November Dubai EB-5 Event Filling Up Quickly

Folks, we opened registration for the EB-5 Seminar in Dubai after Labor Day and registrations for the free November 17th event, which will take place at the Shangri-La Dubai, are pouring in.  We have only made folks aware of this through Immigration Insider and few online mentions here and ther...

Jose E. Latour Sep 24, 2010

As Cuba Admits Failure, Venezuela Continues Its Economic Death Spiral

The pain in the eyes of the Venezuelans I see these days is more palpable and more real than the concern across their faces as early as last fall, when I began visiting clients in Caracas and discussing the EB-5 immigrant investor "just in case" Plan B option.  While there has been a ...

Jose E. Latour Sep 14, 2010

Venezuela’s Land Redistribution is Taking a Very Human Toll

As Chavez continues to eviscerate the Venezuelan economy through corruption and mismanagement, the expropriation of private lands has remained somewhat on the back burner in terms of topics of discussion between my clients and me.  While I have had more than one client whose farms have been sto...

Jose E. Latour Sep 10, 2010

Imagine What a BIG EB-5 Regional Center Would Look Like…

Myfavorite dumb EB-5 marketing quote of the week:“Weare a small regional center…our center can only accommodate up to 320 clients.”Soundslike a cozy little venture, eh? (-:  I’lltell you guys, in this colorful world of EB-5 Regional Centers, there is nevera dull moment. But sometimes the hyperb...

Jose E. Latour Sep 08, 2010

SIGN UP OPEN: Dubai EB-5 Seminar Wednesday, Nov 17, 2010 @ Shangri La

Better late than never: I've been telling a number of our readers in the Middle East that the sign up for the Dubai EB-5 Investor Seminar would be up soon....and it finally is.  We'll have a Farsi version up ASAP.Sign up here for: Latour's Dubai Investor Visa Seminar Nov. 17 My i...

Jose E. Latour Aug 30, 2010

Mexico’s Drug Wars Making My Phone Ring

When I was a  young Vice Consul in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, it was hardly paradise.  Juarez was a big, booming desert town characterized by endless maquiladora factories, blistering heat, and a vast income gap between the very rich who lived behind guard entrances in plush mansions and the v...

Jose E. Latour Aug 21, 2010

Heads Up, EB-5 Regional Centers: “Accredited Investor” Redefined Under Dodd-Frank

First off, serious kudos to Akerman for their on-point memo (see bottom of blog for link to their site) on this subject; it was totally under the radar till I saw it there and incredibly important from an SEC compliance standpoint, as much for Regional Centers qualifying investors as for immigration...

Jose E. Latour Aug 11, 2010

Sonic Boom: EB-5 Regional Centers Embrace Franchises

In the beginning there was equity.  And it sucked.  It sucked because for the first decade or so, the vast majority of EB-5 Regional Centers were focused exclusively on circumventing the letter of the law as handed down in the Immigration Act of 1990 (IMMACT90), wherein capital risk was a ...

Jose E. Latour Aug 06, 2010

Putting My EB-5 Money Where My Mouth Is…

Okay, the quick and dirty:  as most of you know, I have looooooong struggled with attorneys getting a referral fee for a client who selects a particular EB5 Regional Center AND then handling the legal work for the client.  I have heard ALL the arguments:"It's okay as long as it&#...

Jose E. Latour Jul 22, 2010

Before Committing to an EB-5 Regional Center, Look Under the Hood

If there is a single imperative rule when it comes toselecting an EB-5 Regional Center in which to invest, it's this: look at the resumes of thoseresponsible for organizing and managing the deal.  In my many conversations with Michael Gibson,the EB-5 due diligence expert who visits EB5 Reg...

Jose E. Latour Jul 13, 2010