Making sense of U.S. immigration policy is not easy, which is why my goal is to compare the different options available and explain why I believe that the EB5 program is the most direct path to getting a Green Card. In this blog, I will be comparing the EB5 program and the F-1 student visa. Even though the F-1 Student Visa does not offer a path to a Green Card, many clients' primary goal is to send their child to study in the United States, and this may be your goal as well.
The F-1 visa is well suited for a student whose sole intention is to obtain a degree from an American university. The unfortunate aspect of the F-1 visa is that it provides no path to a Green Card, which deprives the student of lower tuition rates and the right to hold a job. The bottom line is that if a Green Card is your goal, the F-1 visa will not provide you with a direct route, and you'll have to pay considerably higher tuition along the way.
If you wish to obtain a Green Card, I strongly recommend that you find a qualified immigration attorney to help you make the best-informed decision possible. That being said, if you are prepared to invest $800,000 in the U.S. economy, it is very likely that the EB5 visa represents the best possible path to a Green Card for you and your family. With few exceptions, this is the only path to a Green Card that is direct, as long as you are able to make the necessary investment and meet certain basic requirements. And the benefits are unrestricted: the successful EB5 visa applicant and his or her family are able to live, work and go to school in the United States. After 21 months, the applicant can petition the government to make the Green Cards permanent. And after 5 years, the investor and the investor's family qualify for naturalization as full American citizens. This is what makes the EB5 visa a great option for families.
