Should I Use An Immigration Agent For My EB-5 Application?
Many EB-5 investors from China utilize the services of an immigration agent to assist them in filing their EB-5 investor visa application to obtain a Green Card.
Many times, the agents are trusted contacts who have previously assisted the investor in obtaining non-immigrant visas or applying to prestigious universities in the United States.
Working with an immigration agents is beneficial to the EB-5 investor for the following reasons:
Coordination. First, with their experience, an immigration agent may be able to help the investor to know what is needed, what documents are required, what supplemental documents will give extra weight to the application, and what documents are completely unnecessary. Through coordination between the EB-5 investor, his or her agent and the investor’s attorney, a well prepared application package can be quickly created for filing and USCIS review. This drastically lowers delay and the chance that USCIS will go through a process called “Request for Evidence (RFE)” where USCIS may come back around to ask for more documents/evidence from the investor.
Communication. Second, especially if the EB-5 investor is going through a Regional Center, an immigration agent can help the investor communicate with the Regional Center and the investor’s attorney. If there is a change in the project, a new message from the attorney, or anything that requires the immediate attention of the investor, the agent can be quickly notified to relay the message. Otherwise, a deadline could accidently be missed, threatening the entire application.
Security. Finally, an immigration agent can act as an additional leverage to secure and protect the interests of the EB-5 investor. Especially if the particular agent has several investors in a particular Regional Center project, the agent may have leverage and insight to demand the Regional Center comply with regulations and remain on schedule with the project.
All of the above can serve to increase the chances that the investor’s EB-5 application will be approved and the investor will receive his or her Green Card.
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