Miami, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/12/2014 -- Founders and associates of American Regional Center Group or ARGC headed South to Puerto Rico for the 2013 American Immigration Lawyers Association or AILA Texas Chapter Fall Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico. ARCG was the main sponsor at the well-attended conference with high profile presenters, such as Lincoln Stone. Stone introduced ARGC’s co-founder and conference keynote speaker, Gonzalo Lopez Jordan. Jordan welcomed attendees during an introductory presentation about how Regional Centers can help companies to structure direct EB5 offerings.
The conference took place at the San Juan Marriott Resort and Stellaris Casino at 1309 Ashford Avenue in San Juan from November 14th through November 16th, 2013. It brought together some of the most prominent attorneys from all over Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, California, Florida, New York and Washington D.C., as well as experts from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
“ARGC is committed to creating jobs and attracting investors to the U.S. and we can’t do this without the help of partners like immigration attorneys and immigration service officials,” said Gonzalo Lopez Jordan, who is not only manager and co-founding partner of both California Alternative Energy Regional Center or CAERC and GRC or Geothermal Regional Center in Nevada, but he is also CEO and founding partner of Patagonia Financial Holdings, a value oriented Private Equity Firm with exposure to different sectors.
“As the main sponsor of this conference, ARGC is able to keep a high profile at this highly-regarded event,” said Santiago Steed, co-founder of ARCG, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Patagonia Financial Holdings, and EB-5 Visa Expert. “We are fully committed to the EB-5 Visa process and job creation and business growth from foreign investment in the U.S. and we are here in Puerto Rico in particular to target the LATAM Market,” he added.
The topics discussed during the three day conference included: growing Regional Center opportunities for investors, EB-5 Visas, employment-based visa applications and much more.
The EB-5 Visa program was started by the U.S. Congress in 1990. Each year, more than 10,000 Visas are available to foreign investors and their families, who invest $1 million dollars. Investors must demonstrate that at least 10 jobs were directly or indirectly created through the investment. In rural or areas of high unemployment, called TEAs or Targeted Employment Areas, the initial amount required for foreigners to invest is $500,000. A targeted employment area is an area that has 1.5 times the national unemployment rate or a population under 20,000.
Qualified investors receive a conditional green card for two years. After that, the green card becomes permanent for the investor and his or her immediate family members. The investor, spouse and unmarried children under age 21 at the time of petition, can then apply for permanent U.S. residence based on the investment.
Editor’s Note: For images of the event or more information about the EB-5 Visa program, please visit www.americanrgc.com or contact Lucen Aguilar at laguilar@americanrgc.com or at 305.722.2299.
About American Regional Center Group
American Regional Center Group LLC (ARCG) provides sound and reliable EB-5 investment opportunities for foreign investors and their families who wish to obtain permanent residency in the United States.
ARCG was founded in partnership with Patagonia Financial Holdings LLC (PFH), a private equity firm based in Florida, with a special focus on structuring value-oriented investments. PFH’s knowledge and expertise provides extensive sourcing capabilities to ARCG. PFH’s management team has invested more than $500 million and possesses more than 100 years of cumulative experience in the United States and Latin America.
American Regional Center Group manages an expanding portfolio of Regional Centers focused on meeting the increasingly rigorous demands of the EB-5 investor. Projects are managed through our designated Regional Centers that are fully approved by USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services).