Bob Kraft, Board member of IIUSA, along with the entire organization, is proud to announce that their annual EB-5 Regional Economic Development Advocacy Conference yielded the largest crowd ever: over 400 attendees.
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) kick started the 7th annual conference with a keynote address, followed by Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. There were a total of 8 panels, three Congressional Guest of Honor Speakers (the Honorable Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), and Representative Aaron Schock (R-IL, 18th District), special guests from the American Chambers of Commerce in Shanghai and South China (Ken Jarrett, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai and Cindy Chen, Area Development Manager from the American Chamber of Commerce in South China, and a ceremony complete with 8 Chinese provincial level entry-exit associations (these associations regulate the migration advisory industry within China).
Highlights:
· Ms. Chen from AmCham South China highlighted the longstanding partnership with IIUSA in EB-5 advocacy, education, and industry development. She also released information about an upcoming trade mission planned for this year’s delegation, which will be unique in the sense that there will be notably more EB-5 programming and opportunity for exhibitors and attendees.
· U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) stressed its increasing involvement with Steve Cohen, the Associate Director of the Division of Enforcement, in regards to the EB-5 program, in order to address fraud and other securities-related concerns.
· Aaron Brickman, Deputy Executive Director of SelectUSA (an international investment initiative housed in the Dept. of Commerce), spoke on how EB-5 is a growing percentage of overall investment in the United States and how SelectUSA makes strides to both promote and facilitate business movement in the States
· USCIS ‘ Immigrant Investor Program Chief, Nicolas Colucci, delivered a speech on his efforts to enhance administration of the EB-5 program by improved customer service, transparency and performance, and predictability. To read a transcript Colucci’s full speech, click here.
· IIUSA has compiled a 150-page “Conference Handbook & Advocacy Toolkit”, which provides context to each speaker and panel topic. You may purchase it here.
IIUSA looks forward to next year’s 8th Annual EB-5 Regional Economic Development Advocacy Conference.