In EB5 Investors Magazine’s listing of the “Top 25 Immigration Attorneys” of 2022, Houston partner Christian A. Triantaphyllis was featured among the industry’s most distinguished EB-5 attorneys for the fifth consecutive year.
To be eligible, distinguished immigration attorneys needed to primarily file investor petitions and be available to the public. Honorees were selected by a community-wide nomination and voting process along with editorial input, and are ultimately chosen based on their industry experience, track record, and reputation.
As Chair of Jackson Walker’s Business Immigration & Compliance practice, Christian has expanded the firm’s experience helping businesses, individuals, and families navigate the complex process of obtaining a U.S. work visa or permanent resident status. He is particularly experienced assisting foreign nationals, entrepreneurs, and high-net worth families from around the world through the EB-5 visa program, preparing and filing I-526 petitions and I-829 petitions for regional centers and direct investors. Christian also specializes in E-2 investor visas and L-1 New Office visas for start-up companies in the United States, and advises foreign nationals and U.S. companies on immigration law compliance matters in accordance with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Department of State.
Outside of his practice, Christian volunteers his time as a member of the Texas chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and is a member of the National Peace Corps Association.
The Top 25 Attorneys edition of EB5 Investors Magazine included Q&As with this year’s top immigration attorneys. In his Q&A, Christian discussed the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act and trends in the EB-5 industry. Here are his responses:
What do you think about the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022?
I am excited about what the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 has to offer to EB-5 investors and regional centers. As someone who has been following closely potential new EB-5 legislation since it became a possibility in 2015, I am relieved and optimistic about the positive impact the new legislation will have on the EB-5 industry. Overall, I think the highlights of the legislation include grandfathering of already filed investors, the longer term reauthorization of the regional center program, increased investor protection, and attempts to accelerate processing times, which puts the EB-5 industry in position to thrive.
What new trends are you seeing in the EB-5 industry?
The early trends in the EB-5 industry due to the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 include a strong interest in rural projects to take advantage of reserved visas and priority processing, and a reinvigorated interest in the regional center program by developers of EB-5 projects. Also, the increased investment levels appear to be manageable for EB-5 investors so far and have not deterred too many immigrant investors I have spoken with about the EB-5 program over the last several months, but it will be interesting to see whether initial interest is due to pent-up demand from last year.
To view Christian’s profile and the full list of honorees, click here.
Recently, Christian has spoken about and published insights on the Jackson Walker website regarding changes to the EB-5 program. For more information, view the following articles:
