The U.S. EB-5 Investment Immigration Program has emerged as one of the most efficient and straightforward ways for students to live and work in the USA during their studies and then continue their lives in the country post-higher education. It provides an uncomplicated path to a U.S. Green Card (and eventually citizenship), meaning the applicant is free to live and work in the USA without any visa restrictions.
Of course, there are other routes to remaining in the U.S. for studies or work, such as the F-1 Visa for students and the popular H1-B working visa. However, both of these visas come with a specific and exhaustive set of restrictions that can’t be mitigated by the applicant (or indeed the sponsor in the case of the H1-B).
The F-1 Student Visa
There is no denying that the F-1 Visa does open the doors to educational opportunities for foreign students. However, as mentioned, many restrictions accompany this visa. F-1 Visa holders must maintain full-time enrolment status throughout their academic program (with very little flexibility) in order to ensure compliance with the student visa regulations. It also prohibits working off-campus (without proper authorization, which is difficult to obtain). Additionally, F-1 Visa holders face restrictions on the duration of their stay in the U.S., as they are typically granted until the completion of their academic program and no longer.
The H1-B Employment Visa
To obtain an H-1B visa, students must overcome two major difficulties: the first is finding an employer willing to invest the capital and resources required to sponsor them, and the second is being lucky enough to be selected via the H-1B lottery system.
One of the key difficulties with this process is that selection is completely random and not based on merit; the talent and skills of the applicant are not taken into consideration during the selection process, nor is the size of the company committed to sponsoring the applicant, or the salary offered. The draw is based on pure luck. In 2024, USCIS received more than 780,000 H1-B pre-registrations competing for just 85,000 spaces.
Another drawback of this visa is that it’s explicitly tied to an employer; if one were to lose their job, they have just 60 days to find another position, after which they must leave the U.S. Many H1-B holders also find it difficult to achieve true career growth while on this visa, as vertical growth means that the individual has to apply for a new visa with every new job title.
How the EB-5 Investment Visa is different
Step Global Group recently helped a client who was an international student in the U.S., Adarsh, though the EB-5 process. Thanks to his EB-5 Visa application, he has seen his job prospects in the USA completely change. Additionally, after receiving his Employment Authorization and Travel Documents while waiting for his final green card to be approved through the EB-5 application, he immediately noticed that he was offered more interviews, more opportunities and his career goals were starting to take shape.
I recently sat down with Adarsh to discuss how filing the EB-5 application (with the Green Card yet to come) and working with Step Global has impacted his day-to-day life and career in the USA. In our chat, we covered when he decided that the EB-5 program was right for him, whether he explored any other paths to citizenship, any advice he’d give to other students pursuing studies or a career in the USA, and much more…
Hi Adarsh, thank you for taking the time to sit with me and discuss your EB-5 journey with Step Global Group.
My pleasure, thanks for having me.
So let’s start at the beginning, when did you decide to invest in the EB-5 program, and at what stage of your career were you?
I decided to pursue the U.S. EB-5 program when I was in my senior year of undergrad at school. I was just finishing up my education and ready to begin working, so I’d say I was pretty much at the beginning of my career journey.
And how would you say this program has supported your life and career goals?
I would say this program has had a positive impact on my life and career goals. One of the main differences I noticed was that it opened up significantly more opportunities in my field of desired employment. A lot of companies were previously reluctant to give me opportunities or interviews due to the fact that I’d need visa sponsorship, however, thanks to the EB-5 program I am now receiving significantly more interviews for job roles, as my visa is sorted from my end.
That’s interesting. So were there specific difficulties you were facing in the U.S. before choosing the EB-5 program?
Before applying for the EB-5 program in 2021, I had applied for numerous internships and been rejected by the vast majority of them. The primary reason for the rejections was the fact that I would need sponsorship in the future, and not many employers were willing to go through that process, and as such could not proceed with my application. Having a Green Card through the EB-5 Visa alleviated all of these concerns, and made it possible to truly build and grow my career in the U.S.
I think we’re seeing a lot of companies lose faith in the H1-B Lottery System in similar ways. Do you think there could have been other avenues, apart from the EB-5 program, to overcome these hurdles?
Honestly, I don’t think there are other ways aside from the EB-5 program to overcome the hurdles that I faced. The main difficulty is that the H1-B system is based on a lottery - and not a lot of companies are willing to sponsor on those terms. It’s just too uncertain. Another blocker is that even if you do find a company who is willing to sponsor you, it’s still a lottery - so a very uncertain scenario for the applicant too, in terms of career planning. A lot of companies are cautious to commit the capital and man-hours to support an application that is, at the end of the process, completely out of their and the applicant’s hands in terms of gaining approval.
This is definitely a trend we’re noticing too when it comes to the H1-B Visa Process and companies’ reluctance to commit to them, particularly after the 2023 statistics that showed there were 780,000 applications for just 85,000 slots. Is there any advice you would like to give to other students pursuing studies/a career in the U.S.?
The main piece of advice I would give other students pursuing studies in the U.S. is to really focus on your future goals, what you want from your career and especially consider whether you want to settle and work in the U.S. for the long term. Then, think about the appropriate steps that you need to take to help you achieve those goals.
I think that’s great advice; a lot of students have ambitions to continue their careers in the U.S. but don’t always consider how to make those dreams a reality. Last question Adarsh, have you seen any immediate results or benefits from your EB-5 participation so far?
The most immediate benefit I experienced after completing my EB-5 program and receiving my Green Card was the numerous interviews and calls I received from HR managers and recruiting managers due to the fact that I no longer require future sponsorship. This has meant I’m getting so many more opportunities to further myself and my career.
Thanks so much for your time today Adarsh.
My pleasure, great to talk to you.
