Ask for the evidence.
Keep the decisions separate.

1. Identify the transaction you are being offered.

Ask whether the conversation concerns a condominium purchase, a separate investment interest or two distinct transactions. Request an explanation of what each payment buys, which entity receives it and which agreement governs it. Do not assume a brochure showing a residential tower describes the terms of an EB-5 investment.

• What is the exact legal name of each contracting party?
• Are residence purchase documents separate from investment subscription documents?
• Who receives each payment, and what written terms apply?
• Which professional represents your interests in each decision?

2. Identify the enterprise, sponsor and regional center.

For an offering described as regional-center associated, request the names of the regional center, new commercial enterprise and job-creating entity, together with current supporting documents. Compare the legal names across the materials. Ask your advisers to explain the ownership, management and relationships between the parties.

A development name is not a substitute for a legal entity name. A developer’s role in constructing residences can be different from the roles of the issuer, regional center or people marketing an investment. Request disclosure of any relevant financial relationship or referral compensation.

3. Ask exactly what “filed” or “approved” means.

Request the relevant Form I-956F receipt or approval notice for the particular offering, not a generic statement that a project is “EB-5 approved.” Check the entity, offering and dates with independent counsel. USCIS explains the project application and its relationship to Form I-526E in its project-application guidance ↗.

• Which form or designation is the statement about?
• Is there a receipt, a pending application or an approval notice?
• Does the evidence concern this offering and this enterprise?
• What still requires an investor-specific determination?

4. Understand the money and the documents.

Request the current offering and subscription documents and an itemized statement of payments. Ask the appropriate advisers to explain capital, administrative costs, professional fees and any other charge. Identify payment timing, escrow arrangements where applicable, refund provisions and the conditions governing each payment.

Ask who can change the terms, which documents control if marketing language differs and what happens if events do not follow the anticipated schedule. Do not rely on a verbal statement about repayment, exit timing or immigration results.

5. Review business and immigration risks separately.

Ask qualified investment, securities and financial advisers to explain the enterprise, financing, use of proceeds, conflicts and risks. Ask immigration counsel about the evidence relevant to your eligibility and the project’s job-creation assumptions. The same development can raise both commercial questions and immigration questions; answering one does not resolve the other.

The SEC and USCIS warn about guarantees and misleading claims in this area. Designation or a project filing should not be interpreted as government endorsement of an investment’s financial merits. Read the official investor alert ↗

6. Keep your personal immigration information with counsel.

Your attorney may need detailed information and documents for an individual review. Arrange an appropriate secure channel directly with that professional. Do not send passports, bank statements, source-of-funds records or immigration case files through this website’s general real estate form.

For the real estate conversation, a project name and your general property preferences are enough to begin. No case number or detailed financial history is needed to ask Diego about a residence’s layout, location or amenities.

7. Keep a dated record.

Record which document supports each material claim and when it was reviewed. If a sponsor changes the offering, ask your advisers which earlier conclusions need to be revisited. Confirm current rules and applicable investment amounts rather than treating a saved brochure as permanently current.

What Diego can help with.

Diego can organize the real estate comparison, identify which project materials have been supplied and request an appropriate project contact. He does not select an immigration strategy, evaluate your legal eligibility, prepare petitions or provide securities, tax or investment advice. Choose independent qualified advisers for those decisions.

Educational checklist reviewed November 3, 2026. It is not an exhaustive due-diligence standard or a recommendation of an offering.