Space is limited…become a CIFIT Delegate and Exhibitor TODAY!

***********************************************

The delegation will be lead by Harley Seyedin, President, American Chamber of Commerce – South China and K. David Andersson, President, Association to Invest In the USA (IIUSA).

September 6-10, 2013 - Xiamen, China – also known as the “Paris of the Orient”

***********************************************

Early Bird Member Rate (thru 6/21) Exhibitor: $3,850 - Sponsor/Exhibitor: $8,500

INCLUDED IN PRICE: Attendance to CIFIT for 4 people – Exhibit booth (3 x 3 meters) pre-decorated w/ logo – Student Translator

NOT INCLUDED IN PRICE: Flights and other lodging/travel plans and costs, including making hotel reservations:

AmCham/IIUSA Delegation Group Hotel Rate (RESERVE BY 6/25):

Westin Xiamen

(Superior Room RMB1,110/night for 3 night 9/6-9 or 4 night 9/6-10 package – includes breakfast)

Contact: Jojo Li, Sales Manager (T: 86 592-337-8888 Email: jojo.li@westin.com)

No. 398 Xian Yue Road, Siming District, Xiamen City, Fujian, China

***********************************************

AVAILABLE FOR ADDITIONAL COST: Larger exhibit space – Unique Booth Deocration – Professional Translator

***********************************************

PARTICIPATION DETAILS

All IIUSA member exhibitors will be part of the U.S. Pavilion, which will be one part IIUSA members, one part AmCham South China members; and conveniently located next to a pavilion of Chinese companies considering investment in the U.S.  IIUSA members attendees will be invited to the AmCham South China Annual Cocktail Hour and Dinner on 09/08 which is attended by senior executives, ambassadors, government officials, and Fair attendees seeking investment abroad.  Furthermore, IIUSA will be hosting an EB-5 seminar on 9/9 for any and all interested Fair attendees.

IIUSA and AmCham South China will arrange all needed Fair registrations, security passes and invitations to all applicable events for IIUSA member exhibitors including banquets, opening ceremony, and other exclusive meetings – including the AmCham South China hosted, half-day US-China Investment Seminar and IIUSA EB-5 Seminar.  Furthermore, IIUSA and AmCham South China will arrange all local transportation from hotel to the various venues.

LIMITED SPACE IS AVAILABLE – REGISTER TODAY!

Full trip itinerary and more CIFIT details available here too.

***********************************************

The post IIUSA/AmCham South China US Delegation to the 17th Annual China International Fair for Trade & Investment (CIFIT) (9/6-10) appeared first on IIUSA | Blog.

In addition to updating stakeholders of the changes in TEA’s, GO-Biz also introduced a new policy which allows for applications for special TEA designations for projects that do not meet the existing pre-designated areas.  The re-certification  for previously designated TEAs will not change.

GO-Biz will certify the aforementioned Special TEA applications under the following criteria:

1. If projects are located within an area of 12 or fewer contiguous Census Tracts with a total average unemployment rate of 150% of the national average.
2. Requests must include a table listing of each census tract with its corresponding unemployment rate and a map showing the project address.
3. A supporting letter from the local Economic Development Corporation (EDC) or County or City where the project is located.  The letter must indicate the economic development corporation’s concurrence that the proposed census tract will reasonably be a source of workforce for the project. 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE OFFICIAL CALIFORNIA STATE GOVERNMENT GO-BIZ WEBSITE EXPLAINING THE STATE TEA POLICY

The post State of California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development Hosts EB-5 Stakeholder Phone Call appeared first on IIUSA | Blog.

If you are experiencing – or have experienced – such issues, please send your stories to IIUSA by emailing info@iiusa.org.  Communicating your concerns is the first step towards educating IIUSA with anecdotes that can be aggregated into a dataset, analyzed, and considered as a policy issue by IIUSA that hopefully leads to correcting the issues and making your adjudication process as smooth as possible.

EMAIL YOUR STORIES TO INFO@IIUSA.ORG TODAY!

The post Communicate your NAICS Codes Issues in USCIS Adjudications to IIUSA Today appeared first on IIUSA | Blog.

“IIUSA has a special forum planned for this year,” said Peter D. Joseph, IIUSA Executive Director. “As the largest annual gathering of the international EB-5 Regional Center industry every year, in the midst of a record breaking year of capital formation and job creation, we are taking our responsibility to deliver a comprehensive program featuring talented speakers to new heights – and it is reflected in our growing list of confirmed panelists, keynote speakers and guests of honor.”

CLICK HERE TO BUY A TICKET TODAY!

