Question:

Restaurants generate significant job creation and my firm has done several restaurant deals. The most direct way for you to tap into EB5 funding is to set-up a regional center and go out to raise funds. If you are looking for more specific advice regarding how to do that, feel free to contact me or any of the high quality attorneys on this website.

If the regional footprint of your franchise is larger than the territory USCIS is likely to grant you, you should strongly consider forgoing the Regional Center EB5 Pilot Program and accessing EB5 capital directly from investors. There will be no geographical or industry limitations placed on you. The biggest drawback you face in raising money without a regional center is that you will only be credited with the actual jobs you create in each restaurant. You will not be given credit for indirect and induced jobs, as you would be if your investment was generated through a Regional Center. If you do not need a large amount of money per franchise, a direct EB5 raise could work for you.

In the alternative, you could enter into partnerships with existing regional centers that do cover the areas you are looking to open your restaurants. This may cost you more money, but you will not need to wait a year for your own regional center approval and you can work with several regional centers across your franchise region.

Hope this helps.