EB-5 Visa Investment Guide
By Ivan & Mike Team | Miami Ultra-Luxury Real Estate Advisors
The Vision Behind the Investment
There is a moment many global investors recognize, sometimes quietly, sometimes urgently, when the desire for stability, freedom, and long-term wealth preservation converges into a single decision: the United States. Not just as a market to watch from a distance, but as a place to root your family, your assets, and your legacy.
For high-net-worth individuals across Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and beyond, the path to U.S. permanent residency through strategic investment is not just a financial transaction. It is a generational move. And Miami, with its global connectivity, tax advantages, and world-class real estate market, sits at the center of that decision.
This guide is a private advisory briefing for investors who want to understand the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, how it connects to real estate strategy in South Florida, and how to approach it with the sophistication it deserves.
What Is the EB-5 Visa Program?
The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program was established by the U.S. Congress in 1990 to stimulate the American economy through foreign capital and job creation. In exchange for a qualifying investment in a U.S. commercial enterprise that generates employment, foreign nationals and their immediate families receive a path to U.S. permanent residency, also known as the Green Card.
The program was significantly reformed under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA), which introduced stricter oversight, new visa set-asides for priority geographic categories, and fraud prevention measures. As of 2025, the program is authorized through September 30, 2027, and remains one of the most reliable, legally grounded pathways to U.S. residency for qualifying investors.
According to USCIS EB-5 program guidelines, the program requires an at-risk capital investment, verifiable lawful source of funds, and documented job creation as the pillars of eligibility.
Key Benefits of the EB-5 Visa
The EB-5 program offers a uniquely comprehensive set of advantages that few other immigration pathways can match:
- Permanent U.S. residency for the entire family. A single qualifying investment covers the investor, their spouse, and all unmarried children under the age of 21, granting each family member a conditional Green Card.
- No employer or geographic restrictions. Unlike employment-based visas, EB-5 Green Card holders can live, work, and study anywhere in the United States without being tied to a specific employer, region, or industry.
- Access to world-class education at domestic rates. Green Card holders are classified as domestic students, qualifying for in-state tuition, federal financial aid, and scholarships at U.S. universities. Studies indicate that U.S. residency can improve university admission chances by as much as 350%.
- Pathway to U.S. citizenship. After five years of permanent residency, investors and their families may apply for full U.S. citizenship, including the right to vote and access to a U.S. passport with broad global mobility.
- Business flexibility. Green Card holders can start businesses, pursue any career, or operate as passive investors. There is no obligation to remain in the business that funded the visa.
No current visa backlogs for TEA-based applications. Under the RIA, visa set-asides for rural areas and high-unemployment zones currently carry no backlogs, regardless of an investor’s country of origin, meaning faster processing for properly structured investments.
Investment Requirements: Understanding the Numbers
Eligibility for the EB-5 program in 2025 hinges on three core financial requirements:
Minimum Investment Thresholds
- $800,000 for projects located in a Targeted Employment Area (TEA), defined as rural zones or areas with high unemployment rates.
- $1,050,000 for investments in non-TEA projects in established urban or commercial areas.
These thresholds were established by the RIA and will be subject to an inflation adjustment on January 1, 2027, the first such increase in five years. Based on Consumer Price Index projections, the TEA threshold could rise to approximately $896,000–$944,000, and the non-TEA minimum to roughly $1,176,000–$1,239,000. Investors who file before December 31, 2026 can lock in current thresholds, making 2025 and 2026 a critical strategic window.
Job Creation Requirement
Each investor must demonstrate the creation of at least 10 full-time jobs for qualified U.S. workers within two years of receiving conditional residency. For investments made through USCIS-approved Regional Centers, up to 90% of those jobs may be indirect or induced, calculated through economic modeling. This significantly broadens what qualifies as job creation and is one of the primary reasons Regional Center investments remain popular.
Source of Funds Documentation
All investment capital must be demonstrably lawful in origin. USCIS conducts thorough documentation reviews of the full paper trail. Incomplete or inconsistent source-of-funds documentation is one of the most common reasons for delays or denials.
How Real Estate Fits into EB-5 Strategy
Real estate is the backbone of the EB-5 ecosystem. The majority of USCIS-approved Regional Center projects are real estate developments, including luxury residential towers, mixed-use developments, hospitality projects, and infrastructure-adjacent construction.
Here is why real estate is the dominant vehicle for EB-5 capital deployment:
Tangible asset security. Unlike equity investments in early-stage businesses, real estate provides a physical, collateralizable asset. Investors can evaluate the developer’s track record, review the capital stack, and assess market fundamentals, all translatable into a risk framework they understand.
Job creation alignment. Real estate development is labor-intensive by nature. Construction projects naturally generate substantial direct and indirect employment, making it easier for project sponsors to meet and exceed the 10-job-per-investor threshold through approved economic models.
Liquidity potential and capital return. Unlike the Gold Card program, which requires a non-refundable donation to the U.S. government, EB-5 investments are structured loans to project developers. Once the project is completed and immigration conditions are satisfied, the investor’s principal is expected to be returned, depending on the project’s financial structure.
