The EB-5 immigrant visa investor program has been used as an alternative source of funding for many real estate developers. EB-5 investors have typically preferred real estate related projects, and EB-5 capital has been used to fund high-profile projects by major brand-name developers and chains because it is most often less expensive than other sources. EB-5 capital can be used as any typical source capital: equity, unsecured mezzanine debt, or secured, senior debt.
While differing in structure—both from an immigration and financial standpoint—the E-2 visa program can ...