EB-5, Expats & Students

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EB-5 Insurance

E&M Global Insurance understands that everyone moving to the United States is seeking world-class medical/health insurance coverage.

Insurance for Expatriates and International Students

Parties we help with international insurance includes foreign investors, expatriates and other immigrants, as well as international students.

We work directly with attorneys, accountants and regional centers, and we know the challenges – and advantages – of the many different visas and programs.

Part of our duty is to review a client’s current medical/health insurance policy and make sure any new plan is up to the care they are accustomed to – and expect

International Student Discussing Insurance

Advantages of medical/health insurance through E&M Global Insurance:

As a Cigna Preferred Agency, we can provide additional savings to our clients.
Our partners can speak the language of your clients.
Besides medical/health insurance, we also offer life, disability and long term care insurance.
Auto and property insurance is also available in select areas.

Some of the U.S. visa categories that will benefit from E&M Global Insurance coverage are:

L-1 Visa – for Intra-Company Transfer of Personnel (non-immigrant visa)
EB-2 Visa – for those with advanced degrees, or exceptional ability in the sciences, arts or business
EB-5 Visa – for foreign entrepreneurs who invest at least $500,000 in the U.S. economy
F-1 and M-1 International Student Visas
J-1 Exchange Visas – short-term approved sponsorships for teaching, study, research, consulting or training

Insurance for Foreign Investors

Two of the most popular visas for foreign investors are the EB-2 and EB-5 programs

EB-2 Visa Program

One of the most sought after by foreign nationals, this via program is specifically for:

Those who hold an advanced degree (or its equivalent) – EB-2A Visa; or
Those who have exceptional ability in the sciences, arts, or business – EB-2B Visa; or
Those with exceptional ability and whose employment would be in the national interest of the U.S. –EB-NIW Visa (National Interest Waiver).

Applicants include architects, engineers, lawyers, professors, teachers, physicians, surgeons and other doctors. Those applying for the EB-2B Visa or National Interest Waiver Visa must meet at least 3 of the following criteria:

Official academic record demonstrating a degree, diploma, certificate, or similar award from a college, university, school, or other institution of learning relating to the applicant’s area of exceptional ability
Letters documenting at least 10 years of full-time experience in the applicant’s occupation
A license to practice the applicant’s profession or certification for his or her profession or occupation
Evidence that the applicant has commanded a salary or other remuneration for services that demonstrates his or her exceptional ability
Membership in a professional association(s)
Recognition for the applicant’s achievements and significant contributions to his or her industry or field by peers, government entities, professional or business organizations
Other comparable evidence of eligibility.

EB-2B Visa applicants are required to have a permanent job offer from a U.S. employer who will be the applicant’s sponsor.

EB-NIW Visa applicants are often researchers, practitioners and entrepreneurs who have exceptional abilities. These applicants for the National Interest Waiver Visa must demonstrate that their contributions will make a significant difference to the national interest of the U.S. in areas such as the economy, education, health care, housing, environment and culture. They are not required to have a job offer from a U.S. employer.

For all EB Visas, the applicant’s spouse and unmarried children who are under 18 years old may be admitted to the U.S. under E-21 and E-22 immigrant status.

The applicant and his/her family may apply for permanent resident status (Green Card).Learn more about the EB-2 Visa Program here. You can also take a quiz on the USCIS website to see if you qualify.

EB-5 Immigrant Investors Visa Program

Enacted by the US Congress in 1990, the EB-5 immigrant investors visa program was designed to stimulate the US economy through job creation and capital investment (EB-5 stands for Employment Based).

This program allows foreign entrepreneurs to speed up the process of receiving a green card by investing a minimum of $500,000 in American projects to create a minimum of

10 verifiable full time jobs in the US. Entrepreneurs, their spouse, and unmarried children under the age of 21 can stay in the United States with an EB-5 visa.

This makes it a popular visa category for foreign investors seeking expedited permanent residency and their Green Card, and many investors view the program’s benefits as a counterbalance to the potentially lowered return on investment of operating in the United States.

