On the other hand, I wouldn’t want to use the word “risk,” but
it was an investment of half a million dollars back then, and
my son had to be on a separate application. So, it was half
a million for me and my wife, and half a million for my son.
In the end, it’s a lot of money, and the fact that funds are
not guaranteed can cause a lot of apprehension. It almost
felt like rolling the dice, but then I said to myself, “You know
what? I have to do this for my son.”
HOW DID YOU FIND THE RIGHT
PROJECT TO INVEST IN?
To be honest, one of the first questions I asked my agent
was, “Can you suggest us a regional center that can offer a
quick return of funds?” Of course, it is not that simple, but
it just so happened that he got
me in to the All Aboard Florida
project. After we had filed for my
son, I immediately filed for myself
and my wife, as well. By then,
we were at the tail end; we were
probably the last subscribers of
the project.
HOW DO YOU FEEL
ABOUT THE EB-5
PROCESS?
Everything went just fine from
there. My son is already one and
a half years into the residency
program, and after another year
or so, he will become a licensed
physician in the state of Florida—
where he wants to live and
practice. I feel like destiny played a big part in our journey;
my son heard about his approval from the U.S. Consulate
General in Montreal the night before his very first interview
for his residency program. And thanks to his green card
situation, he was able to get 18 interviews at hospitals all
over the country. He got into Blake Hospital in Bradenton,
his first choice, so I'm extremely thankful I chose this path
that led to my son obtaining a green card.
IN TOTAL, HOW LONG HAS YOUR EB-5
JOURNEY LASTED SO FAR?
I was told that the application process depends heavily
on the applicant’s place of birth. My son’s place of birth is
Canada, so it took him about two years. It has taken longer
for me and my wife because our place of birth is India. We
are expecting my son’s funds to come back very soon. As
for our funds, it should hopefully happen sometime next
year.
WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THIS
EXPERIENCE TO OTHERS AROUND
YOU?
them has already gotten his approval, and a friend’s son
is pretty much following in my son’s footsteps. He is also
studying medicine in Ireland and is hoping to have his green
card before graduation so that he can complete his medical
residency in the United States.
T h e reaso n w hy th e E B - 5 p ro g r a m is su c h a g rea t
opportunity for medical school graduates is that if you are
a permanent resident of the United States, you can apply
to any hospital for your medical residency without the
hospital having to sponsor you. If you don’t have that status,
you limit yourself only to the hospitals that are willing to
sponsor you. That’s not a risk one would want to take at a
turning point in their career.
WHAT WOULD YOU
TELL NEW
PETITIONERS IF YOU
HAD A SINGLE PIECE
OF ADVICE TO GIVE?
I would tell them to go into this
program only if they are willing
to put the necessary effort into
proving their source of funds. In
my opinion, that is the biggest
challenge investors have to face
in this program, and it would be
a futile exercise to take this path
if you are not ready to prove your
source of funds.
WHAT IS THE NEXT
STEP FOR YOU AND
YOUR FAMILY?
I’m hoping that my son gets his I-829 approval by this
summer. Our process is still ongoing, but what matters
most is his career. My own plan for the future is hopefully to
live semi-retired in Florida.
IN GENERAL, WHAT’S YOUR OPINION
OF THE EB-5 PROGRAM?
All in all, it has been a great experience. I would highly
recommend it to anybody who can foresee a career for
themselves or their family in the United S tates. This
applies to those who have the means, of course, since it
is a big investment, but it’s still the most reasonable way
of building a life in the U.S. Sure, there are other ways, but
those can take as long as half your working life—and there’s
no guarantee of success. This is part of the reason why I
think EB-5 gives you peace of mind. You know that if you
legitimately take all the right steps, and with due diligence,
your green card will be waiting for you.
I actually did share my experience with my friends, and
three of them also applied for the EB-5 program! One of
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