EB-5 Visa Bulletin Insights 2025 – Part 2
Amid headlines about the new “Gold Card” and “Platinum Card,” one truth stands firm: the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program remains the only proven, legislated, and job-creating pathway to U.S. permanent residency.
In Part 2 of CanAm’s EB-5 Visa Bulletin Insights 2025 series, Pete Calabrese, Joey Barnett, and Charlie Oppenheim revisit the foundation that has made EB-5 a cornerstone of U.S. immigration and economic development for more than three decades — and explain why experienced Regional Centers like CanAm Enterprises continue to deliver both results and protection for investors.
A Program Built on Bipartisan Stability
Few U.S. immigration programs can claim EB-5’s history of longevity and bipartisan support. Created in 1990 and expanded through the EB-5 Regional Center Program in 1992, it has since been renewed and reauthorized dozens of times by Congress — most recently extended through September 30, 2027, under the Reform and Integrity Act (RIA) of 2022.
As Barnett put it during the discussion, “EB-5 is a bipartisan immigration success story. It’s created hundreds of thousands of jobs and attracted billions of dollars in investment into the United States.”
That long-term track record stands in sharp contrast to experimental ideas like the Gold Card, which exist only through executive order. EB-5’s strength lies in its legislative foundation, defined eligibility requirements, and transparent job-creation metrics — all designed to protect investors while fueling real economic activity.
Real Jobs. Real Investments. Real Results.
Every EB-5 investor’s immigration benefit is directly tied to job creation. To qualify for permanent residency, each investment must generate at least ten full-time U.S. jobs.
That requirement makes EB-5 unique: it’s not a donation or a handout, but a partnership between global investors and the American economy. The capital finances infrastructure, housing, energy, and community development projects that might otherwise go unfunded—while investors earn the opportunity to build their families’ futures in the U.S.
Calabrese underscored that point:
“When structured right, experienced Regional Centers like CanAm achieve immigration benefits consistently and predictably. That predictability matters when you’re making one of the most important financial and personal decisions of your life.”
Why Experience and Compliance Matter
The EB-5 program’s integrity has been strengthened dramatically since passage of the RIA, which introduced independent fund administration, annual audits, stricter project oversight, and heightened background checks for all Regional Center operators.
For investors, these safeguards mean greater transparency and accountability. But they also mean that not all EB-5 opportunities are created equal.
Seasoned Regional Centers — particularly those with a long repayment track record — know how to structure projects that satisfy both immigration and financial requirements. That’s where CanAm’s experience stands apart:
- $2.5+ billion in EB-5 capital repaid to more than 5,000 investor families.
- Decades of job-creation verification success across diverse asset classes.
- A fully audited, compliant infrastructure that meets or exceeds RIA standards.
As Barnett noted, “Working with regional centers like CanAm that have experience putting deals together and ensuring the job creation occurs is key. That’s how people achieve their immigration benefits.”
Tested vs. Untested: Why EB-5 Still Wins
By comparison, the proposed Gold Card model leaves crucial legal and practical questions unanswered — from priority-date assignment to derivative eligibility, refundability, and visa-number allocation under EB-1 or EB-2.
Oppenheim warned that “if Gold Card numbers are charged against the EB-1 and EB-2 categories, applicants from China and India could face the same long waits they already do today — there’s really no benefit to them.”
EB-5 investors, on the other hand, benefit from clear visa categories, predictable processing frameworks, and, under the RIA, reserved visa set-asides for rural, high-unemployment, and infrastructure investments — each designed to ensure smoother, faster access to green cards.
The Takeaway: Confidence Through Proven Structure
Immigration by investment requires trust — in the law, in the process, and in the people managing your capital.
That’s why the stability of EB-5 matters more than ever. It’s built on legislation, tested by time, and continually refined through reforms that protect investors and uphold the program’s integrity.
“At a time when new programs raise more questions than answers,” Calabrese concluded, “EB-5 remains the clear, legislated path — one that delivers real economic benefit and real opportunity.”
Coming Next in the Series
Part 3 – The October 2025 Visa Bulletin Explained:
We’ll break down Charlie Oppenheim’s analysis of retrogression and recovery in EB-5’s unreserved categories — what the latest Visa Bulletin reveals, and what to expect in Fiscal Year 2026.
