Now that I've decided which EB-5 regional center I want to invest in, they have sent me questionnaires to fill out. What is the purpose of these questionnaires?

A: Once you have chosen which EB-5 regional center you want to invest in, you will begin the process of actually registering and investing. Typically, the process begins with a set of questionnaires for you to complete. The first is usually a basic screening, followed by a more in-depth second questionnaire. The purpose of these is to make sure that you and the regional center can work together, and to show that you will ultimately qualify as an accredited investor. This helps the project qualify for exemption from the U.S. securities registration process, which is both costly and burdensome. An accredited investor is a person with a net worth of at least $1 million (either individually or with his or her spouse) at the time of the investment, or a person with income of $200,000 singly or $300,000 jointly in the last two years, and an expectation of the same income in the current year. This step is not only valuable for the regional center, but for you as well, because it helps you make sure that you won't face any obstacles later on that would keep you from investing.