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EB-5 Direct Visa — $1.2M to $2.5M

Productive investment.
Jobs created, plural.
Permanent residency obtained.

EB-5 Direct requires a real business, active management, ten jobs created. It's as much an M&A file as a visa file — coordinated start to finish with your immigration attorney.

Total acquisition and setup budget, excluding primary residence purchase.

Two distinct processes, one integrated support. The business acquisition and the EB-5 immigration process are two legally independent tracks. The business is acquired upfront — capital must be invested, or at minimum committed and at risk, before the I-526E filing. The outcome of the residency application is the exclusive purview of your immigration attorney. For clarity, I only work with attorneys duly licensed in the US and in good standing with their bar.
0

Getting started — step 1/2

Qualification & Orientation

45–60 min — free ▲

What we explore together

  • Is an immigration attorney already on board?
  • Investment budget and source of funds
  • Family situation, desired timeline
  • Motivation — what's the project beyond the acquisition itself
  • Intended involvement: active, semi-passive, or passive management?
  • Location: where in Florida? Awareness of socio-economic and cultural differences — open question or already decided?
  • Type of business targeted: specific sector, or open to a range of opportunities?
  • Single acquisition strategy, or a consolidation / synergy play?
  • Capital structure: holding, asset sale, corporate sale, immediate or deferred use of debt?
  • E-2 vs EB-5 Direct orientation — confirmed or in progress (per your immigration attorney)
  • Current French-American situation: property owner, LLC, US bank account? Any tax points to watch?
  • Presentation of my service proposal and associated pricing

Partners involved

  • None at this stage

Financial commitment

  • Free, no commitment

Deliverable

Qualification memo sent within 48h: a recap of your situation, recommended direction, open questions to resolve. Go / No Go for the next step.

0

Getting started — step 2/2

Contracting

Free — no commitment ▼

Three-way validation with the immigration attorney

  • The two most important advisors for you will be the immigration attorney and your project lead. It's crucial that you trust both — and that a healthy working relationship forms between them
  • Share the qualification memo with the attorney
  • The attorney presents what's expected, risks identified, the specifics of your immigration situation
  • For you: continue qualifying the project, confirm the fit and professionalism of the team

Partners involved

  • Immigration attorney

Financial commitment

  • Free, no commitment

Deliverable

Validation of our partnership. Drafting and signing of the semi-exclusive buyer representation mandate — exclusivity limited to businesses presented. Our entire contractual and financial relationship runs through World Class Realty, governed by Florida Real Estate Broker law, the Florida Association of Realtors code of ethics, and Master Brokers Forum standards.

Retainer #1
1

Strategic Memo

1–2 weeks ▼

What I do

  • In-depth session (2h) — your project from every angle
  • Drafting the strategic memo: turns an idea into a project, and the project into scheduled areas, tasks, and decisions to make
  • Defining business targeting criteria: sector, area, revenue, structure
  • Identifying the partners needed

Partners involved

  • Immigration attorney (EB-5 orientation confirmation, timeline, documents needed)
  • Possibly a CPA if needed at this stage

Financial commitment

  • Retainer #1 — first installment (WCR)

Deliverable

Strategic memo (6–8 pages): investor profile, target business, EB-5 strategy, priority areas, timeline, team needed, risks identified.

2

Team Setup & Framing

1–2 weeks ▼

What I do

  • Setting up the partner network — those you've already chosen, those you'd like me to introduce
  • Pre-check EB-5 eligibility of the targeted business types: creation of 10 direct jobs, minimum amount, structure
  • Gathering general market intelligence on Florida to validate the location / sector pairing before launching in-depth searches
  • Formalizing the search brief with the team

Partners involved

  • Immigration attorney: EB-5 pre-eligibility of business type
  • CPA: French-American tax, purchase structure
  • Possibly a business attorney: initial legal orientation

Financial commitment

  • Included in ongoing Retainer #1

Deliverable

Project team assembled. Validated search brief: sector, area, size, EB-5 structure. Validated location / business type pairing. The selection funnel begins here.

3

Market Discovery

2–4 weeks ▼

What I do

  • Broad sourcing — on-market (platforms, brokers) and off-market (network)
  • EB-5 pre-filter: indicative eligibility on each opportunity
  • Presenting a wide range of options to sharpen your real preferences — no purchase intent at this stage
  • Goal: build your "like / don't like" list from concrete cases

Partners involved

  • Broker network in selected areas

Financial commitment

  • Included in ongoing Retainer #1

Deliverable

Discovery catalog: summary sheets on 10 to 20 opportunities (price, sector, area, profile). No in-depth financial analysis — this is an orientation phase. Criteria refined by the end.

4

Shortlist & In-Depth Analysis

2–4 weeks ▼

Work performed

  • NDA signature, references, resume and proof of funds submitted — required to access real financial data
  • Full P&L recasting: EBITDA, real SDE, add-backs, owner benefit, normalization
  • Analysis of tangible and intangible assets / debt / working capital / real free cash flow
  • Marketing analysis: brand, product/market mix, pricing, know-how
  • Commercial analysis: customers, turnover, channels, seasonality
  • Contract analysis: lease, key suppliers
  • HR analysis: organization, hiring and retention policy, salaries, bonuses and benefits
  • Analysis of total seller compensation
  • Initial valuation exercise (multiples and comps) / gap versus asking price
  • Job-creation analysis — critical for the I-526E filing

Partners involved

  • CPA (tax review if complex)
  • Immigration attorney (EB-5 eligibility confirmation before commitment)

Financial commitment

  • End of Retainer #1. Retainer #2 billed after analyses are delivered.