A detailed tentative agenda is now available for viewing, putting the dynamic confirmed speakers/panel topics into schedule format so you can plan ahead!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SCHEDULE AT-A-GLANCE

IIUSA Commissioned EB-5 Regional Center Program Economic Impact Assessment/Forecast (Minnesota IMPLAN Group (MiG), Inc.)

Updated IIUSA EB-5 Regional Center Industry Best Practices (K. David Andersson, President, IIUSA; President, Whatcom Opportunities Regional Center -Daniel J. Healy, Director, IIUSA; Managing Director, Civitas Capital Management – Michael G. Homeier, Founding Partner, Homeier & Law, P.C. – H. Ronald Klasko, Chair, IIUSA Best Practices Committee; Partner, Klasko Rulon Stock & Seltzer, LLP)

EB-5 Regional Center Advocacy: Comprehensive Immigration Reform Update & Details on other Available Advocacy Channels (IIUSA Government Affairs Team:Russell Cartwright, President, Cartwright & Riley, Inc. – Tom Loeffler, Senior Counsel, Akin Gump Hauer Strauss & Feld, LLP – Hans C. Rickhoff, Senior Policy Counsel, Akin Gump Hauer Strauss & Feld, LLP)

Successful Partnerships Between Project Developers & Regional Centers (Kraig A. Schwigen, Senior Vice President, CMB Regional Centers – William J. Stenger, President/CEO, Jay Peak Resort, Inc.)

Update on USCIS Policy & Case Processing (including Trends in I-829 RFEs/Denials in 2010-2011) (Robert C. Divine, Vice President, IIUSA; Head of Immigration Practice, Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC – Stephen W. Yale-Loehr, President Emeritus, IIUSA; Of Counsel, Miller Mayer, LLP; Professor (Immigration Law), Cornell University)

EB-5 & Securities Laws: Broker/Dealer Business Model, Due Diligence & Layers of Regulation (Guest of Honor & Keynote Speaker: Diana J. Foley, Securities Administrator, State of Nevada) (Panel: Frank Franiak, President/CEO, Woodfield Fund Administration – Mike Xenick, President, InvestAmerica Capital Advisors)

Understanding the Exit/Entry Industry in China (Kelvin Ma, Chair, IIUSA International Committee; Partner, Demei Law Firm – Larry L. Wang, President, Welltrend United, Inc.)

Regional Center Related Litigation: Strategies & First Hand Experience (Taher Kameli, President/CEO, Chicagoland Foreign Investment Group (CFIG))

USCIS EB5 Training & Guidance for Adjudicators: What’s Really New & What’s Left Undone (David Hirson, Partner, Fragomen Global Immigration Law – Suzanne Lazicki, Lucid Professional Writing)

EB-5 Regional Center Terminations to Date: An Analysis & Look Ahead (Robert F. Loughran, Partner, Foster Quan, LLP – Dawn M. Lurie, Partner, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, LLP)

To Escrow or Not to Escrow…That is the Question (Ishween Sethi, Vice President (Agency & Trust), Citigroup – Reid Thomas, Executive VP Worldwide Sales & Marketing, NES Financial)

EB-5 as Part of the Capital Stack: Combining EB-5 Capital with Other Development Finance Programs (Katie Kramer, Director (Education & Programs) Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) – Mariza McKee, Associate, Kutak Rock, LLP – Stephen Strnisha, CEO, Cleveland International Fund (CiF))

“Tenant Occupancy” and “Visitor Spending” Economic Impact Models (Tenant Occupancy: Angelique Brunner, President, EB5 Capital – Cletus M. Weber, Partner/Founder, Peng & Weber – Paul E. Sommers, Ph.D, Professor of Economics, Seattle University) (Visitor Spending: Catherine D. Holmes, Partner, Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell, LLP – Eric B. Jacobs, Chief Development Office, Marriott International – Suzanne R. Mellen, Senior Managing Director, HVS)

Global Competition for Immigrant Investors: What is EB-5 Competing with in the Global Marketplace? (Marc Audet, Vice President, Desjardins Trust, Inc. – Daniel Perron, Managing Partner, Henley & Partner Canada, Ltd.)

…more speakers, guests of honor to be announced.

CLICK HERE TO BUY A TICKET TODAY!

SPONSORS:

PLATINUM

GOLD

SILVER

BRONZE

The post NOW is the Time to Make Your Plans to Join IIUSA, and 300+ Industry Stakeholders, in Las Vegas this June (6/19-21)! appeared first on IIUSA | Blog.

