Your Green Card status in the United States provides you with a range of advantages and benefits. It helps you secure citizenship and your US passport, allowing you and your family the freedom to live and work in the country without the need for additional visas or permits. Green card holders enjoy increased employment opportunities, access to higher education at favourable rates, eligibility for certain social benefits, and the freedom to travel internationally without a visa. Given these advantages, it is no surprise that you and many more aspire to secure their Green Card status.
What options are there for you to obtain a residency-by-investment visa? The USA emerged as leading the field with prime opportunities and development projects amidst the new EB-5 regulations.
Investors looking for a top Green Card investment destination should consider South Florida. Our latest webinar highlighted this growing state. Investors were given insights into the changing global immigration landscape.
Our webinar was a resounding success. We enjoyed engagement from investors in South Africa, Africa and the Middle East too. Key questions addressed included:
- How to immigrate through an EB-5 investment visa?
- Why South Florida is looking particularly attractive in the current global economic landscape.
We encourage you to watch the full webinar to have all your immigration and investment questions answered.
Our panel of experts, included:
- Stuart Ferguson, CEO of American Dream,
- Leon Versfeld, Managing Partner at Versfeld & Hugo,
- Chris Immelmann, Head of Pam Golding International, and
- Sheldon Halcrow, CEO/President of Caleo USA,
- Hosted by Simon Brown, Senior Journalist at Moneyweb
The EB-5 Investor Program is your path to Green Card status and your US passport. This highly regulated Green Card Investment Program not only helps you achieve your US lifestyle, but it also helps create jobs for the US economy and is regarded so highly by the US government. Our panel discussed the recent changes to the EB-5 regulations introduced in March 2022, including:
- Greater integrity and due diligence in the program
- Greater flexibility in the source of funds
- Introduction of concurrent filing
- Increase to the minimum investment amount from $500,000 to $800,000
Furthermore, as you set out to secure your Green Card for you and your family, the panel emphasised South Florida as an investment destination for EB-5 investors. This region has experienced rapid growth. Over the past year, the South Florida’s home values has risen by 25.8%. Despite paying Federal Taxes, there is no state income tax and a 5.5 business tax.
For the full webinar click here
Changing landscapes of general immigration
We kicked off the webinar discussing how the immigration landscaping is changing across the world. Chris Immelman, Head of Pam Golding International, highlighted general immigration trends.
“There have been significant changes made to the Malta, Montenegro and Greek programs, while Cyprus has closed its citizenship program and Portugal’s will be coming to an end soon. The top 5 places for global wealth migration are currently the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Singapore, Israel and the United States. The EB-5 Program makes the United States a glaring option for most South Africans to consider.”
American Dream clients are the world over
American Dream assists you to achieve your residency-by-investment dream no matter where you are in the world. We’re currently planning roadshows across South Africa, Kenya and Dubai. This Green Card investment is an opportunity for High Net Worth Individuals to gain residency-by-investment.
Along with the new EB-5 regulations, there has also been an introduction of a deferred payment scheme. We believe this will assist families immensely to meet the investment criteria.
Deferred Payment Scheme
“The Deferred Payment Scheme was designed specifically for our market due to currency controls,” said Stuart Ferguson, CEO of American Dream. The scheme allows investors to file for immigration with a down payment of $250,000, and defer the payment of the remaining balance until later.
Investors need to provide supplementary documentation to show where the balance of the funds will come from. This could be from the sale of a home, business or investment portfolio. This is to demonstrate that the investor is actively involved in ensuring that they have the full $800 000 in place prior to the file being adjudicated.”
Your investment benefits in South Florida
“It has become a desirable destination and popular investment node due to the lifestyle benefits that it offers immigrants. It has one of the lowest tax rates in the United States, the best weather, affordable property prices, excellent schools and good infrastructure,” explained Sheldon Halcrow, CEO/President of Caleo USA.
Investing in South Florida is an attractive option for many reasons. The region boasts year-round sunshine, excellent schools, good neighbourhoods, a thriving medical industry, and a vibrant social scene.
With its fast-growing population and increasing property values, South Florida is quickly becoming a top investment destination in the USA. It’s also worth noting that Miami is one of the top three global property markets in terms of appreciation. This makes it an ideal investment destination for those looking to capitalize on the booming real estate market.
Additionally, South Florida offers favourable tax incentives for investors. The state has no income tax and has a corporate tax rate of just 5.5%. Many people are attracted to the area, not just for the climate, but also for the lower cost of living and relaxed way of life.
South Florida has seen a significant influx of people semigrating from high-density states like New York and Chicago who are seeking a better quality of life. All of these factors combined make South Florida an excellent choice for anyone considering investing in the United States.
American Dream has been involved in South Florida for quite some time, along with the partnership of Pam Golding and Caleo Capital. We’ve got a good handle on the development landscape and can advise you on each stage of your investment into your chosen project.
One development project that has done exceptionally well is 1818 Park in South Florida. It is already built, with the US job criteria already met for investors keen to get their EB-5 application going.
The 1818 Park Project
1818 Park is located in Hollywood, Florida, close to the Miami coast, restaurants and business hub. This development consists of mixed-use, luxury residential condos, 5-star resort facilities and modern apartments. It has attracted over 77 South African investors and is currently 95% leased. 1818 Park has also created an excellent job buffer of 1 600 jobs, which is an important fact to consider from an EB-5 immigration perspective in terms of adjudication.
“American Dream has had a 100% success rate and have never experienced capital failure. We surround ourselves with the correct people. You’ve got the likes of Leon Versfeld, strategic partners like Caleo, who help with understanding tax consequences and externalising funds on our clients behalf. Let’s not forget, Chris and Pam Golding International, who are great people to work with,” said Stuart Ferguson.
Your Green Card status and the opportunity to secure your US passport is not so hard to achieve. By working through American Dream and their partners, they will help you through each step in ensuring you can create this family legacy and make America your home.
