ACFI - Alabama Center for Foreign Investment

Eligibility and Requirements

The U.S. Immigrant Investor Program has no requirements as to age, business training and experience, or language skills. Eligible applicants, as provided by USCIS, are those who have invested -- or are actively in the process of investing – USD 500,000 of capital into a new commercial enterprise that has been established through a Regional Center (RC) in a target area. In addition, ACFI-RC requires that the investor is an accredited investor in order to invest through the Alabama Regional Center.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) was designated by Alabama's Governor in 1995 as the entity responsible for the identification of target areas as defined in 8 CFR 204.6(e).

USCIS also requires that the investor is engaged to some degree in the new commercial enterprise that will benefit the United States economy and would:

Create full-time employment for not fewer than a total of 10 qualified direct and indirect U.S. workers per USD 500,000 invested; or
Maintain the number of existing employees at no less than the pre-investment level for a period of at least two years, where the capital investment is being made in a "troubled business," which is a business that has been in existence for at least two years and that has lost 20 percent of its net worth over the past 12 to 24 months; or
Expansion of an existing business thus creating the number of jobs or net worth equal to 140 percent of the pre-investment level. For additional information regarding the U.S. immigrant investor program, please visit the USCIS website on "Immigration through Investment."

From the Nov. 2, 2007 edition of the Wall Street Journal:

"The opportunity is truly beautiful to individuals who want to live and contribute their energy in the United States. "

" And it [The EB-5 Program] creates economic growth and especially jobs for Americans."

Maurice Berez, Program's Chief Adjudications Officer- United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

“In this time of historic low unemployment in the State of Alabama, there are still many areas of our State with census tracts with high unemployment. These tracts are mainly due to plant closings and/or layoffs due to the economy. The Alabama Center for Foreign Investment is a wonderful tool for these areas to use to recruit new private investment and job creation. The State of Alabama is most fortunate that the principals of the Alabama Center for Foreign Investment had the foresight to understand what this program could mean to the State’s recruitment efforts and to the foreign companies choosing Alabama as their U.S. base. “

Doni M. Ingram, Assistant Director, Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA).