In 2003, immigration attorney David Andersson spearheaded an effort to bring a US government designated Regional Center to Whatcom County as a means of stimulating economic activity in Northwest Washington.
Mr. Andersson collaborated with economic development officials, business leaders, and immigration specialists to prepare an application to the US government.
Three years later, on October 13, 2006, Whatcom Opportunities Regional Center, Inc. (WORC) was officially designated as a Regional Center for the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Pilot Program by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services division (USCIS).
The USCIS designation allows WORC to bring together investment monies from immigrant investors as part of the EB-5 Program. The designation requires that any funds collected by WORC be allocated towards the development of homes for senior citizens in Whatcom County.
WORC has corporate offices in Bellingham, Washington and Shanghai, China. The Regional Center also works with lawyers and immigration specialists in fourteen different countries on five separate continents.