Florida Real Estate, Tourism and Immigration News

EB-5 Visa programme

Following is an extract from this month’s US EB-5 Visa programme newsletter from one of our US Regional Centre affiliates, Lake Buena Vista Resort close to Walt Disney World in Orlando.

This innovative “Fast Track” US Visa programme, as you may know, is designed for US “investor immigrants” willing and able to invest at least $500,000 in a US government-designated company or “Regional Centre” in return for, customarily, a permanent resident “Green Card” within 3-6 months and, if desired, US citizenship in 5 years – for all unmarried family members under 21 as well!

Please let us know if we can help you fulfill your American Dream this year as well:

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The Lake Buena Vista Resort continues to enjoy an increase in visitors. The Resort’s occupancy every month this year has improved from a year ago. Occupancy in July was 95.8% which was 5 points higher than July 2009. So, when evaluating the Lake Buena Vista Regional Center compared to other regional centers, our Resort has a PROVEN history of success. Why look anywhere else? Besides being approved by the U.S. government for the EB-5 Immigrant Investment Program, the Lake Buena Vista Regional Center has already fulfilled the job requirements of the program and is located in a Targeted Employment Area (TEA). Foreign investors should be very confidence of obtaining visa approval.

Some of the Benefits of the EB-5 Program:

Permanent Residency and Green Cards for Investor and Family
Educational Opportunity for Investors and their Children
Live, Work, and Retire Anywhere in U.S.
Personal and Family Security
Ease of United States Entry and International Travel
Eligible for Lexus/Nexus Pass

Now is a great time to visit the Lake Buena Vista Resort. Located about a mile from Disney World and minutes from Universal Studios, SeaWorld and Orlando’s International Airport, the Resort should be an easy choice. Be sure to make your reservations at the Resort’s Reflections Spa-Salon and take advantage of our “Beat the Heat” special. Just purchase any eighty minute service and receive a FREE hydrotherapy bath. Afterwards, enjoy a complementary drink at our pool-side bar. Why not try our newest, licensed massage therapist from Brazil? Relax, you’re on vacation!

Don’t miss the Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores located just next door. You will find Back-to-School specials throughout the outlet mall during the Labor Day Sidewalk Sale, September 3rd – 6th. You can preview the new autumn-fall line of clothing and find summer attire at fantastic savings. The newest addition to the mall is Timberland, projected to open September 30th.  For more information, visit www.lbvfs.com.

The Lake Buena Vista Regional Center has had another busy month hosting foreign visitors. With almost half of the investor positions filled, we continue to see a good deal of activity. If you are a foreign investor interested in permanent U.S. residency and a Green Card, don’t delay, apply today!

Coming up September 12, 2010 in Vancouver, BC, Lake Buena Vista’s Ofer Fridfertig will be the featured speaker at a seminar hosted by AQG Investments.

You are always welcome to visit and take a personal tour of the Lake Buena Vista Resort Village & Spa in Orlando Florida. August 2, 2010 – Washington DC – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announces today the launch of new web features designed to expand users’ access to their case information. As part of USCIS’s commitment to improve customer service, these enhancements include a new online inquiry tool and tailored case status information, as well as new features for Spanish-speaking customers available at www.USCIS.gov/espanol.

“We are committed to improving access to case status information and enhancing customer service through these innovative online features,” said USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas.

August 4, 2010 – Washington DC – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it will extend the closing date for the USCIS National Children’s Art Project until Aug. 30, 2010, extending the submission deadline by two weeks.

On June 14, 2010, USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas announced the “We Are America” National Children’s Art Project in collaboration with public libraries and other community-based organizations serving America’s immigrant communities. “People have come from all over the world to become Americans. Why does that make us great?”  USCIS will display the children’s artwork in USCIS offices around the country.
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There couldn’t be a better time to emigrate to the US ………. property prices are ridiculously low (interest rates too!) and the lifestyle remains the American Dream for most of us!

