Shining a Spotlight on the Humanity Behind EB-5

At a JTC event, women from the industry explained how to change the conversation around the program by concentrating on success stories that demonstrate how EB-5 has changed American lives.

One thing that has become clear to EB-5 industry leaders over the past year is just how impactful the program has been. Data shows that under the old version of the Regional Center Program, EB-5 created even more jobs than previously thought. With the advances of the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA), an even greater impact has been possible.

Unfortunately, the industry still has to deal with a reputation sullied by instances of fraud from many years ago. Americans are largely unaware of how the RIA cleaned up the industry, or how much of an impact EB-5 investment has had on communities near them.

How do we get lawmakers and those they represent to understand what we stand to lose if the Regional Center Program is allowed to expire? By shining a spotlight on the people behind the numbers.

Shifting the EB-5 narrative by correcting misconceptions

On December 10th, 2025, JTC hosted Changing the Narrative: EB-5 and Economic Impact, a webinar featuring four women from the EB-5 industry. Through their years of experience, these individuals have seen what has gotten through to people and what hasn’t when discussing EB-5.

“It probably wouldn’t come as too much of a surprise if I were to say that EB-5 has an image problem,” said JTC’s Jill Jones, moderator for the event. “Despite all of the good things that have been happening, the press and the media love to focus on the bad things. They love to focus on projects that weren’t successful, people that made bad decisions, and they’ve given poor EB-5 a reputation of being a place where fraud happens, where people lose their money.”

This is unfair, points out Jones, not just because a few instances of fraud from before the RIA aren’t representative of the whole, but because the “ten jobs per investor” concept doesn’t properly describe what EB-5 has accomplished.

“The stories and the impacts of what EB-5 has done extend far, far, far beyond what the specific project is or what the money was spent on,” she said.

Mine Ekim of Civitas Capital cited the need to correct misconceptions by focusing on real stories, not just industry-wide numbers.

“Sharing these concrete examples, I think, helps shift the narrative away from those misconceptions toward the real and measurable impact EB-5 delivers nationwide,” said Ekim, who cited specific projects that actually showed how EB-5 can “create sustainable local jobs, support small businesses, and enhance infrastructure, all of which are delivering tangible benefits to investors and its broader community.”

While a focus on jobs is an important part of EB-5, it isn’t the full story. “I think it sparks investment that has ripple effects, not just the investment or the project itself, but the ripple effects that are way beyond than the original project,” said Ekim. “They do revitalize these neighborhoods and provide affordable and attainable housing and give actual support to local entrepreneurs.”

For Ekim, EB-5’s role as an immigration program as well as a community revitalization initiative is an asset when talking to lawmakers.

“As an immigrant myself, I deeply resonate with all the foreign investors that have or are in the process of making EB-5 investments,” she said. “Investors gain the opportunity to build a secure future and reunite families in the United States and integrate into American communities.”

While data is helpful, it’s not as impactful as a real human story, the panelists agreed.

“By telling these stories and the impact we create, I think we show lawmakers, local leaders, and the public at large that EB-5 is not just a visa pathway, but a strategic economic development tool that is definitely needed,” said Ekim.

Real stories of EB-5’s community impact

Though the four panelists only had their own experiences to go on, that specificity contains a magic that doesn’t come across when telling lawmakers the number of jobs EB-5 has created overall, which is why an event like this can be so meaningful.

“Our goal for today is to get a conversation started so people who are involved in the EB-5 industry can start putting some spotlight on the impact the program has had on our neighborhoods,” said Jones.

Amita Patel of Golden Gate Global highlighted projects that have revitalized the waterfront area of Oakland, “which originally was a shipping terminal, and now has parks, open spaces, community areas, condos, apartments, and mixed-use development,” along with affordable homes desperately needed in the Bay Area.

“It wasn’t about just how the money was used on that particular housing development,” said Jones, “but that it had a ripple effect throughout Oakland, making home ownership a reality for people who would never, without this development having been there, have been able to do so.”

Ekim described some of Civitas’ projects, including one in Dallas that incorporated other government programs: “not just EB-5, but also new market credits, historic tax credits, and a Dallas police and fire pension loan, which all delivered an enhanced risk-adjusted return” while bringing “new life to a struggling neighborhood.”

What do all these examples have in common? They are stories, not just numbers. They incorporate the tangible, countable aspects of EB-5 like job creation, along with intangible aspects like the beautification of an area, the community integration of working with local small business owners, and the pride of home ownership. If you represented these communities in Congress and knew EB-5 was a part of these projects, could you say no to the program that made it possible?

How EB-5 has brought back troubled industries

If you’re looking for passion about the good EB-5 can do, look no further than CanAm Enterprises COO Christine Chen, who took the panel on a journey through a project in Philadelphia that helped reinvigorate the American shipping industry via a partnership with PIDC, an economic development agency for the city of Philadelphia.

