Question is, invested money is at risk although the process is approved in compliance to immigration.
<br>By the above compliance does it mean, that when the money is spent completely on the application (approx 560000 USD):<br>
1) Is the conditional Green card guaranteed in 18 months for all cases, and<br>
2) Will conditions be lifted on applying I-829 within another 30 months - guaranteed?<br>
3) The intent of the query is, after spending so much, is there any chance of not getting the permanent Green Card, and if in case not approved, is the entire investment lost or it will be returned?
See clip from Attorney Rajiv S. Khanna's conference call video that addresses this question.
https://youtu.be/H_VV9kV_lOg?t=2539
FAQ Transcript:
EB-5 is the investor visa where you invest five hundred thousand either with the pre-approved scheme or what is called regional centres or in a rural area or in a targeted employment area. Typically, where the unemployment is more than 50 percent.
These questions are related to regional centre investments. Regional centres have always made me nervous because remember these pre-approved schemes are approved only for immigration compliance. They are not approved for vigilance by the government. Government doesn’t over see your investments. They are not guaranteed in any way as people can run away with your money. There are investment centre’s that have been fraudulent. Warrants are out on some of these people. But of course lot of them are quite genuine. Unfortunately, we as lawyers are not investment advisers, we cannot tell you which regional centre is safe and which are not, we can tell you what our other clients have used successfully. But that in no way means is going to be a repeat performance of success. So when you put your five hundred thousand in a regional centre there is absolutely no guarantee of the money.
Answer to question 1. It is not guaranteed. It is not 18 months actually. The way it works is you first file the first set of forms I think it is I-526 and if that is approved then you get your green card process rolling. You can’t file for e.g.: AOS and I-526 jointly. It has to be done consecutively. There is no concurrent filing. So once the first form gets approved then the green card gets approved you get a conditional green card. Ninety days before the second anniversary of the approval you have to apply for the removal of the conditional status using form I-829 and you show the government the money is invested in the jobs are almost created.
Answer to question 2. None of this is guaranteed.
Answer to question 3. One involves immigration processing and the other involves the investment itself. The safety of the investment depends on the money where it is invested and how good the centre is. As for the immigration getting approved that depends on the immigration documentation requirements having been completed. This is definitely not a guaranteed process. In fact, the hallmark of EB-5 investment is that your money is at risk.