EB-5 attorney Mona Shah is the leading attorney at Mona Shah & Associates Global (MSA), based in New York, with an office in the UK. Shah was born in the UK, graduating in England from the University of Northumbria. After passing the Law Society’s Final Exam and completing the mandatory two years training, Shah was admitted as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales in 1993. In 1997, she was admitted to the U.S. Federal Bar and New York Bar.
Shah was appointed as a Crown Prosecutor for the British Crown Prosecution Service, prior to this, she worked with a couple of law firms in England. Through her experiences, she became skilled in the management of intricate cases. Shah started a firm in New York City two years after moving to the city in 1995. MSA Global represents business, individual and high-profile clients from across the globe.
Shah has more than 28 years of experience in practicing law and has dedicated a majority of her legal career to U.S. business immigration law. Shah has extensive knowledge of U.S. immigration law and her practical expertise ranges from specialist business petitions to complicated, multi-issue deportation and removal litigation. Her experience in EB-5 began in 2006 as one of the four original founders of the first regional center in New York –New York City Regional Center, thereafter she founded the second regional center — the New York Immigration Fund, RC. Today, MSA Global has structured and handled EB-5 project work for hundreds of projects, both direct and regional centers; troubleshoots problematic cases for attorneys and regional centers, as well as handling thousands of EB-5 Investor petitions. Shah handles projects in unique and novel industries, facing challenges head on.
Highly proficient and recognized as an industry leader in EB-5 law, Shah has attained many accolades and awards including being voted Top 25 EB-5 attorneys by EB5 Investors Magazine seven years in a row.
Shah is a published author, a Lexis Nexis editor, and has authored numerous articles and blog pieces in EB-5. She has also spoken extensively, both in the US and overseas. Shah has been interviewed by mainstream television, including Al Jazeera and Fox Business news and has been quoted by major newspapers and publications including the New York Times, Bloomberg, Axios, the Real Deal and many others.
Shah also pioneered and hosts the first and longest running podcast series that focuses on foreign direct investment and EB-5. She has been honored for her work by various groups and not-for-profit organizations.
Answers to EB-5 77 Questions Answered
- Can I as an Afghan investor get priority for EB-5 due to the circumstances in my country?
- Why would an issuer choose a 505 Reg D offering over a 504 Reg D offering?
- How soon can I file for EB-5 if I am on an H-1B?
- How are investors allowed to allocate investment funds in a direct EB-5 investment?
- How can I stay in the U.S. legally while my EB-5 application is processing?
- What is causing the surge of EB-5 investors from India?
- What qualifications should an EB-5 immigration attorney have?
- Where can we live when immigrating through EB-5?
- How safe is an EB-5 investment?
- How can I change my E-2 to EB-5 if I have a waiver of ineligibility?
- What are some of the characteristics of a viable EB-5 project?
- How can I use money earned in the U.S. toward an EB-5 investment?
- How can principals in a Chinese-U.S. joint venture use their project to become EB-5 investors?
- How can I find direct investment projects?
- Can EB-5 be sponsored by a family member?
- How do I choose a good regional center?
- What types of businesses qualify for EB-5 capital?
- What is the risk of preparing my own I-829 petition?
- How do I file a complaint against a Regional Center?
- Can we get another visa while awaiting EB-5 visa?
- Do I need an attorney to apply for an EB-5 visa?
- Can we pool EB-5 investments?
- Can non-profit hospitals be funded through the EB-5 program?
- Can I use rental income for the EB-5 Program?
- Why does I-924 takes from targeted 4 month to 9 month?
- Do you need to have an EB-5 Project in order to start your own Regional Center?
- Will my family have to move to the US if I participate in the EB-5 Program?
- Do I need to reside in the US after the EB5 visa is approved?
- How much does it cost to establish an EB-5 regional center?
- Can I apply for an EB-5 Visa while in the US on an E3 Visa?
- Can you recoup your EB-5 investment if your green card is denied?
- Can I waive the two year home country presence requirements for an EB-5 visa?
- How do I find a qualified EB-5 attorney?
- Can a secured loan be used to fund an EB5 visa investment?
- What is the benefit of investing in an EB-5 Regional Center?
- How are Seasonal Employees counted towards job creation in the EB-5 Visa Program?
- Do all immigrant investors have to invest through EB-5 Regional Centers?
- What are the most common problems that EB-5 visa applicants face?
- Can I use EB-5 investment capital to invest in a holding company?
- What are job creation requirements in EB-5 projects involving expanding businesses?
- Can funds from a parent in the U.S. be used for an EB-5 visa?
- What is the processing time for the I-526 application?
- Can investors from Vietnam participate in the EB-5 visa program?
- Can an illegal immigrant qualify for an EB-5 visa?
- How do I make a safe EB-5 investment?
- Would an EB-5 visa be a good option?
- Is there a limit on the number of projects an EB-5 Regional Center can have?
- How do I attract EB-5 investors?
- Why are EB-5 investments regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)?
- Where can I find a list of EB-5 projects?
- What types of EB-5 projects get approved?
- How long do EB-5 jobs need to be created for?
- Will I have to go to an embassy interview to get an EB-5 visa?
- How do I know whether or not an EB-5 project is part of a Regional Center?
- Does the entire EB-5 investment amount have to be made before filing the I-526?
- What is the processing time for the I-526 Petition?
- Are EB-5 visas still being issued?
- Do I need to declare taxes on an EB-5 investment that was gifted from my parents?
- When are EB-5 investments available to the business?
- Can I get my EB-5 visa if there are money transfer limits?
- How long does it take to get a green card from the EB-5 program?
- What kind of attorney do I need to create an EB-5 Regional Center?
- Can non-accredited investors participate in the EB-5 program?
- Can EB-5 investors fund residential development?
- Can an EB-5 green card be granted to the partners managing a company?
- Is there a list of investors interested in the EB-5 program?
- How can investors from Middle Eastern tax free havens participate in the EB-5 program?
- Can I use a gift to get my EB-5 visa?
- What is the restriction on the number of Chinese EB-5 applicants?
- Can people from any country get an EB-5 visa?
- Can my wife and I used combined funds for the EB-5 Visa Program?
- What documents are used for the trace of funds in the EB-5 Program?
- How can you prove source of funds for gifts in the EB-5 program?
- Does the government provide financing options for EB-5 visa applicants?
- What is the difference between U.S. citizenship and permanent residency?
- What is an EB-5 project?
- How do I know which EB-5 Regional Center I can invest in?
Verified EB-5 Investors
EB5 Investors Magazine and EB5investors.com Articles
-
“We need both EB-5 Regional Center reauthorization and direct pooled projects”
A group of EB-5 attorneys responds to claims made by an industry professional that the EB-5 regional center program should not be reauthorized.Mona Shah
-
Opinion: Is an increase of the EB5 $500,000 minimum inevitable?
Will the $500,000 minumum investment in an EB-5 Targeted Employment Area increase?
Mona Shah
-
Real Estate: Still the Darling of EB-5
A look at how and why real estate has become so popular in EB-5.
Mona Shah
-
Can I Purchase a Regional Center or a Regional Center License? Does the Final Policy Memorandum shed any light?
Mona Shah and Yi Song discuss the policies regarding the purchasing or renting of a regional center.
Mona Shah