“We obviously felt that EB-5, as a job-creating financial incentive program, should partner well with economic development agencies who knew where there was need,” said Chen, who stressed that the Philadelphia shipyard project was “not that easy of a project to finance.“

“This is where EB-5 is really wonderful,” she said. “It’s an incredibly flexible source of financing,” that can fund “any number and variety of businesses, and in this case, we funded not one, but at this point, three phases of financing to the shipyard in Philadelphia.”

In doing so, they brought back shipping to Philadelphia, which had an impact on other areas as well.

“What’s really wonderful about this project is that shipbuilding was an industry that was not only dead in Philadelphia; it was dead in the United States,” said Chen. “There was no training program. They built barracks. They built a training program. These are high-paying jobs.”

Ultimately, the project “revitalized the shipbuilding industry in the United States, something that hadn’t existed for decades, and the Navy Yard just celebrated its 25-year anniversary.”

Chen’s enthusiasm came through as she gave more examples of how she’s personally seen EB-5 help communities in ways that go beyond the spreadsheet.

“There’s lots of those stories, when you look into some of these EB-5 projects,” she said. “One of the areas that we’ve gotten into is rural broadband. I think all of us who went through the pandemic realized how important access to the Internet is.”

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of states have prioritized “getting their states wired with fiber optic or fixed wireless so that people have reliable Internet access.” And as it turned out, “EB-5 is a really compatible source of financing to a lot of those federal incentives to make those rural broadband projects be implemented faster.”

In order to accomplish these projects, workers are needed. In rural areas, that means opportunities that wouldn’t exist otherwise.

“The projects we’ve been looking at to fund, those primarily in rural areas, a lot of them have been needing to, you know, beef up their crews, and a lot of them have gone into community colleges and said, ‘Hey, this is not necessarily a profession that you were training students for before, but how do we make this part of your curriculum? How do we encourage or incentivize your existing students to come and train and know that there’s a job for them when they come out?’” said Chen.

“We talk a lot about job creation. We talk a lot about EB-5 numbers raised, but there’s a lot of stories at the local level that really have created entirely new professions and just pathways for communities impacted by EB-5,” she said.

EB-5’s impact on immigrant families

EB-5 doesn’t just help American industry. As Jones explained, “the investors themselves are being impacted as they come in through this program to get their green cards,” and their stories matter, too.

Patel shared some stories of EB-5 investors and their journeys after coming to the U.S. through the EB-5 program, including one who served in the U.S. Army and others who started nonprofits or became teachers in public high schools.

“They’ve given back to the community that has given to them by letting them come and stay here,” said Patel.

“Our investors often become part of our team. We have three of our employees that came to the United States through EB-5 investments in Civitas projects,” said Ekim. “They do not just invest with us, but they actually choose to build their careers here with us.”

The positive experiences of EB-5 investors can be a valuable tool to battle against the cynicism with which immigrant investors are often treated. Ekim shared the story of a “Mexican-born EB-5 investor who had run a family dairy farm for more than a century.” After his family became American citizens, he spoke of the pride they felt in being able to call themselves Americans. “I think this story uniquely demonstrates how EB-5 creates value for multiple stakeholders, investors, families and society at large,” said Ekim.

The tough work of lobbying for EB-5 reauthorization

In order for EB-5 to achieve its full potential, we need a permanent version of the Regional Center Program. But even a temporary reauthorization can be a challenge when Congressional staffers are unfamiliar with the program and its impact. To achieve this goal, new tactics are needed.

“The IIUSA committees have been very busy making sure that our voices are heard on Capitol Hill, but in a slightly different way this year than they have in the past,” said Jones, with more of a focus on highlighting “actual impacts to the constituents who voted them into office.”

“They have taken a much more proactive approach,” agreed Chen. “It’s not just one visit, getting them on board and then moving on. It’s making sure that they really understand the importance of EB-5 investments in their districts.”

According to Chen, the RIA’s focus on getting investment to rural areas has actually helped with lobbying efforts because of the “much more diverse set of Congressional offices that we can talk to and say, ‘hey, you know about this project?’ Because most likely they do. ‘Did you know EB-5 was part of it?’”

Not only are lawmakers likely to listen once they’re made aware that specific projects in their districts were made possible by EB-5, but as Jones reminded everyone, “it doesn’t come at a cost to the U.S. taxpayers, and it doesn’t come at a cost to the government. It is completely self-funded.” As Jones put it, “That’s a win-win all the way around,” and the industry needs to do all it can to make sure lawmakers hear stories like the ones shared at the webinar.

“If you are an EB-5 participant, learn the stories,” she said. “Go find out how much impact the projects you have done have influenced the mom and pop stores that are around them, or the investor who has joined the military, learn those stories and tell them, tell them to everyone who will listen, because EB-5 deserves to stay around, and we want to do everything we can to get out of this uncertain roller coaster of renewals and sunset dates, and let’s just get on with it and let it do the good that it was meant to do.”