Deliverable

Reasoned recommendation narrowing to a shortlist of 3 to 5 opportunities. Analysis report per target (6–10 pages): full financial recasting, justified valuation, EB-5 eligibility analysis, strengths and risks, go/no-go recommendation with target price. This is where bad deals get eliminated.

Retainer #2
5

Pre-Negotiation & LOI

1–3 weeks ▼

What I do

  • Non-binding pre-negotiation on hot topics (price, structure, financing, transition) — keeping the funnel open without committing to a single target
  • Parallel non-exclusive negotiations if multiple targets remain
  • Selection of a final target — moving to exclusive negotiation
  • Drafting the LOI's commercial terms: price, structure, terms, seller financing, potential earnout, timeline, mutual commitments
  • Binding LOI with exit clauses on objective criteria (DD, financing, visa)
  • Coordination with the business attorney for legal drafting

Partners involved

  • Business attorney (LOI drafting)
  • CPA (tax validation of the structure)
  • Lender (if real estate asset financing)

Financial commitment

  • Included in ongoing Retainer #2

Deliverable

Signed LOI with exclusivity period. Validated deal structure. Financing plan established. Exit conditions defined.

6

Due Diligence & Legal Structure

3–6 weeks ▼

Work performed

  • Financial due diligence: 3 years of tax returns, bank statements, payroll, AR/AP
  • Operational due diligence: site visits, interviews with key staff, suppliers
  • Coordination of legal DD (attorney) and tax DD (CPA)
  • Immigration DD: verifying the business structure meets I-526E requirements
  • Legal structure choice — a decision that shapes Phase 7: asset acquisition via LLC, or share purchase followed by absorption into a holding company
  • Go / renegotiate / no-go summary

Partners involved

  • Business attorney: contracts, licenses, lease, disputes
  • CPA: tax validation, accounting red flags
  • Immigration attorney: EB-5 structure compliance
  • Others as needed — e.g. insurance broker for coverage assessment

Financial commitment

  • Included in ongoing Retainer #2

Deliverable

Consolidated DD report: financial summary, legal points resolved, license status, EB-5 compliance. Legal structure finalized. Any price adjustments negotiated.

7

Legal Structuring & Immigration Business Plan

3–4 weeks — in parallel with the end of DD ▼

What I do

  • Coordination of entity formation (Corp, LLC, or holding) with the business attorney and CPA
  • Opening the commercial bank account (foreign KYC)
  • Coordination with the immigration attorney on the I-526E file
  • Contribution to the immigration business plan — by this stage all financial and operational data is available, which significantly speeds up drafting and improves quality. A "Matter of Ho" business plan outsourced to a specialized firm typically costs a few thousand dollars depending on complexity: this service is included in your engagement.
  • Financing coordination if applicable (FR or US real estate collateral)
  • Coordination of required insurance coverage

Partners involved

  • Business attorney: LLC / holding, operating agreement, EIN
  • Immigration attorney: I-526E, immigration business plan
  • Commercial bank: account, KYC, possible financing
  • Insurance broker: coverage before closing

Financial commitment

  • Included in ongoing Retainer #2

Deliverable

Entity formed with EIN. Bank account opened. I-526E file in preparation. Business plan written. Financing confirmed. Insurance in place. Everything is ready for closing.

8

Closing

1–2 weeks ▼

What I do

  • Coordination of closing across all parties
  • Verification that all conditions precedent are satisfied
  • Presence or representation at closing — you can be remote
  • Follow-up on immediate post-closing transfers: licenses, contracts, inventory

Partners involved

  • Closing attorney: APA, bill of sale, closing statement
  • Title company: escrow, UCC search, payoff
  • Attorney: lease assignment, license transfer
  • Bank: wire transfer of funds

Financial commitment

  • Buyer commission + WCR co-brokerage at closing, net of retainers already paid (WCR)

Deliverable

Signed Asset Purchase Agreement. Full transfer of assets, licenses, inventory. Keys handed over.

EB-5 Point of Attention

The business is acquired before USCIS approves the I-526E filing. The two tracks are independent: the acquisition is final upon signing the APA, regardless of the outcome of the immigration process. This point is explained starting in Phase 0 and is stated in the mandate. Your immigration attorney is your exclusive point of contact on this matter.

Partner fees (attorney, CPA, immigration attorney, insurance broker…) are billed directly by each provider. I can negotiate on your behalf, recommend, or even choose for you. I take no margin on their services and have no referral fee arrangement.
Fees

What this mandate costs

Two entities, two logics: advisory fees before closing (not contingent) · World Class Realty at closing (contingent).

Advisory Fees — Before closing
Retainer #1
$7,500
Retainer #2
$10,000
Total before closing
$17,500
World Class Realty — At closing
Buyer commission
2.0%
on the transaction price
Co-brokerage
~2.0% covered by the seller's agent — no additional cost to the buyer

Worked example — $1,500,000 business

Retainers #1 + #2 (paid before closing) $17,500
Buyer commission at closing (2.0% × $1,500,000) $30,000
— of which retainers already paid − $17,500
Balance due at closing $12,500
Total cost to the buyer $30,000

On my end, the seller's agent shares back ~2% under a private agreement — with no impact on your cost. If the deal doesn't close, the retainers remain earned for the work completed together.

I take no margin on partner fees — attorney, CPA, immigration attorney — who bill you directly. You know their cost before you commit.

Your project deserves a dedicated, competent, trustworthy team.

Every phase described in this roadmap is direct proof of that — regardless of whether you choose me as your advisor.

Book the Qualification Call