www.studyinternational.com/news/eb5-h1b-work-study-visa-us/
12
https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers/e-2-treaty-
investors
13
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/
fees/treaty.html
14
http://www.immigrationlawgroup.net/eb-5-direct-investment
15
https://www.joorney.com/the-eb-5-business-plan-what-is-matter-of-ho/
16
https://behringcompanies.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002678414-
What-EB-5-Investors-Need-to-Know-About-Retrogression
17
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2019/
visa-bulletin-for-january-2019.html