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WHITBY · EB-5 FIELD GUIDE

Does a regional-centre connection qualify someone to advise me?

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THE DIRECT ANSWER

Not by itself. Regional-centre designation concerns the programme and does not establish an individual’s legal, financial or securities qualifications. The person’s actual role and applicable professional requirements need separate verification.

Ask what advice is being provided

Request written information about services, representation and compensation. Check relevant credentials using appropriate official or regulatory records, and obtain independent advice where the decision requires it. A promoter may supply useful project information without assessing your personal immigration case or investment suitability.

Neither a professional credential nor a project connection guarantees approval, repayment or a favourable commercial result. Titles on a business card describe a job, not a permission. The person who can assess whether your particular case meets the eligibility conditions — capital genuinely at risk, a new commercial enterprise, the required job creation, and lawfully sourced funds — is an immigration lawyer engaged by you, and no other role in the transaction substitutes for that.

Put the question of representation directly to each participant, and treat an evasive answer as an answer. Hypothetical example: an investor introduced to an academic publishing services project is told the sponsor’s counsel will handle the immigration filing, which may be entirely competent while still leaving the investor with nobody whose duty runs to the investor. Deciding who represents you comes first, before any question about the project itself.