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

Better Get that EB-5 Regional Center Application in ASAP…

The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that USCIS DirectorAlejandro Mayorkas is the person who behind the new proposed fee increases,which would take effect this summer after a public comment period.  Across the board, they raise the cost offiling petitions for permanent and temporary re...

Jose E. Latour Jun 10, 2010

Get Yer Red Hot EB-5 Investor Visas While They’re Still (Comparatively) Cheap…

...because apparently the USCIS is planning on creating a new $6,230 filing fee!  Yikes!I did a quick online search and didn't find anything but here is the Miami Herald Article re Proposed Investor VIsa Fee…

Jose E. Latour Jun 09, 2010

“Y entonces que esperas??”- Editorial/Comentario EB5 Por Abogado Jose Latour

Comenzando misegundo año concentrando en la visa EB5, hay una estadística que se destacaentre las muchas asociadas con el programa de visa de inversor: la escasez delatinoamericanos que se comprometen a participar en lo que probablemente es lamejor oportunidad para realizar residencia norteamericana...

Jose E. Latour Jun 08, 2010

Vintage Jose: EB-5 Article from 11/20/98

PLEASE NOTE: THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS ARTICLE IS BASED UPON THE LAW, TERMINOLOGY, AND EB-5 SITUATION AS OF 1998.  IT IS NOT CURRENT INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON FOR VISA STRUCTURING PURPOSES!! 11/20/98an examination of the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Category andImplicati...

Jose E. Latour May 28, 2010