Dual-purpose strategy. Investors who deploy EB-5 capital into real estate projects in a city like Miami can simultaneously build a property portfolio in one of the world’s most dynamic markets. EB-5 financing typically accounts for 20 to 30 percent of a project’s capital stack, replacing preferred equity and positioning the investor advantageously within the project’s financial hierarchy.
For investors seeking to explore luxury investment-grade properties in South Florida, aligning EB-5 strategy with premium real estate markets creates a compound advantage: immigration security plus long-term asset appreciation.
Why Miami Is a Strategic Market for EB-5 Investors
Miami does not simply qualify as a market for EB-5 investment. It is arguably the most strategically compelling city in the United States for international investors pursuing both residency and real estate returns.
International Demand at Record Levels
In 2025, international buyers purchased $4.4 billion in residential real estate in South Florida, marking a 42% year-over-year increase and confirming Miami’s position as the top U.S. destination for foreign homebuyers. International buyers now account for approximately 15% of all home sales in Miami, nearly seven times the national average.
Latin American buyers, led by investors from Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, and Mexico, account for over 45% of international transactions in the first quarter of 2025, with growing flows from Peru, Chile, and Ecuador. This concentration of like-minded, culturally aligned investors creates a self-reinforcing market dynamic that insulates Miami luxury real estate from domestic volatility.[^23]
Consistent Long-Term Appreciation
According to Miami Association of Realtors data, Miami-Dade condo prices have appreciated 103.3% over the past decade, rising from a median of $209,000 in May 2015 to $425,000 in May 2025. Over the 33-year period from 1992 to 2025, the Federal Housing Finance Agency reports an average annual appreciation rate of 7.2% for Miami-Dade residential real estate, with cumulative appreciation since 2005 reaching 174.9%.
For an investor committing capital to an EB-5 project in Miami, these numbers reflect not just past performance but a structural demand story: finite waterfront land, no new major coastal supply, and an ever-expanding pool of global capital seeking U.S. assets.
Commercial Real Estate Rankings
CBRE’s 2025 U.S. Investor Intentions Survey ranked Miami as the 2nd most attractive market for commercial real estate investment in the United States for the second consecutive year. Among surveyed investors, 70% planned to acquire more assets in 2025, driven by favorable pricing and improving real estate fundamentals.
Unrivaled Tax Advantages
Florida imposes no state income tax, no estate tax, and no inheritance tax. For a high-net-worth investor relocating from a jurisdiction with significant tax burdens, Florida residency alone can represent savings of $100,000 to $500,000 or more annually compared to high-tax states like California or New York. Miami also hosts several Qualified Opportunity Zones, which can eliminate capital gains taxes on qualifying investments held for ten or more years.
Gateway City Status
Miami is the Americas’ most connected city, functioning simultaneously as a financial hub, a trade corridor, and a cultural bridge between North America, Latin America, and Europe. For global investors, this is not merely lifestyle appeal. It is strategic positioning. Business deals, family travel, and professional networks all flow more fluidly from a Miami base than from virtually any other U.S. city.
Ivan & Mike as Strategic Advisors for EB-5 Investors
Understanding the EB-5 program as a legal framework is straightforward. Executing it strategically, identifying the right project, structuring the investment to align with both immigration and wealth goals, and deploying that capital into a market you can trust, requires a different kind of partnership.
Ivan & Mike Team are Miami’s premier ultra-luxury real estate advisors, with over $2 billion in sales and direct developer relationships across South Florida’s most prestigious markets. Ranked as the #1 New Construction Team in Miami and within the top 1% of brokers in the ultra-wealth network, Ivan Chorney and Michael Martirena have built their practice on one principle: sophisticated investors deserve sophisticated advisors.
Their client base includes UHNWIs, CEOs, professional athletes, and family offices, with over 40% of their clients being international buyers who bring cross-border complexity to every transaction. This is precisely the profile of an EB-5 investor: someone who is not simply buying property but deploying capital as part of a broader wealth and residency strategy.
Ivan & Mike’s advisory role in the EB-5 space is distinct from that of an immigration attorney. They are not here to file your petitions. They are here to ensure that when your immigration team approves your path forward, your real estate strategy is already optimized. That means:
- Identifying EB-5-compatible projects in Miami that align with your investment profile, risk tolerance, and timeline
- Connecting you with pre-construction opportunities in TEA-designated zones where lower investment thresholds and no visa backlogs create optimal conditions
- Coordinating with your family office, tax advisors, and immigration counsel to ensure every component of your strategy is aligned
- Providing access to off-market and exclusive developments that are unavailable through standard channels
When you contact Ivan & Mike for a private advisory consultation, you are engaging advisors who have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Real Deal, Forbes, and Mansion Global, and who treat every client relationship with the discretion and precision that significant capital decisions demand.
The Investor Profile: Who This Strategy Is Designed For
The EB-5 program, particularly when deployed through Miami real estate, is most powerful for investors in specific situations:
Latin American families seeking U.S. stability
Political and economic volatility in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, and Mexico continues to drive demand for secure residency in the United States. Miami is already home, culturally and professionally, to millions of Latin American families, making it the natural destination for EB-5 capital.
