EB-5 Visa Program vs. H-1B Visa, Which is Better, The EB-5 Visa is a Path to Permanent Residency in the United States
The EB-5 Visa Program might be a better choice for international students studying in the United States. The hope of getting selected through the visa lottery and subsequently being approved for an H-1B visa continues to be more competitive and difficult. H-1B applicants are seeing higher denial rates than ever, as the USCIS is implementing more strict vetting procedures. Garrett Connors, CMB Regional Centers
ROCK ISLAND, Ill., March 7, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- H-1B visa applicants or holders are typically foreign graduates that attended a U.S. University that would like the ability to stay, work and live in the United States. A down side to the H-1B visa is that is a temporary non-permanent visa and they expire in as little as 3 years. Many of these young graduates and professionals that study in the United States would prefer to live and work here indefinitely. As more and more foreign students choose to study in the United States for bachelor's and master's degrees (1.1 million of the 4.6 million enrolled worldwide, according to migrantpolicy.org, May of 2018), there are just not enough visas available. Every year a total of 85,000 H-1B visas are awarded, of which 65,000 are for graduates with a bachelor's degree or equivalent and 20,000 with a master's degree or higher. That means only about 7% of new graduates have a chance for an H-1B visa.
Recently the Wall Street Journal published an article, quoting the USCIS spokesperson Jessica Collins, stating that H-1B visas are seeing an all-time high rate of denials. https://www.wsj.com/articles/approval-rate-declines-for-h-1b-visas-11550926800.
Many H-1B visa holders and foreign students that are preparing for their futures ask the question, what is a good alternative? For many, they see an EB-5 visa as a great option for students or parents of students to consider. The EB-5 visa is a category that allows for permanent residency in the United States without the need to be sponsored by an employer. This would allow a foreign student the ability to live and work anywhere in the United States on a permanent green card. This visa category does not only pertain to students, but anyone looking to immigrate to the United States. EB-5 is not for everyone, but for those that are able to meet the requirements of the minimum investment of $500,000 (and other requirements), is a great opportunity to obtain a permanent green card (https://www.cmbeb5visa.com/what-is-eb5).
CMB Regional Centers would like the opportunity to discuss the EB-5 Investor Visa Program with anyone looking to immigrate to the United States.
SOURCE CMB Regional Centers
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