I 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4659 

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make the EB-5 regional 

center program permanent, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 13, 2014 

Mr. SCHOCK introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make 

the EB-5 regional center program permanent, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘EB-5 Regional Center 

5 Extension Act of 2014’’. 

6 SEC. 2. REMOVAL OF PER COUNTRY NUMERICAL CAPS ON 

7 EMPLOYMENT VISAS. 

8 Section 202(a)(2) of the Immigration and Nationality 

9 Act (8 U.S.C. 1152) is amended by striking ‘‘subsections 


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1 (a) and (b) of section 203’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (a) 

2 of section 203’’. 

3 SEC. 3. REGIONAL CENTER PROGRAM MADE PERMANENT. 

4 Section 203(b)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality 

5 Act (8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(5)) is amended by adding at the 

6 end the following: 

7 ‘‘(E) REGIONAL CENTER PROGRAM.— 

8 ‘‘(i) SET ASIDE.—Not less than 3,000 

9 of the visas made available under this 

10 paragraph in each fiscal year shall be re11 served for qualified immigrants for a pro12 gram to implement the provisions of this 

13 paragraph. 

14 ‘‘(ii) IN GENERAL.—The program re15 ferred to in clause (i) shall involve a re16 gional center in the United States, des17 ignated by the Secretary of Homeland Se18 curity on the basis of a general proposal, 

19 for the promotion of economic growth, in20 cluding increased export sales, improved 

21 regional productivity, job creation, or in22 creased domestic capital investment. A re23 gional center shall have jurisdiction over a 

24 limited geographic area, which shall be de25 scribed in the proposal and consistent with 


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1 the purpose of concentrating pooled invest2 ment in defined economic zones. The es3 tablishment of a regional center may be 

4 based on general predictions, contained in 

5 the proposal, concerning the kinds of com6 mercial enterprises that will receive capital 

7 from aliens, the jobs that will be created 

8 directly or indirectly as a result of such 

9 capital investments, and the other positive 

10 economic effects such capital investments 

11 will have. 

12 ‘‘(iii) RULE FOR DETERMINING COM13 PLIANCE WITH JOB CREATION REQUIRE14 MENTS.—For purposes of determining 

15 compliance with subparagraph (A)(ii), and 

16 notwithstanding the requirements of 8 

17 CFR 204.6, the Secretary of Homeland 

18 Security shall permit aliens admitted under 

19 the program described in this subpara20 graph to establish reasonable methodolo21 gies for determining the number of jobs 

22 created by the program, including such 

23 jobs which are estimated to have been cre24 ated indirectly through revenues generated 

25 from increased exports, improved regional 


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1 productivity, job creation, or increased do2 mestic capital investment resulting from 

3 the program.’’. 

4 SEC. 4. PRIORITY CONSIDERATION FOR REGIONAL CENTER 

5 APPLICANTS. 

6 Section 204(a)(1)(H) of the Immigration and Nation7 ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1154(a)(1)(H)) is amended by adding 

8 at the end the following: ‘‘In processing petitions under 

9 this subparagraph, the Secretary of Homeland Security 

10 may give priority to petitions filed by aliens seeking admis11 sion under the program described in section 203(b)(5)(E). 

12 Notwithstanding section 203(e), immigrant visas made 

13 available under section 203(b)(5) may be issued to such 

14 aliens in an order that takes into account any priority ac15 corded under the preceding sentence.’’. 

16 SEC. 5. CONFORMING AMENDMENT. 

17 Section 610 of Public Law 102–395 (8 U.S.C. 1153 

18 note) is hereby repealed. 

Æ 


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