To support this vision, IIUSA will be undertaking a trade mission to China and Japan over the next couple of weeks. During the trip, IIUSA officials will meet with Exit/Entry associations in Beijing and Guangzhou and co-host events aimed at educating the Chinese market on the latest updates on the Securities and Exchange Commission vs. A Chicago Convention Center, et. al. case including IIUSA’s related work (i.e., our amicus brief to the Court).  In Guangzhou, the American Chamber of Commerce in South China will also be a co-host.  IIUSA officials will also meet with AmCham South China President, Harley Seyedin, and the U.S Commercial Service.  Mr. Seyedin (who was recently awarded the Peace Through Commerce Medal, the highest civilian honor awarded by the U.S. Department of Commerce) and a U.S. Commercial Service Officer will also speak at the IIUSA event in Guangzhou.

During the trade mission, IIUSA will talk about the importance of personal due diligence before investing, update the market on the latest USCIS policy changes, and discuss prospects of comprehensive immigration reform in Congress.  IIUSA will also update the market on the inroads made setting up a communications infrastructure in China – including a Weibo account, a microblogging service equivalent to Twitter in the U.S.  In addition, IIUSA will extend an invitation to attend industry gatherings later this year, including IIUSA’s 3rd Annual Conference in Las Vegas (6/19-6/21) and the 17th Annual China International Fair for Trade & Investment (CIFIT) (9/6-9/10) in Xiamen, China.

IIUSA continues to finalize plans for CIFIT, so make sure to REGISTER TODAY before prices go up!

In Japan, IIUSA will be taking part in a three day roadshow with the U.S. Commercial Service promoting U.S investment opportunities, including the EB-5 Program, to Japanese businesspeople.  IIUSA officials will  travel to Tokyo on 5/22, Nagoya on 5/23, and Osaka on 5/24 to present on the EB-5 Program.  Introducing the EB-5 Program to countries that are under-performing in terms of EB-5 investor demand is an important part of IIUSA’s efforts to diversify the investor marketplace – so members can be more efficient in their marketing activities by interacting with a more educated marketplace.  Japan has utilized 182 EB-5 visas since 2006, averaging 26 per year with a range of 6 (2010) to 84 (2009).  In 2012, Japan used 22 visas.

IIUSA is looking forward to working closely with our partners overseas to educate the industry on the Program.  Stay tuned for a full report at the end of May.

The post IIUSA’s Trade Mission to China & Japan this Week appeared first on IIUSA | Blog.

This amendment, coupled with actions already underway at the new USCIS EB-5 Program Office in Washington, DC (which just opened this past Monday 5/6) instill hope towards alleviating the I-526 backlog at USCIS.  These provisions which are already being put into place in USCIS include hiring economists as adjudicators rather than immigration officers as had previously filled those positions, as well as designating “case agents’ who will be assigned certain clients to interact with Regional Centers via email or telephone to work through issues in order to minimize the need to issue requests for evidence (RFEs).  USCIS is also working on transitioning EB-5 petitions to its electronic filing system (ELIS) this summer, starting with I-526 petitions on a pilot, non-mandatory basis.

Permanent authorization of the Program, maximizing visa capacity, and addressing USCIS processing issues are the three priorities in IIUSA’s currently approved advocacy platform.  The Leahy amendment would address these issues, and give the Program the certainty it needs to maximize its economic contribution to the U.S.

Feedback from membership regarding the Leahy amendment is most welcome!  Email info@iiusa.org with any comments on the proposed amendment.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW A COPY OF THE LEAHY AMENDMENT FOR PERMANENT AUTHORIZATION OF THE EB-5 PROGRAM

The post Senator Leahy Pushes for Permanent Authorization of the EB-5 Program in Senate Comprehensive Immigration Reform Effort appeared first on IIUSA | Blog.

Space is limited…become a CIFIT Delegate and Exhibitor TODAY!

***********************************************

The delegation will be lead by Harley Seyedin, President, American Chamber of Commerce – South China and K. David Andersson, President, Association to Invest In the USA (IIUSA).

September 6-10, 2013 - Xiamen, China – also known as the “Paris of the Orient”

***********************************************

Early Bird Member Rate (thru 6/21) Exhibitor: $3,850 - Sponsor/Exhibitor: $8,500

INCLUDED IN PRICE: Attendance to CIFIT for 4 people – Exhibit booth (3 x 3 meters) pre-decorated w/ logo – Student Translator

NOT INCLUDED IN PRICE: Flights and other lodging/travel plans and costs, including making hotel reservations:

AmCham/IIUSA Delegation Group Hotel Rate (RESERVE BY 6/25):

Westin Xiamen

(Superior Room RMB1,110/night for 3 night 9/6-9 or 4 night 9/6-10 package – includes breakfast)

