While not “a magic wand,” financing from foreign nationals under the U.S. government’s EB-5 investment program can provide between 25 percent to 35 percent of a real estate project’s capital stack, said attorney Larry J. Behar. But obtaining approval for an EB-5 application is a long and complicated process for the potential investor, sometimes taking about five years, he noted.
Speaking Wednesday at an Urban Land Institute conference on capital sources for real estate held in Fort Lauderdale, Bejar, managing partner at the Behar Law Group in Fort Lauderdale, said that investors in the EB-5 program have brought in billions of dollars in capital in recent years. They have contributed $12 billion to the U.S. GDP and supported over 80,000 jobs, according to a Bejar Law Group document.