by Winnie Ng
The 3rd Session of the U.S. Investment Immigration Forum was held on March 7th & 8th 2015 at the Marco Polo Shenzhen Hotel. The conference brought together more than 60 participants from the United States and approximately 100 participants from various parts of mainland China. The organizers behind USIIF are Shenzhen Cable TV Station, Guangzhou Cable TV Station, and Beijing Cable TV Station. This session also received support from Shanghai Cable TV Station and was hosted by Shenzhen Cable HDTV “Immigration and Study Abroad” Channel and Panorama Culture Inc. David Hirson & Partners co-hosted the conference this year.
The forum created a platform for U.S. immigration attorneys, securities attorneys, economists, regional center directors, EB-5 project representatives, and other industry professionals to connect with Chinese migration agents, immigration association presidents, source of funds experts, and potential EB-5 investors.
Speakers and panelists from the United States included Keynote Speaker David Hirson, Ali Jahangiri, Kate Kalmykov, Laura Reiff, Jennifer Hermansky, and Batya Goodma. All the sessions featured active translators that facilitated bilingual dialogue between speakers and attendees. Exit Entry association leaders also encouraged U.S.-based EB-5 5 stakeholders to work hard to permanently reauthorize the program and make petition filing more efficient. They also mentioned that the Portugal program is becoming increasingly popular among investors.
Speakers and panelists from China included USIIF Committee Chairman Ma, Bill Chen, Deputy General Manager of the Investment Department at BDO (Shanghai) Consulting Limited, as well as various Chinese migration agency presidents and representatives, including Hubei Trade Association of Private Exit-Entry Services President Shoulong Zeng, Vice President of the Guangdong Entry & Exit Immigration Service Association Yanwu Shieh, Beijing Entry & Exit Immigration Service Association President Yuzhang Chen, Vice President of the Sichuan Province Exit & Entry Agent Trade Association Xuguang Guo, and Chongqing Association of Overseas Consulting Service Company President Rachel Wang.
This USIIF session provided a forum for speakers and attendees to discuss the latest issues of concern in the EB-5 community. Speakers from the U.S. spoke on two panels called “Dialogue on EB-5 Market Development,” during which they discussed topics such as the components of a successful EB-5 petition, how to document lawful source of funds, the differences between direct investment projects and regional center projects, taxation issues, impacts of the pending retrogression, SEC regulations, and recent actions taken by the SEC.
There were two “CMA Association Presidents’ Discussion” panels, during which Chinese migration agency presidents and representatives discussed trends in the Chinese immigration market and other related topics.
The session concluded with an awards ceremony honoring David Hirson, Ali Jahangiri, Kate Kalmykov, Laura Reif, and President Shoulong Zeng for their valuable contributions to the EB-5 community, and awarding successful agencies with the “Top 30 U.S. Investment Immigration Agencies Awards and Outstanding Immigration and Overseas Study Consultants Awards.”
The next session of USIIF is scheduled for October 2015 and will be announced by EB5 Investors Magazine. To subscribe and receive updates, simply sign up at eb5investors.com/subscribe or email us at info@eb5investors.com.
Winnie Ng
Attorney Ng is the Chief Executive Officer of the Manhattan Regional Center (MRC) and the Chief Counsel of MRC’s associated projects. Attorney Ng directs the affairs of MRC and works closely with securities and immigration attorneys to ensure that MRC and its associated projects are in compliance with EB-5 and securities laws and regulations.
Attorney Ng has provided legal services to hundreds of EB-5 investors in the past and counseled many regional centers and project developers. She frequently speaks at EB-5 conferences and conducts EB-5 trainings worldwide. She has also authored articles on EB-5 related topics.
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