EB5 Investors Magazine | Page 30

for investment immigration , what kinds of projects do you generally look for — usually within EB-5 , or more generally ?
Anna : I focus a lot on a triangle structure . That means there is a project side , and then there is a fund manager side , which is like a regional center ( the private equity fund manager ), and also the investors . I find this structure is more stable and reliable . This is the first thing I look at . I try to avoid selecting projects where the regional center is highly related to the project . I look at the regional centers or the fund manager ’ s previous experience , their track record , and also their functions on that particular project , and also their business assets .
EB5 Investors Magazine : Does your company offer both the regional center option and the direct investment option ?
Anna : We just focus on regional centers . I ’ ve found this is more stable . If people are looking at the principal phase and the green card , and they don ’ t have such business experience , or they don ’ t have knowledge of that , the chances of failure are huge .
EB5 Investors Magazine : Where in the capital stack do you feel most comfortable ?
Anna : I would prefer the form of a loan . I ’ ve found some projects put the investors as preferred shareholders — they have all the high risk of being a shareholder , but their return does not match the risk . With the loan as collateral , they have more security for the funds . Their aim is very clear : their primary concern is that the principal is safe , and also the green card . I would always advise clients to focus on that . To balance a project — for the green card , the safe principal , as well as the return — sometimes I suggest for them to separate the immigration program from the other PE investment projects , because different PE ’ s have different aims , and to make it more effective to reach the goal in the end it ’ s a better idea to keep them separate .
EB5 Investors Magazine : Is there a specific percentage range that your company looks for when they put their EB-5 investors in a project ? The average now is 30 percent ; do you have a preference when you ’ re looking at a project ?
Anna : I think that 25 percent is good and 30 percent is the maximum . I don ’ t feel comfortable if it ’ s more

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EB5 INVESTORS MAGAZINE