Rural TEA vs Urban TEA vs Direct EB-5
TL;DR
Rural TEA = $800K + 20% visa set-aside + priority processing. Urban TEA = $800K + 10% set-aside. Direct EB-5 = $1.05M, no Regional Center.
The EB-5 Reform Act created three investment categories with different costs and benefits. Choosing the right one is the single biggest decision in your EB-5 plan.
- •Rural TEA — $800K: 20% of all EB-5 visas reserved. Priority adjudication by USCIS. Beyond Paradise 1 qualifies under this category.
- •High-Unemployment Urban TEA — $800K: 10% set-aside. Project must be in an area with 150%+ of US average unemployment.
- •Direct EB-5 — $1.05M: No Regional Center; investor must directly create 10 W-2 jobs at the new commercial enterprise. Much higher operational complexity.
- •Infrastructure TEA — $800K: 2% set-aside for federally-administered infrastructure projects (rarely used).
For 90%+ of investors, the choice is between Rural TEA ($800K, fastest) and Urban TEA ($800K, slightly slower visa). Direct EB-5 is for entrepreneurs who want to operate their own US business.
Beyond Paradise 1 is a Rural TEA project — the lowest entry price with the fastest priority processing and the largest visa set-aside (20%).
Related
I-956F project approval — why it matters for you
I-956F is USCIS's pre-vetting of the EB-5 project itself. Filing I-526E against an already-approved I-956F means much faster individual adjudication.
Regional Center vs Direct EB-5
Regional Center investors pool capital into pre-vetted projects ($800K). Direct EB-5 means you operate your own business and create 10 jobs yourself ($1.05M).
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