June was a busy month for IIUSA staff as they traveled the world promoting the EB-5 Program, sharing industry best practices and building policy consensus.
IIUSA Executive Director Peter D. Joseph presented at the Investment Migration Forum in Geneva, Switzerland as well as a Baruch College EB-5 Investments event in New York City. Other appearances included IIUSA staff exhibiting at the 2016 SelectUSA Conference in Washington, D.C. and the AILA Annual Conference on Immigration Law in Las Vegas, NV
Ahead of the September 30 “sunset” date for the EB-5 Program, IIUSA is delivering a message of self-regulation and consensus building to the industry and outside stakeholders and these four events offered the perfect platform to do so. As the legislative discussion surrounding the EB-5 Program builds over the coming months, IIUSA will continue to seek consensus amongst its members to engage in constructive policy discussions with lawmakers to secure a future for the Program.
Investment Migration Council (“IMC”): The Investment Migration Forum
June 6-8 | Geneva, Switzerland
IIUSA Executive Director Peter D. Joseph with Investment Migration Council CEO, Bruno L’Ecuyer
After formalizing a strategic partnership with IMC in March 2016, IIUSA was proud to partner with the IMC for its Inaugural Investment Migration Forum (the “Forum”). The event is the world’s largest independent forum on the subject of citizenship-by-investment and investor immigration. Renowned academics, government officials, representatives of international organizations, and leading professionals in immigrant investor and citizenship gathered in Geneva, Switzerland for the two and a half day event. The event covered a variety of topics with subjects of interest for the academic, professional and government community – with a particular focus on the future of migration-by-investment programs and need for global business standards, industry self-regulation, and transparency.
IIUSA Executive Director, Peter D. Joseph, spoke on the kickoff panel titled “Immigration Policy and Investment Migration,” which featured other distinguished academics and industry professionals from around the world (including Ron Klasko, IIUSA Member and Chair of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (“AILA”) EB-5 Committee). Mr. Joseph’s presentation emphasized the importance of migration-by-investment programs as tools for national economic development policy. He noted that these policies, which have come of age in the last decade, bring challenges to the global industry that can only be overcome through education, self-regulation, and transparency through study…Learn More
Steven L. Newman Real Estate Institute, Baruch College: EB-5 Investments: Unique Opportunities and Challenges
June 16 | New York, NY
IIUSA Executive Director, Peter D. Joseph, Mona Shah (Mona Shah & Associates), Ira Kurzban (Kurzban Kurzban Weinger Tetzeli and Pratt P.A.) Nima Korpivaara (David Hirson and Partners) and Former New York State Governor David Patterson participate on a panel “The Future of EB-5 & What we can Expect”
On Thursday, June 16, the Steven L. Newman Real Estate Institute at Baruch College, in conjunction with IIUSA Member Mona Shah & Associates, PLLC, hosted an EB-5 conference titled: EB-5 Investments: Unique Opportunities and Challenges. The one day event brought professionals from across the industry together to discuss the current state of the EB-5 program and opportunities it presents for developers and investors.
IIUSA Executive Director, Peter D. Joseph, participated in a panel along with IIUSA members, Mona Shah (Mona Shah & Associates), Ira Kurzban (Kurzban Kurzban Weinger Tetzeli and Pratt P.A.), Nima Korpivaara (David Hirson & Partners), and special guest, former New York State Governor, David Patterson. The panel, “The Future of EB-5 & What We Can Expect,” discussed the key issues facing the industry today and what it means going forward. Mr. Joseph’s remarks, from a perspective of a short time frame before EB-5 reauthorization deadline, focused on the imperative of finding industry consensus, constructively engaging with policymakers to address the major issues facing the industry today and self-regulation as a means of enhancing program integrity and effectiveness.