So please tell your friends, family members and business associates too.

It may be the perfect time for them to come to America as well!
 
Sincerely,

Bill Cowie  President

www.BritishHomesGroup.com

www.eb5investmentvisas.com

Orlando Office: 407 396 9914

British-American Chamber of Commerce – Advisory Board Member

The Lake Buena Vista Resort Team is getting ready for another busy summer season. We continue to see foreign visitors touring our Resort and investing in our Regional Center. This is their fast track to obtaining permanent U.S. residency and a Green Card. If you are a foreign national and would like more details regarding the EB-5 visa program and our Regional Center, please visit www.eb5greencardusa.com.

Another reason visitors (and muggles) will be flocking to Orlando is the June 18th grand opening of “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” at Universal Studios. Excitement is in the air and anxious Potter fans have made their reservations to stay at our Resort. We are only minutes away from Universal and have FREE transportation to this and other area theme parks like Disney and SeaWorld. To book your stay, go to www.lbvorlandoresort.com See for yourself why our award-winning Resort is so highly rated on travel sites and with our many visitors.

Don’t forget, you’re on vacation. So relax at our Reflections Spa-Salon located on the top floor of the Reception Building. This signature health spa is not to be missed. After our wonderful Mother’s Day specials, we couldn’t forget dad. Our Father’s Day special is called “King for the Day.” This includes a 30-minute full body massage, 25-minute scalp massage or foot massage, and a 25-minute hydrotherapy bath. Your special guy will enjoy all of these fantastic services for only $99. Hurry and book your appointment today. Visit the Reflections Spa web site for more details at www.reflectionsspaorlando.com.

The Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores are located next door to the Resort. With over 50 factory outlet stores offering incredible discounts on designer and name brands, be sure to leave some time for shopping. Events coming up at the center include a Memorial Day Weekend Sidewalk Sale from May 28th – 31st. If you are in the area next month, there will be a Father’s Day Weekend Sidewalk Sale June 18th – 20th. You can also visit the newest store to be added to our mall, American Swimwear. For more information about the outlet stores, visit www.lbvfs.com.

May 12, 2010 – Washington DC – InfoPass is a free service that lets you schedule an appointment with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Immigration Officer by using the Internet any time of day or night. If you have an immigration issue that is best handled by a trained USCIS Immigration Officer, InfoPass will let you schedule an appointment instead of requesting it in person at your local USCIS office. To read more about this new, free service, Click Here.

May 11, 2010 – Washington DC – The USCIS announced it has redesigned the Permanent Residency “Green Card” to incorporate several major, new security features. State-of-the-art technology prevents counterfeiting, obstructs tampering, and facilitates quick and accurate authentication of the card. Beginning today, USCIS will issue all Green Cards in the new, more secure format.

Earlier this month, Lake Buena Vista Resort’s Ofer Fridfertig was invited to Fort Walton Beach, Florida by the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors to speak at their seminar and class entitled “EB-5Visas and International Investors.” There was a great turnout for this event organized by Paula Bailey, Educational Director of the Emerald Coast Association and sponsorship lead by Gail Silvers, Chairperson of Emerald Coast’s International Council. Realtors were very interested to learn how they could help their international clients invest in the United States and obtain a permanent Green Card. Mr. Fridfertig answered questions and invited the attendees to visit the Lake Buena Vista Resort and see for themselves why this is such a great investment opportunity.

The Lake Buena Vista Team will hold a seminar in Santa Cruz, Bolivia on June 17, 2010 from 5 PM – 10 PM at the Cainco Industrial and Business Chamber of Commerce. Also hosting the event will be USA Minar. You must be registered to attend this seminar.

Come join us in the Sunshine State – where the water’s warm and the prices are right!

