EB-5: The Immigration Program That Builds America From the Outside In

EB-5 Investor Program

More Than a Visa. It's an Economic Engine.

Most people hear "immigration program" and think policy debate. The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program deserves a different conversation entirely. It is one of the most strategically powerful tools available for channeling foreign capital directly into American job creation.

I've worked at the intersection of immigration, trade, and economic development for decades, from serving as Mayor of a border city in Arizona to leading U.S. Customs and Border Protection as Chief of Staff, overseeing a $13 billion budget and more than 60,000 personnel. I know firsthand how the right policy framework can transform investment into opportunity.

How the Program Works

The EB-5 program, administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), offers qualifying foreign investors a pathway to U.S. permanent residency in exchange for capital investment that creates American jobs.

The key requirements are straightforward:

• Minimum investment of $1.05 million, or $800,000 if the project is in a Targeted Employment Area (TEA), such as a rural or high unemployment region

• Creation of at least 10 full-time jobs for qualifying U.S. workers within two years

• A verifiable, legitimate source of investment funds and a comprehensive business plan

The program is not a shortcut. It is a structured, government-supervised pathway that demands real accountability from every participant.

The Real Economic Impact

The numbers speak clearly. Since the program's inception, EB-5 investments have directed billions into the U.S. economy across construction, real estate, hospitality, and beyond.

By fiscal year 2015, the EB-5 program had already generated over $14.8 billion in investment and supported the creation of at least 174,039 American jobs, according to a USCIS report. That is not a rounding error. That is a workforce.

Critics have pointed to isolated cases of fraud and misuse, and those cases are real and worth acknowledging. However, they represent exceptions within a program that, when properly structured and overseen, delivers measurable, lasting economic returns.

What Reform Has Made Stronger

The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program Modernization rule, in effect since November 2019, significantly strengthened the program's integrity. Key changes included:

• Increased minimum investment thresholds to better reflect current economic conditions

• Stricter TEA designation criteria to ensure capital flows to communities that need it most

• Direct USCIS oversight of TEA designations, reducing manipulation and increasing accountability

These reforms reflect a program that is actively self-correcting, not one that is broken.

EB-5 in Action: America's First Solar-Powered Cobalt Processing Facility

The most compelling proof of what EB-5 can accomplish is not found in policy documents. It is found in projects like the one we recently announced in Yuma, Arizona.

Through Intermestic Partners and Intermestic Capital, I serve as the EB-5 fund sponsor for EVelution Energy LLC, the developer of the first solar-powered, commercial-scale cobalt processing facility in the United States. The project is anchored by a binding five-year offtake agreement with Mitsui & Co., Ltd., valued at approximately $850 million, covering up to 3,000 metric tons of cobalt per year.

When fully operational, the Yuma County facility is expected to produce an aggregate of up to 7,000 metric tons of cobalt sulfate and cobalt metal annually, directly addressing a national security vulnerability: today, more than 75% of global refined cobalt production is concentrated in China, and the U.S. has zero commercial-scale domestic cobalt processing capacity.

This is exactly the kind of project EB-5 was designed to support: high-impact, job-creating, nationally strategic investment that private and foreign capital can help bring to life. The project has received endorsement from the Governor of Arizona and both U.S. Senators from the state.

Arizona is not a bystander in the global competition for critical minerals. It is the arena.

Why This Matters at the Border

At Intermestic Partners, the international business advisory firm I founded in 2011, we work directly with investors and developers navigating cross-border capital and trade opportunities. EB-5 is one of the most underutilized tools in the cross-border investment conversation, particularly for projects in the U.S. Southwest where job creation and infrastructure needs align with national priorities.

The program is not just about immigration. It is about unlocking the full potential of North American investment in communities and industries that need it most.

The Bottom Line

Strategic immigration policy and economic development are not competing ideas. The EB-5 program proves they are the same idea.

If you are an investor, developer, or economic development leader exploring EB-5 opportunities, Intermestic Partners has the cross-border expertise and national network to help you move from interest to impact. Visit www.intermesticeb5.com to start the conversation.