" Given the number of high net-worth individuals in Russia, it is clear that latent opportunities exist to attract greater numbers of EB-5 investors."
generally are promoting only one particular project. The low, if not completely non-existent, level of marketing and on-the-ground presence in these markets by EB-5 stakeholders plays a large role in the unfamiliarity of the EB-5 program. A lack of credible and correct information from stakeholders themselves has created a vacuum that has allowed less-than-knowledgeable sources to occupy the media space of EB-5 and provide misleading and even incorrect data about the program.
As a result, sentiment about the program among investors tends to be skeptical given the negative light in which the program is conveyed. Agents and other potential intermediaries generally are agnostic. Their primary concern is the ability to generate profit; whether it is a result of promoting residency in Cyprus, Malta or the U. S. is really of little concern to them. If given proper training in the program and industry best practices, intermediaries could well serve as an excellent source for investors.
One of the more attractive aspects of the EB-5 program for Russian-speaking investors is the ability
" Given the number of high net-worth individuals in Russia, it is clear that latent opportunities exist to attract greater numbers of EB-5 investors."
to safely receive a green card without the need to satisfy the numerous qualifications and other work or educational requirements of other visa categories. However, the vast majority of Russian-speaking investors are not adequately informed about EB-5 in general to make an independent assessment of the generally high reliability of the program, much less delving into the nuances of projects and their structures in order to proper evaluate them.
Consequently, most investors rely to a large extent on anecdotal stories from acquaintances and incorrect information they discover online on dubious websites to learn about EB- 5. This often results in them having distorted perception of EB-5 before they walk into the door of a developer or attorney.
Motivations for considering EB-5 among Russianspeaking investors differ from those of, say, Chinese investors. Chinese investors are very much motivated by the opportunity to provide their children with access to the U. S. higher education system as well as the U. S. job market after graduation. While these issues are important to the majority of Russianspeaking investors as well, concerns about political
99 EB5 INVESTORS MAGAZINE