Contact: Jojo Li, Sales Manager (T: 86 592-337-8888 Email: jojo.li@westin.com)

No. 398 Xian Yue Road, Siming District, Xiamen City, Fujian, China

***********************************************

AVAILABLE FOR ADDITIONAL COST: Larger exhibit space – Unique Booth Deocration – Professional Translator

***********************************************

PARTICIPATION DETAILS

All IIUSA member exhibitors will be part of the U.S. Pavilion, which will be one part IIUSA members, one part AmCham South China members; and conveniently located next to a pavilion of Chinese companies considering investment in the U.S.  IIUSA members attendees will be invited to the AmCham South China Annual Cocktail Hour and Dinner on 09/08 which is attended by senior executives, ambassadors, government officials, and Fair attendees seeking investment abroad.  Furthermore, IIUSA will be hosting an EB-5 seminar on 9/9 for any and all interested Fair attendees.

IIUSA and AmCham South China will arrange all needed Fair registrations, security passes and invitations to all applicable events for IIUSA member exhibitors including banquets, opening ceremony, and other exclusive meetings – including the AmCham South China hosted, half-day US-China Investment Seminar and IIUSA EB-5 Seminar.  Furthermore, IIUSA and AmCham South China will arrange all local transportation from hotel to the various venues.

LIMITED SPACE IS AVAILABLE – REGISTER TODAY!

Full trip itinerary and more CIFIT details available here too.

***********************************************

The post IIUSA/AmCham South China US Delegation to the 17th Annual China International Fair for Trade & Investment (CIFIT) (9/6-10) appeared first on IIUSA | Blog.

“IIUSA has a special forum planned for this year,” said Peter D. Joseph, IIUSA Executive Director. “As the largest annual gathering of the international EB-5 Regional Center industry every year, in the midst of a record breaking year of capital formation and job creation, we are taking our responsibility to deliver a comprehensive program featuring talented speakers to new heights – and it is reflected in our growing list of confirmed panelists, keynote speakers and guests of honor.”

CLICK HERE TO BUY A TICKET TODAY!

A detailed tentative agenda is now available for viewing, putting the dynamic confirmed speakers/panel topics into schedule format so you can plan ahead!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SCHEDULE AT-A-GLANCE

IIUSA Commissioned EB-5 Regional Center Program Economic Impact Assessment/Forecast (Minnesota IMPLAN Group (MiG), Inc.)

Updated IIUSA EB-5 Regional Center Industry Best Practices (K. David Andersson, President, IIUSA; President, Whatcom Opportunities Regional Center -Daniel J. Healy, Director, IIUSA; Managing Director, Civitas Capital Management – Michael G. Homeier, Founding Partner, Homeier & Law, P.C. – H. Ronald Klasko, Chair, IIUSA Best Practices Committee; Partner, Klasko Rulon Stock & Seltzer, LLP)

EB-5 Regional Center Advocacy: Comprehensive Immigration Reform Update & Details on other Available Advocacy Channels (IIUSA Government Affairs Team:Russell Cartwright, President, Cartwright & Riley, Inc. – Tom Loeffler, Senior Counsel, Akin Gump Hauer Strauss & Feld, LLP – Hans C. Rickhoff, Senior Policy Counsel, Akin Gump Hauer Strauss & Feld, LLP)

Successful Partnerships Between Project Developers & Regional Centers (Kraig A. Schwigen, Senior Vice President, CMB Regional Centers – William J. Stenger, President/CEO, Jay Peak Resort, Inc.)

Update on USCIS Policy & Case Processing (including Trends in I-829 RFEs/Denials in 2010-2011) (Robert C. Divine, Vice President, IIUSA; Head of Immigration Practice, Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC – Stephen W. Yale-Loehr, President Emeritus, IIUSA; Of Counsel, Miller Mayer, LLP; Professor (Immigration Law), Cornell University)

EB-5 & Securities Laws: Broker/Dealer Business Model, Due Diligence & Layers of Regulation (Guest of Honor & Keynote Speaker: Diana J. Foley, Securities Administrator, State of Nevada) (Panel: Frank Franiak, President/CEO, Woodfield Fund Administration – Mike Xenick, President, InvestAmerica Capital Advisors)

Understanding the Exit/Entry Industry in China (Kelvin Ma, Chair, IIUSA International Committee; Partner, Demei Law Firm – Larry L. Wang, President, Welltrend United, Inc.)

