Industry Leaders Assemble Virtually to Discuss the Future of the EB-5 Industry
NEW YORK, NY – CanAm Enterprises (CanAm), a leading full-service financial firm sponsoring EB-5 immigration-linked investment funds, is pleased to announce that its Chief Operating Officer, Christine Chen, will be one of the panelists at the 2021 IIUSA Virtual EB-5 Industry Forum. Ms. Chen will be participating in the discussion on Policy Manual Updates and Other Issues Impacting Redeployment on Thursday, November 11.
“I am honored to join such an esteemed group of EB-5 industry experts in discussing the most recent redeployment policy guidance from USCIS, and how that impacts the ways regional center operators, immigration attorneys, and EB-5 investors consider best meeting redeployment requirements,” said Ms. Chen. “At CanAm, our redeployment strategy follows a prudent approach that includes working with high quality sponsors and applying disciplined and conservative underwriting standards to identify projects that offer potentially attractive risk-adjusted returns to our investors while their immigration petitions are pending adjudication.”
In 2020 alone, despite the impact from COVID, CanAm repaid five EB-5 project loans in full and on time totaling $450 million. The 2020 repayments included the single largest EB-5 repayment for the industry, with $350 million from the All Aboard Florida project, a key financing piece in the development of the high-speed passenger rail system in Florida. Of that capital, $223.5 million has since been redeployed in a real estate portfolio consisting of a mix of mezzanine loans and preferred equity investments in high-quality properties across the industrial, multifamily, senior housing, student housing and mixed-use asset classes.
Ms. Chen joined CanAm in 2002 and has helped shape the firm’s strategic initiatives and operational efficiencies. In her current role, she oversees several distinct EB-5 business functions and management of over 40 staff members worldwide. Under her leadership, CanAm’s EB-5 project repayments exceeded $2 billion, an important milestone.