The event featured over 20 speakers from throughout the industry including additional IIUSA members, such as: Larry Wang (Welltrend), Reid Thomas (NES Financial), Kurt Ruess (EB5 Diligence), ), George Olsen (New York City Regional Center), Richard Marquard (The LCP Group), Julia Park (Advantage America Regional Centers), Brian Ostar (EB5 Capital), Dawn Lurie (Polsinelli), Clem Turner (Homeier & Law), Jinhee Wilde (Wilde & Associates), Kristal Ozmun (Miller Mayer, LLP), Matthew Virkstis, (Greenberg Traurig), Jeffery Grasso (Silverstein Properties), Mr. Boyi He (Guangdong Entry & Exit Immigration Association), Kaymar Amiri-Davani (EB5 Investors Magazine), Michael Schoenfeld (EB-5 Affiliate Network), among other key stakeholders.
The event, hosted at Baruch College where there is a course on EB-5, drew an international crowd of EB-5 regional centers, real estate developers, overseas real estate companies, migration agencies, educational organizations, law firms, wealth managers, students, brokers and more…Learn More
SelectUSA Investment Summit
June 19-21 | Washington, D.C.
IIUSA Associate Director of Marketing & Communications Allen Wolff (left) and IIUSA Advocacy Coordinator, Nicole Merlene (right) ready to talk EB-5 with foreign direct investment professionals from around the world at SelectUSA Summit
IIUSA was proud to exhibit at the SelectUSA summit for the third year in a row and promote the EB-5 Program to foreign direct investment professionals from around the globe. Housed in the U.S. Department of Commerce, SelectUSA’s mission is to promote and facilitate business investment into the United States and IIUSA was honored to be able to represent the EB-5 Program and present the industry as a tool for 21st century U.S. Economic development through foreign direct investment.
For the past three years the U.S. Commerce Department has hosted the SelectUSA Summit which brings together international companies, domestic economic development organizations (EDO’s) and other stakeholders to explore how foreign direct investment (FDI) can be utilized as a catalyst for economic growth and job creation in U.S. communities. This year’s event featured companies from over 70 international markets and welcomed over 2,500 attendees to the nation’s capital.
President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry headlined this year’s event, among other administration officials, promoting the U.S. as the premier destination for foreign direct investment. In his remarks, President Obama stated:
If you choose a place to expand your portfolio, to place your bets, to open up a plant, to start building the next great new business or service, you would select the USA — because nowhere in the world and never in history has there been a better place to grow your business.
Mr. Nicholas Colucci, Chief, Immigrant Investor Program Office (IPO), United States Citizenship and Immigration Services addressed the audience during a panel titled “Welcome to the United Sates! Visas and Beyond,” which featured practical information for international investors considering the best options for coming to the United States. Chief Colucci addressed the role USCIS plays in the review of applications as well as job creation and “at-risk” requirements of the EB-5 Program… Learn More
AILA Annual Conference on Immigration Law
June 22-25 | Las Vegas, Nevada
Each year, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Annual Conference offers unmatched continuing legal education learning opportunities, great networking events, and nearly 100 exhibitors featuring the latest tools, technologies, and services for the immigration attorneys industry. With over 170 substantive sessions in fundamentals, intermediate, advanced, and masters-level tracks, the 2016 AILA Annual Conference continued this strong tradition.
IIUSA members Bernard Wolfsdorf (Wolfsdorf Rosenthal LLP) and David Hirson (David Hirson & Partners) led a panel tilted “EB-5 Nuts and Bolts,” which discussed source of funds, evaluating Regional Center projects, visa backlog, child age-outs, country specific issues to consider, adjudication trends and legislative updates.
Joining the nearly 100 exhibitors were IIUSA members American Life Inc, CanAm Enterprises, Civitas Capital Group, CMB Regional Centers, EB5 Global Inc, Go EB5 Regional Center LLC, Golden Gate Golden, Joorney Business Plans, Mount Snow, NES Financial, Related and Wright Johnson.
In addition, IIUSA member CanAm Enterprises, LLC hosted a luncheon on the future of the EB-5 Program which included as speakers IIUSA members Dawn Lurie (Polsinelli), Enrique Gonzalez (Fragomen Del Rey Bernsen & Loewy LLP) Stephen Yale-Loehr (Miller Mayer), Ira Kurzban (Kurzban Kurzban Weinger, Tetzeli and Pratt P.A.) and Tom Rosenfeld (CanAm Enterprises, LLC)…Learn More