Regional Center Related Litigation: Strategies & First Hand Experience (Taher Kameli, President/CEO, Chicagoland Foreign Investment Group (CFIG))

USCIS EB5 Training & Guidance for Adjudicators: What’s Really New & What’s Left Undone (David Hirson, Partner, Fragomen Global Immigration Law – Suzanne Lazicki, Lucid Professional Writing)

EB-5 Regional Center Terminations to Date: An Analysis & Look Ahead (Robert F. Loughran, Partner, Foster Quan, LLP – Dawn M. Lurie, Partner, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, LLP)

To Escrow or Not to Escrow…That is the Question (Ishween Sethi, Vice President (Agency & Trust), Citigroup – Reid Thomas, Executive VP Worldwide Sales & Marketing, NES Financial)

EB-5 as Part of the Capital Stack: Combining EB-5 Capital with Other Development Finance Programs (Katie Kramer, Director (Education & Programs) Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) – Mariza McKee, Associate, Kutak Rock, LLP – Stephen Strnisha, CEO, Cleveland International Fund (CiF))

“Tenant Occupancy” and “Visitor Spending” Economic Impact Models (Tenant Occupancy: Angelique Brunner, President, EB5 Capital – Cletus M. Weber, Partner/Founder, Peng & Weber – Paul E. Sommers, Ph.D, Professor of Economics, Seattle University) (Visitor Spending: Catherine D. Holmes, Partner, Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell, LLP – Eric B. Jacobs, Chief Development Office, Marriott International – Suzanne R. Mellen, Senior Managing Director, HVS)

Global Competition for Immigrant Investors: What is EB-5 Competing with in the Global Marketplace? (Marc Audet, Vice President, Desjardins Trust, Inc. – Daniel Perron, Managing Partner, Henley & Partner Canada, Ltd.)

…more speakers, guests of honor to be announced.

CLICK HERE TO BUY A TICKET TODAY!

SPONSORS:

PLATINUM

GOLD

SILVER

BRONZE

The post NOW is the Time to Make Your Plans to Join IIUSA, and 300+ Industry Stakeholders, in Las Vegas this June (6/19-21)! appeared first on IIUSA | Blog.

The highlight of the AILA Conference was a keynote address by USCIS Special Counsel to the Director, Robert Silvers, who reported the following:

• The new EB-5 Program Office in Washington, DC will officially open its doors this Monday (5/6) in the USCIS DC headquarters;
• Daniel Renaud is currently serving in the role of Acting Chief of the office, and Robert Cox Deputy Chief, respectively;
• The adjudicators to be hired to staff up this new office will be economists (as opposed to immigration officers);
• Eventually, the new office will have “case agents” who will be assigned certain clients to interact with Regional Centers via email or telephone to work through issues and minimize the need to issue requests for evidence (RFEs);
• USCIS will transition EB-5 petitions to its electronic filing system (ELIS) this summer, starting with I-526 petitions on a pilot and non-mandatory basis.  USCIS is also working on developing an electronic repository for project documents that could be linked to individual 526/829 petitions and become far more efficient along the way; and,
• USCIS is currently reviewing the comments received from industry stakeholders on the EB-5 adjudications memo and CIS Ombudsman EB-5 meeting.

From these announcements, it is clear that USCIS is working hard to improve its administration of the EB-5 Program – with a significant number of initiatives underway.  IIUSA supports these initiatives, however while these changes are underway – a backlog of 7,000+ petitions is sitting at USCIS, representing $3.5+ billions in foreign direct investment and 70,000+ American jobs (all at no cost to the American taxpayer).  Without addressing that fundamental issue, confidence in the Program is wavering from foreign investors and project developers alike.

The post IIUSA Leadership Convenes 5/1 at AILA “Show Me the Jobs” Conference in Miami Where USCIS Provides Updates appeared first on IIUSA | Blog.

The new court filings follow an IIUSA supported court order to unfreeze the affected funds and instruct the escrow agent to begin returning the principal funds to the investors.  IIUSA quickly sent a letter to the Beijing Exit/Entry Service Association informing them of the return of the funds directly to the investors, stating: “This welcome news demonstrates that U.S. securities laws protect investors from fraud and breach of contract – efficiently making investors as financially whole as possible, while respecting individual choice, by returning the frozen funds directly to investors.”  The news was welcomed by IIUSA industry counterparts in China, and quick posted by the Beijing Exit/Entry Service Association to its website.

IIUSA will continue to monitor this case closely and keep the industry updated accordingly.  Stay tuned for more.

CLICK HERE TO READ A LETTER SENT BY IIUSA TO BEIJING EXIT/ENTRY ASSOCIATION ABOUT THE UNFROZEN FUNDS

The post SEC vs. Chicago Convention Center: More Court Filings this Week; News of Unfrozen Funds Welcomed in China appeared first on IIUSA | Blog.