The EB 5 Visa is issued to those foreign nationals who are willing to invest into the US economy in terms of funds as well as creation of employment. One of the ways of doing this is to invest in a regional-center program designated by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This program is quite similar to many successful investment-employment based programs in the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, to name a few nations. Consider this: Of the 10,000 EB 5 Visas issued annually in the USA, 3000 are reserved for those investing through centers. This in no way implies that only 3000 visas would be issued on this basis. According to unofficial estimates, 90 % of the total visas are granted to those who invest into a center program.

The categories of regional centers are diverse and there is something interesting for everyone who is looking to invest through them. Many foreigners seem to believe that these investments are mostly in the nature of construction, manufacturing and hospitality industries. Whereas, a closer look at the options available may interest some foreign nationals into investing their money into an area of their special interest or about which they are passionate about.

Are you interested in horses and equestrian sports and facilities? You could invest in the Rocky mountain High center. The geographic scope of this project is the Counties of Rio Grande and Mineral, Colorado. If you have previously been involved in dry fruits farming, you can invest your experience as well as your funds in the California Consortium for Agricultural Export Regional center.

If your passion is wines, vineyards and wineries, the California wineries and vineyards regional center may be the right project for you. The counties of Napa and Sonoma of California would be the areas benefitting from your investments. Want to have a go at Hollywood with motion picture and television production? Invest in the Los Angeles County Center.

There are around 120 regional centers to choose from. One criteria of choosing a regional center seems to be the one based on the number of years of its existence. In other words, funds are preferred to be invested in a regional-center which has been established over a period of time. While this may seem to be sound business sense, one also needs to remember that certain projects which were quite popular in the past may now have a totally different outlook because of the current economic conditions in the US. Once you have finalized the center, you need to file the I-526 form with the USCIS along with a filing fee of $1,500.

If you don’t have the required $ 1 million for the typical EB-5 Visa, then investing in the EB-5 regional-center is a good option. For $ 500,000, you can be an owner of a US business and that too in an area where it could make a difference.