For international investors participating in the EB-5 investor visa program, having an EB-5 investment project designated as a “targeted employment area” (TEA) reduces the required minimum investment from $1 million to $500,000.
To receive a TEA designation, an EB-5 project must be set in a rural area or in a location with high unemployment. For help with obtaining an EB-5 visa and with all aspects of the EB-5 investor visa program, you should have – from the beginning – the legal counsel of an experienced Las Vegas employment immigration lawyer.
To qualify as a TEA “rural area” project, an investment project cannot be located in what the U.S. Office of Management and Budget designates as a “metropolitan statistical area.” A rural area project cannot be on the outskirts of a town or city with a population of 20,000 or higher.
To qualify as a TEA “high unemployment area,” the location must have an unemployment rate of at least 150 percent of the U.S. national average. A high unemployment area must be located in a county or a metropolitan statistical area with a population of 20,000 or more.
To obtain the TEA designation, an EB-5 investor applicant must provide evidence that the project is located within a rural area or a high unemployment area. Several forms of evidence can be used, and an experienced Las Vegas immigration attorney can help you gather that evidence and provide additional advice. Nineteen states provide a certified list of targeted employment areas that have already been identified, but certifications are still issued on an individual basis.
Acquiring an EB-5 visa and locating an appropriate investment opportunity can be complicated and time-consuming, but thousands of international investors have found that the benefits are well worth their efforts and patience.
An experienced Las Vegas immigration attorney can usually help you obtain an EB-5 visa, locate an appropriate investment project, and address any of your additional concerns and questions. Investment opportunities are waiting, so you shouldn’t. Instead, make the call to an experienced Las Vegas employment immigration attorney as quickly as possible.