Benefits of the EB-5 Visa for foreign investors include:

Being able to select their preferred place of residency within the United States.
Obtain world class education for their children through public schools and receive in-state tuition rates as opposed to international rates.
Start a new life in the Land of Opportunity for the entrepreneur and their family.

Insurance for Expatriates, International Students and Exchange Visitors

E&M Global Insurance coverage is available to foreign applicants in multiple visa categories:

L-1 Visa Program

This non-immigrant visa is specifically for the intra-company transfer of personnel, or for a foreign company starting a new office in the U.S. When a foreign company transfers an employee to one of its U.S. based branches, affiliates or subsidiary company, they must meet a number of requirements for the L-I Visa, including the following:

The U.S. based company and foreign company must have the same ownership
The employee must be at the executive or managerial level (L1-A Visa), or perform a specialized function (L1-B Visa).*
The employee must have been employed by the foreign company for at least one continuous year of the preceding 3 years.
The petition must prove that the employee – if an executive or manager – will serve in a similar essential capacity in the U.S. based company.

This visa is:

Granted initially for 3 years (unless opening a new office in the U.S., where the visa is granted for one year).
Can be renewed up to five years.
Allows the employee to apply for L-2 non-immigrant visas for his or her spouse and unmarried children under 21 years old.

Learn more about the L-1 Visa here.

* L1-B Visa: This type of employee must have specialized knowledge, as defined by US immigration law.

F-1 and M-1 Student Visa Program

These non-immigrant visas are for full-time students who wish to study in the United States. Applicants must :

Be enrolled as a full-time student in an “academic” educational program, a language-training program, or a vocational program in a school that is approved by the Student and Exchange Visitors Program, Immigration & Customs Enforcement.
Be proficient in English or be enrolled in courses leading to English proficiency.
Have sufficient funds available for self-support during the entire proposed course of
study.
Maintain a residence abroad

International Students Discussing F-1 and M-1 Visas

F-1 Student Visas are for full-time students at an accredited college or learning institution who are enrolled in educational programs that culminate in a degree, diploma or certificate.

M-1 Vocational Student Visas are for students who are enrolled in vocational or other nonacademic programs, other than language training.

Some visa classifications permit the student’s foreign national spouse or unmarried child under the age of 21 to apply for F-2 or M-2 Visas.

During the first academic year, students may not work off campus, but may accept on-campus employment subject to specific conditions. After the first year of study, F-1 students can engage in authorized off-campus employment related to their area of study. M-1 students must first complete their studies before they can engage in practical training.

Learn more about F-1 and M-1 Visas here. You can get more information about the U.S. Student and Visa Exchange Program here.

J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa Program

Foreign visitors can apply for this visa to teach, lecture, study, conduct research, consult, demonstrate special skills, receive training, or receive graduate medical education or training in an approved program. Applicants must be sponsored by designated public or private entities.

Some examples of exchange visitors are:

Professors or scholars, research assistants, students, trainees, teachers, specialists, camp counselors, and nannies or au pairs.*

J-1 visa holders are not immigrants, and their employment in the U.S. is permitted only under the terms of the exchange program

The applicant’s spouse and unmarried children under 21 years old can apply as J-2 visa holders and are entitled at work in the U.S., as long as their income does not support the J-1 visa holder.

Learn more about J-1 and J-2 Visas here. You can get more information about the Au Pair Program here.

*The Au Pair program is a cultural exchange program for exchange visitors between 18 and 26 years old, who provide child care services to their host families while attending an institution of higher education in the U.S.

E&M Global Insurance understands the challenges of getting to the United States.

We’ll make sure proper insurance isn’t one of them.

CONTACT US AND LET US TAKE CARE OF YOUR INSURANCE NEEDS

Resources:

How do I hire a foreign national for short-term employment in the United States?

L-1: Intracompany Transferee, Executive or Manager

EB-2: Employment-based immigration

EB-2: General Requirements

EB-2: Exceptional Ability Visa questions

EB-2 NIW: National Interest Waiver requirements

EB-5: Immigrant Investor Program

U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement: Student and Exchange Visitor Program