TOP IMMIGRATION AT TORNEYS
ENRIQUE GONZALEZ
FRAGOMEN | MANAGING PARTNER, FLORIDA OFFICE
Enrique Gonzalez is the
managing partner of
Fragomen’s Florida of f ice.
He has more than 25 years
of experience practicing
immigration law. Gonzalez
provides legal counsel to entrepreneurs and high net worth
individuals regarding investment-based immigration,
including the EB-5 program. In 2013, Gonzalez served as
special counsel on immigration to Sen. Marco Rubio, where
he was the senior advisor/negotiator for comprehensive
immigration reform efforts led by Sens. John McCain, Jeff
Flake, Lindsey Graham and Rubio. Gonzalez earned his J.D.
from Cornell University. He speaks English and Spanish.
WHAT TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING
IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY?
From my perspective, the most significant trends in the
EB-5 industry have been, first, the softening in the market
for investors from China. This softening has driven changes
in the market in that it has increased the competition for
EB-5 investors among projects as well as prompted
projects to turn their attention to markets such as Brazil,
India and Vietnam. Second is the ever-growing need for
redeployment of investor money to maintain them at-risk
until the investor files for removal of conditions on their
residency, and the lack of clear guidance from USCIS as to
what qualifies as redeployment.
WHY DID YOU GET INVOLVED
IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY?
I began handling EB-5 cases in the early 1990s. The
application process is much more clearly defined and
regulated now than it was when the EB-5 program first
started, and as a result, the volume of applications has
grown significantly over the past decade. What motivated
me then and now is the opportunity to help contribute to the
U.S. economy and job growth at a pace and scale that is not
easily matched by most other immigration programs.
JENNIFER HERMANSKY
GREENBERG TRAURIG | SHAREHOLDER
Jennifer Hermansk y first
began working on EB-5
investor cases in 2009. She
has since been involved
i n m o re tha n 10 0 re g io nal
center projects and has
handled thousands of investor petitions. Hermansky is a
shareholder at the Philadelphia office of Greenberg Traurig,
LLP and is part of the firm’s EB-5 team. With a degree in
finance and a background in handling entrepreneurial cases
for clients seeking E-2 or L-1 visas, Hermansky is intimately
familiar with the business immigration process. She helps
investors from their filing to when they become citizens,
and counsels regional centers on issues of management,
staffing and compliance.
WHAT TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING
IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY?
USCIS is becoming very stringent on its review of I-526
petitions and I-829 petitions. The agency is very carefully
reviewing the I-526 petitions for source of funds of the
investors, and many issues that they never focused on
before are now issues for cases. It is very important for
stakeholders to keep abreast of these trends and make sure
investors are working with qualified attorneys. Beyond
adjudications, we are seeing the development of new and
emerging markets for EB-5 investors grow significantly,
especially in countries like India, South Korea, UAE, Brazil
and Venezuela.
WHY DID YOU GET INVOLVED
IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY?
My background and education are actually in finance, so
EB-5 is a natural fit for me. It is such an interesting program,
and I like that it benefits both U.S. workers and foreign
nationals. I really enjoy working with clients to develop their
business plans, economic reports and securities offerings,
ensuring that each is EB-5-compliant and marketable to
foreign investors. I find it very satisfying to work on a
successful project with tangible and profitable results, while
also seeing immigrants receive green cards.
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