Sincerely,

Bill Cowie  President

www.BritishHomesGroup.com

Kissimmee Office: 407 396 9914

US “Fast Track” EB-5 Visa Update

As the normal drizzly European winter fast approaches and international currencies continue to strengthen against the US dollar, many would-be emigrants are turning their thoughts once again to America and in particular, the “Sunshine State” of Florida.

Much has happened in the last few months to make the increasingly popular EB-5 investment visa even more appealing. The US government and several individual States, such as Florida, for example, have intensified and broadened their search for investment capital and job creation during these challenging recessionary times.

A good measure of the EB-5 (“Employment-Based”) visa programme’s growing popularity and success is its rapid expansion in recent months. The choice of US government-designated EB-5 “Regional Centers”, for example, has doubled in the past year, from under 30 locations last year to over 60 now. Along with increased choice, however, comes the increased need for due diligence in the selection of the one EB-5 Regional Center that best fits your individual and unique budgetary, investment and personal requirements.

Additionally, Regional Centers are becoming more competitive in their efforts to attract the US$500,000 or US$1 Million investment required to participate in the programme. One Florida EB-5 Regional Center, located only minutes from Walt Disney World in Orlando, has recently increased its EB-5 investment offering from two luxury condominium rental-income apartments to three – 33% more Florida property for the same investment amount!

The EB-5 visa secures a permanent US resident Green Card not only for the applicant but also their entire family under 21 (the bigger the family the bigger the visa value).

Please let us know, therefore, if you would like a more detailed update of the US EB-5 “Fast Track” visa. This timely and sensible US immigration programme enables you to invest in, as well as emigrate to the Unites States, without the usual qualification issues, delays and frustrations of many other US visa options.

So come, live and invest in America’s “Sunshine State”!

Sincerely,

Christine Doran – Emigrated to the U.S. in 1992

General Manager
British Homes Group Florida
www.eb5investmentvisas.com
www.britishhomesgroup.com
Telephone: (+1) 407 396 9914
From within the UK Freephone: 0800 096 5989

Lake Buena Vista EB5 Regional Center

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will open the floodgates for new H-1B visa petitions today, 1st April 2009.

The USCIS announced additional requirements for employers, who receive funds through the Troubled Asset Relief Programme (TARP) or under section 13 of the Federal Reserve Act (covered funding), before they may hire a foreign national to work in the H-1B specialty occupation category.

The new ‘Employ American Workers Act’ (EAWA), which was signed into law by President Obama as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on 17th February, has been designed so that companies receiving covered funding do not displace US workers.

Under the EAWA legislation any company that has received (covered) funding from the government and seeks to hire new H-1B workers is considered an ‘H-1B dependent employer’. Such employers must make additional guarantees to the US Department of Labour (DOL) when filing a Labour Condition Application.

For more information, visit the USCIS website www.uscis.gov or sign up for our immigration newsletter on www.eb5investmentvisas.com

Do you have an expiring H-1B visa? Please contact us about the EB-5 as an alternative pathway to continue living and working in the US.

info@eb5investmentvisas.com

As of the 12th of January 2009, International travelers who are seeking to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Programme are required to register, as a new Homeland Security measure, here;

https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov - if you use this site the registration is FREE.

We have been told that there are some sites that are charging up to £50.00 to complete the service but it only takes a few moments and confirmation is almost instantaneous.

Who is required to have a travel authorization?

All passengers traveling under the Visa Waiver Program are required to have an approved travel authorization prior to traveling to the United States by air or sea. Even non-ticketed infants are required to have an approved travel authorization, if they do not have a visa for travel to the United States. An application may be submitted by a third party on behalf of a Visa Waiver Program traveler.

More questions and answers on ESTA can be found by clicking ‘Help’ from their home page.

Here is another great resource site for international visitors coming to the US; http://www.cbp.gov

The EB-5 visa regional center program has been extended until September 30, 2009.

To reserve your investor position please call or email us and we will assist you through the process.