Entrepreneurs and business owners
Unlike employment-based visas, EB-5 places no restrictions on business activities. An investor who obtains a Green Card through EB-5 can simultaneously operate businesses, hold board positions, or retire with full freedom.
Families prioritizing education
Parents seeking elite university access for their children recognize that Green Card status removes the international student designation, opening in-state tuition, financial aid eligibility, and dramatically improved admission prospects at institutions from Harvard to the University of Florida.
Global investors diversifying into U.S. assets
For investors already managing multi-jurisdictional portfolios, Miami real estate represents a dollar-denominated, appreciating, tangible asset class with structural long-term demand. EB-5 provides the immigration access that makes active management of those assets possible.
Why Work With Ivan & Mike
The EB-5 journey involves attorneys, regional centers, developers, financial advisors, and family offices, all operating in parallel. What it requires at the center is a strategic real estate partner who understands both the market and the investor.
Ivan & Mike operate at the intersection of those two worlds. Their multilingual practice, with expertise serving Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and internationally mobile clients, ensures that nothing is lost in translation, literally or strategically. Their direct relationships with Miami’s top developers provide access to pre-construction opportunities, TEA-eligible projects, and off-market investments that are unavailable through standard channels.
When global investors ask where EB-5 capital in Miami is best deployed, the answer begins with understanding the market at a level that only comes from being inside it every day. That is the Ivan & Mike advantage.
Explore current investment opportunities in Miami’s luxury market or connect with the Ivan & Mike team directly for a private, no-obligation advisory conversation.
Begin Your U.S. Residency Strategy
The window to act at current investment thresholds, with no visa backlogs for TEA-based applications, and with the full legal protections of the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act, is open. But it will not remain open indefinitely.
The most consequential investment decisions are rarely made in a rush. They are made with the right information, the right partners, and a clear understanding of what is at stake. If you are a serious investor exploring U.S. residency through real estate, this is the conversation worth having.
Schedule a private advisory consultation with Ivan & Mike and take the first step toward building your U.S. presence with precision, discretion, and the strategic depth your capital deserves.
About Ivan & Mike
Ivan Chorney and Michael Martirena are the founders of The Ivan & Mike Team at Compass Florida, one of the most distinguished luxury real estate teams in the United States. With more than $2 billion in closed transactions, they are recognized among the Top 10 Medium Teams in the U.S. by RealTrends and #1 in New Construction Sales in Miami.
Ivan & Mike are celebrated for their deep market intelligence, developer partnerships, and discreet, relationship-driven approach. Their clients include UHNWIs, CEOs, athletes, and global investors seeking strategic acquisitions across South Florida.
Their mission is simple:
“We connect extraordinary people with extraordinary properties, delivering not just a transaction—but a lifestyle.”
Their insights have been featured in The Real Deal, Forbes México, Mansion Global, Inman, and The Wall Street Journal, positioning them as architects of Miami’s luxury lifestyle.
📍 Based in Coconut Grove, Miami, FL 📞 (305) 907-7948 📧 ivan.chorney@compass.com** | **mike.martirena@compass.com 🌐 www.ivanandmike.com
What is the minimum investment required for an EB-5 visa in 2025?
The current minimum is $800,000 for projects located in a Targeted Employment Area (TEA), which includes rural zones and areas with high unemployment. For investments in non-TEA areas, the minimum is $1,050,000. These thresholds are scheduled for an inflation-based adjustment on January 1, 2027, making 2025 and 2026 a strategic window for filing at current levels.
Can real estate investments qualify for the EB-5 program?
Yes. Real estate development projects are among the most common and USCIS-approved vehicles for EB-5 investment, particularly through Regional Centers. Projects in cities like Miami that involve residential towers, mixed-use developments, or hospitality assets have a long track record of successful EB-5 completions and investor exits. The key is selecting projects with verifiable job creation structures and reputable developers.
How long does it take to receive a Green Card through the EB-5 program?
The timeline varies depending on the project type and the investor’s country of origin. TEA-based Rural projects processed through USCIS-approved Regional Centers have recently seen I-526E approvals in as little as five months. From petition filing to conditional Green Card issuance typically takes between one and three years when including consular processing. The full process, from initial investment to unconditional permanent residency, typically spans four to six years.
Does the EB-5 investment cover my spouse and children?
Yes. One qualifying EB-5 investment covers the investor, their spouse, and all unmarried children under the age of 21. Each family member receives their own Green Card as part of the same petition, making EB-5 exceptionally cost-efficient on a per-person basis compared to other residency-by-investment programs.
How does the EB-5 Green Card compare to the Gold Card program?
The EB-5 offers a recoverable investment created by Congressional statute with clear regulations and no current visa backlogs for TEA projects, while the Gold Card requires a non‑refundable 1 million dollar donation per person, relies only on an executive order, is still subject to annual visa limits, and provides less legal certainty and capital recovery potential for investors.
