RCI Capital Group Inc. has two products that facilitate investment in Canada and the United States while providing opportunities immigrant investors to live and work in these two countries.
These “Citizenship or Residency through Investment” programs are innovative ways to attract foreign investor capital and encourage diversity in the business sectors.
As the largest non-bank financial institution in Canada, RCI Capital Group has worked with investors from over 52 countries, facilitating over $2 billion in foreign investor capital in Canada and the United States.
“We have been completing these kinds of transactions on behalf of credible and government-approved international investors and entrepreneurs for many years,” said John Park, RCI Capital Group Chief Executive Officer. “As these programs become better known and understood, investors are looking to the reciprocal benefits of RCI because of our track record of successful investments and international experience.”
The EB-5 visa provides a method of obtaining a green card for foreign nationals who invest in the United States. To obtain the visa, individuals must invest $1,000,000 creating or preserving at least 10 direct jobs for U.S. workers excluding the investor and their immediate family.
An alternative program is the EB-5 Regional Center Pilot Program which requires a passive investment of US $500,000 which allows the investor and their families to qualify for a Green Card by producing a combination of 10 direct and/or indirect employment opportunities. Within a Regional Center, private entities or US States develop new commercial projects that are ideal for foreign investor capital and provide an opportunity for immigrant investors to invest. RCI has an approved Regional Center from the United States Department of Homeland Security.
An example of the EB-5 capital investment at work is the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Home to the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association and in 2015 the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders, it rivals Madison Square Garden, the Prudential Center and the Nassau Coliseum for top-billing among the other sporting venues in New York City. The Brooklyn Nets are owned by Russian businessman Mikhail Prokhorov and when the Barclays Center was proposed, many sources of capital were considered to offset the $1 billion US construction costs.
In Canada, the Quebec Investor Program (QIP) the province of Quebec accepts investors with net assets of at least $1,600,000 CAN obtained legally who are willing to relocate to Quebec and invest $800,000 with a financial intermediary (investment dealer or trust company) authorized to participate in the Investor Program.
The programs are “win-win” as capital investment creates jobs, which in turn creates tax revenue for provincial, state and federal governments. The investor receives citizenship for themselves and their families and an opportunity to build a life in Canada.
“In larger numbers than ever before, projects across many jurisdictions are being funded by programs like the EB-5,” said Park. “Investors from around the world are looking for projects like the Barclay Center that offer a reasonable level of risk and a good potential return on investment. We work diligently to find projects across Canada and the United States of a similar nature.”
Under the direction of John Park, RCI Capital Group was successful in creating an EB-5 Regional Center in Arizona in early 2014 and are now exploring attractive investment opportunities.