If you wish to have more information or discuss any aspect of the program, please contact us;

http://www.eb5investmentvisas.com/contactus.php

http://www.eb5investmentvisas.com/eb5-visa-extended.php

The US EB-5 immigration visa, one of the quickest and easiest ways for international investors to live and work anywhere within the United States is expected to be extended until September 2013 within the next few days. As it stands this method of immigration into the United States will ’sunset’ on March 6th 2009. If you would like more information on this type of visa, or any other type of visa that allows the applicant(s) to live and work in the US, please visit: www.eb5investmentvisas.com

The latest information, from the Library of Congress, can be found here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR05569:@@@L&summ2=m&

110TH CONGRESS

2d Session – 110-698

TO EXTEND FOR 5 YEARS THE EB-5 REGIONAL CENTER PILOT PROGRAM

JUNE 5, 2008- Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. CONYERS, from the Committee on the Judiciary, submitted the following 

R E P O R T[To accompany H.R. 5569]

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the bill (H.R. 5569) to extend for 5 years the EB-5 regional center pilot program, having considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass.

PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

H.R. 5569 reauthorizes the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Pilot Program for regional centers for 5 years, until September 30, 2013.

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR THE LEGISLATION

Congress created the fifth employment-based preference (EB-5) immigrant visa category in 1990 for immigrants seeking to enter the United States to invest in a commercial enterprise that will benefit the U.S. economy and create at least 10 full-time jobs. 1

[Footnote] The basic amount required to be invested is $1 million, although that amount can be reduced to $500,000 if the investment is made in a rural or high unemployment area. 2

[Footnote] Approximately 10,000 visas are available in this green card category each year.

[Footnote 1: Immigration and Nationality Act, Sec. 203(b)(5), 8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(5) (2007).]

[Footnote 2: Immigration and Nationality Act, Sec. 203(b)(5)(C)(ii), 8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(5)(C)(ii) (2007).]

Since its inception, the EB-5 category has been underutilized. For example, in FY 2007, a total of only 806 investors and family members immigrated to the United States in the EB-5 category. 3

[Footnote] This still represented a high for the program, however, and evidences the fact that interest and participation in the EB-5 program has increased significantly over the past several years. Unofficial estimates indicate that the EB-5 immigrant investor program is projected to achieve, during the current year, an annual rate of $1 billion in aggregate immigrant investment, with more than 20,000 new direct and indirect jobs created annually.

[Footnote 3: Department of Homeland Security, Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2007, at http://www.dhs.gov/ximgtn/statistics/publications/LPR07.shtm (table 7).]

To help further encourage immigration through the EB-5 category, Congress created a temporary pilot program in 1993. 4

[Footnote] The Immigrant Investor Pilot Program allocates 3,000 visas each year for EB-5 investors who invest in `designated regional centers.’ The pilot program has been renewed several times, and is currently due to expire September 30, 2008. 5

[Footnote] H.R. 5569 would extend the EB-5 regional center pilot program for 5 years, until September 30, 2013.

[Footnote 4: Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 1993, Pub. L. No. 102-395, Sec. 610, 106 Stat. 1874 (1992), 8 U.S.C. 1153 note (2007).]

[Footnote 5: Basic Pilot Program Extension and Expansion Act of 2003, Pub. L. No. 108-156, Sec. 4(b), 117 Stat. 1945 (2003) (extending EB-5 pilot program 5 years to Sept. 30, 2008).]

An investment under the EB-5 pilot program must be made in a commercial enterprise located within a `regional center,’ defined as `any economic unit, public or private, which is involved with the promotion of economic growth, including increased export sales, improved regional productivity, job creation, or increased domestic capital investment.’ 6

[Footnote]

[Footnote 6: 8 C.F.R. Sec. 204.6(e).]

A regional center seeking approval must submit a proposal showing how it plans to focus on a geographical region within the United States. The proposal must show `in verifiable detail how jobs will be created,’ along with the amount and source of capital committed and the promotional efforts made and planned. 7

[Footnote] There are approximately 19 active approved regional centers today, and at least 20 other applications for regional center designation are pending.

