It’s no secret that more and more South Africans are emigrating these days.

You only need to look at the jarring Carte Blanche segment, which compared living in South Africa to having a luxury suite on the Titanic, for proof of that.

The UK and Australia are two of the more standard choices, but many South Africans are also looking at ways to emigrate to the United States.

The EB-5 visa, which was launched in the 1990s, is a very popular option for investors wishing to emigrate to the United States. Investors qualify for green cards, and ultimately US citizenship, through their investment in a government-approved development.

This programme has been enormously popular with thousands of investors from all around the world, who have invested to secure their right to emigrate to the US.

Here’s the kicker – the EB-5 visa, by its very definition, states that investors’ money needs to be “at risk”, so how can you, as the investor, manage your risk?

Well, the first thing you need to do is go through a reputable and trusted, company. Immigration South Africa, a firm of experienced immigration professionals based in Cape Town, works in close collaboration with experienced immigration attorneys and solicitors around the world.

This way, they ensure that their clients benefit from their in-depth understanding of the appropriate immigration legislation, and the relationships that they have developed.

Let’s run through those five very important questions that you need to ask before you invest:

1. Does the developer have a proven track record, and do they work in partnership with big brand hotel groups?

Immigration South Africa’s developer works in partnership with Marriott Group, and has already completed five EB projects. This project will be their sixth.

They have secured more than 500 green cards for their investors.

2. What guarantees are in place to project your investment, and that the project will be completed? 

Immigration South Africa’s developer has $6 billion assets under management, a guarantee to ensure a 100% refund of your investment if your application is unsuccessful, as well as a $1,4 billion guarantee to ensure that the project is completed.

3. How is the project funded and how does the developer plan to fund to create the required jobs during the course of the project?

The project Immigration South Africa recommends is fully funded, and all the required jobs are created through the construction phase.

4. What credit rating does the developer have?

The Immigration South Africa developer has an A1 credit rating with Moody’s and A+ with S&P Global.

5. Does the developer have 1-924 pre-approval, to ensure a faster processing time of your application? 

The Immigration South Africa developer secured pre-approval, so you can expect your I-526 application to be processed quickly.

Once you have ticked those five boxes, you can rest easy knowing that you’re dealing with reputable professionals.

In terms of the development itself, this video runs you through the details of the latest developments in New York City and Los Angeles:

Ultimately, when you’re investing in order to qualify for green cards and then US citizenship, you can’t afford to deal with companies that don’t know the business inside and out.

If you want to find out more about Immigration South Africa’s services (immigration, citizenship by investment, and residency by investment), contact one of their professionals and get the ball rolling.

On their Facebook page, you can even check out which slots are available to meet with a professional:

If you are looking to move abroad, best of luck to you.