I am currently in California and have been getting a number of calls and emails from our existing AVS investors regarding the flurry of rumors flying online regarding the latest EB-5 developments. Many of these have been from investors concerned about whether the projected increase of TEA-eligible EB-5 projects from $500,000 to $1,350,000 will be retroactive. The answer is a resounding “NO!” If you are already invested, relax: future changes in investment amount will not affect you because none of the pending/competing regulatory options consider that.
A more interesting question relates to recent movement in Washington toward setting aside a certain number of the annual quota of 10,000 EB-5 slots specifically for TEA projects. This has really rankled Big EB-5 since such a move would truly level the playing field for those of us whose TEA projects actually ARE in true, high unemployment urban and rural areas (vs. fake TEA projects in luxurious urban settings with low unemployment.) Setting aside EB-5 slots for those very few of us playing by the rules will not only stimulate investment in those parts of the U.S. for which the EB-5 law was originally intended, but it will let us compete with the ridiculously vast urban projects in wealthy areas who have made a mockery of the concept of TEAS.
Moreover, it’s just plain TERRIBLE that the proposed investment threshold increases (which have bipartisan support in Congress) effectively reduce the TEA incentive from $500,000 to $450,000: as a result of Big EB-5’s vast lobbying effort, the current proposal is to increase the minimum investment amount from $500,000 to $1.35 million for TEA deals while increasing the minimum investment amount from $1 million to $1.8 million for non-TEA projects.
For those of you from Vietnam who are looking to avoid the double-whammy of the visa backlog and the huge price increase, contact AVS today for information on our remaining $500,000, TRUE TEA investor slots.
Happy New Year!
Jose
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