[Footnote 7: 8 C.F.R. Sec. 204.6(m)(3).]

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is currently stepping up its review of new regional center applications and increasing oversight of existing regional centers to ensure that the EB-5 program grows in a responsible way. In a recent advisory letter to a regional center, USCIS outlined 17 types of information that approved regional centers must track to keep their regional center designation. 8

[Footnote]

[Footnote 8: Letter from USCIS Foreign Trader, Investor & Regional Center Program to Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (June 12, 2007).]

Assuming a regional center application has been approved, an applicant seeking EB-5 status under the pilot program must make the qualifying investment (i.e., the amount of money required under the regular EB-5 program) within an approved regional center. The requirement of creating at least 10 new jobs, however, is met by a showing that as a result of the new enterprise, such jobs will be created directly or indirectly.

In 2003, Congress asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study the EB-5 program. The GAO concluded that the program had been under-utilized–for a variety of reasons. It found, however, that even though few people have used the EB-5 category, EB-5 participants have invested an estimated $1 billion in a variety of U.S. businesses. 9

[Footnote]

[Footnote 9: U.S. Government Accountability Office, No. GAO-05-256, `Immigrant Investors: Small Number of Participants Attributed to Pending Regulations and Other Factors' (Apr. 2005), at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05256.pdf.]

To help further the purposes of the EB-5 program, the Committee recommends that, to the extent practicable, qualifying investments under the pilot program should be made in targeted employment areas, as defined in section 203(b)(5)(B)(ii) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 10

[Footnote] These should include rural areas, i.e., areas other than an area within a metropolitan statistical area or within the outer boundary of any city or town having a population of 20,000 or more (based on the most recent decennial census of the United States). And they should also include high-unemployment areas, i.e. areas that have experienced unemployment of at least 150 percent of the national average rate.

[Footnote 10: 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1153(b)(5)(B)(ii) (2007).]

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

www.eb5investmentvisas.com

The current Govenor of Florida, Charlie Crist, issued a letter of support for the State’s EB-5 investment visa program.

Governor Crist, like a growing number of other American politicians (see US Senator Patrick Leahy’s Dublin TV program interview last November http://www.eb5greencard.com/images/JayVideo/rtenews.php ) and civic leaders around the US see the US EB-5 investment visa programme as a “win-win-win” proposition. EB-5 is a “win” for their respective regions in that it (1) attracts capital investment from overseas and thus (2) increases employment amongst their electorate while (3) expands the highly-desirable community of high net-worth “investor immigrants”.

Good news for all concerned – especially UK migrants seeking to invest in their place in the sun!

CHARLIE CRIST
Governor

December, 2008

Dear friends,

On behalf of the State of Florida, welcome to the Sunshine State. I encourage you to explore all that we have to offer for both fun and investment.

An advanced economy with a highly-skilled, multilingual work force and a dynamic multi-modal infrastructure, Florida serves as the gateway to the hemisphere by facilitating the movement of investment, trade, information and people throughout the Americas. We are home to a rich business climate that includes major companies and research institutes in life sciences, aviation & aerospace, clean energy, manufacturing, information technology, and financial services. Even more, we are still the Florida that you have come to know, with thriving agriculture and tourism-based industries.

A commitment of my administration is to promote Florida internationally and to reaffirm to the world that Florida is open for business. With an annual gross domestic product ranking 4th in the United States and 19th in the world, Florida’s highly diversified economy is ripe for investment in all areas. Our business leaders actively work with Florida’s economic development community and our designated U.S. Department of Homeland Security EB-5 regional centers to attract foreign investor capital to the state. As you consider Florida for your investments, we look forward to working with you to ensure Florida becomes home to your business as well.

Once again, welcome to Florida and I encourage you to consider the Sunshine State for your investment.

For more information on EB-5 Visas visit: http://www.eb5investmentvisas.com