Important Updates
Important Updates
September 4, 2025 | OmanOman: New Licensing Requirement for Select Roles 
September 5, 2025 | SingaporeFragomen and Regional Partner for the Asia Pacific Mark Buchanan Named 2025 FEM APAC EMMAs Winners
September 5, 2025 | United StatesPartner Archana Iyer Wins "Innovation Award" at The New York Law Journal's 2025 New York Legal Awards
September 5, 2025 | United StatesTimes of India: A War on Fraud: USCIS to Train Special Armed Agents with Powers to Arrest Applicants and Lawyers
September 5, 2025 | United StatesUnited States: DHS Announces End of Temporary Protected Status for 2021 Venezuela Designation
September 4, 2025 | OmanOman: New Licensing Requirement for Select Roles 
September 5, 2025 | SingaporeFragomen and Regional Partner for the Asia Pacific Mark Buchanan Named 2025 FEM APAC EMMAs Winners
September 5, 2025 | United StatesPartner Archana Iyer Wins "Innovation Award" at The New York Law Journal's 2025 New York Legal Awards
September 5, 2025 | United StatesTimes of India: A War on Fraud: USCIS to Train Special Armed Agents with Powers to Arrest Applicants and Lawyers
September 5, 2025 | United StatesUnited States: DHS Announces End of Temporary Protected Status for 2021 Venezuela Designation
September 4, 2025 | OmanOman: New Licensing Requirement for Select Roles 
Subscribe
Fragomen.com home
Select Language
  • English
  • French
  • French - Canadian
  • German

Select Language

  • English
  • French
  • French - Canadian
  • German
ContactCareersMediaClient Portal
Search Fragomen.com
  • Our Services
    For EmployersFor IndividualsBy IndustryCase Studies
  • Our Tech & Innovation
  • Our People
  • Our Insights
    Worldwide Immigration Trends ReportsMagellan SeriesImmigration AlertsEventsMedia MentionsFragomen NewsBlogsPodcasts & Videos
  • Spotlights
    Navigating Immigration Under the Second Trump AdministrationTravel & Mobility Considerations: Situation in the Middle EastImmigration Matters: Your U.S. Compliance RoadmapHumanitarian and Evolving Legal Pathways (HELP)Vietnamese ImmigrationView More
  • About Us
    About FragomenOfficesResponsible Business PracticesFirm GovernanceRecognition

Our Services

  • For Employers
  • For Individuals
  • By Industry
  • Case Studies

Our Tech & Innovation

  • Our Approach

Our People

  • Overview / Directory

Our Insights

  • Worldwide Immigration Trends Reports
  • Magellan Series
  • Immigration Alerts
  • Events
  • Media Mentions
  • Fragomen News
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts & Videos

Spotlights

  • Navigating Immigration Under the Second Trump Administration
  • Travel & Mobility Considerations: Situation in the Middle East
  • Immigration Matters: Your U.S. Compliance Roadmap
  • Humanitarian and Evolving Legal Pathways (HELP)
  • Vietnamese Immigration
  • View More

About Us

  • About Fragomen
  • Offices
  • Responsible Business Practices
  • Firm Governance
  • Recognition
Select Language
  • English
  • French
  • French - Canadian
  • German

Select Language

  • English
  • French
  • French - Canadian
  • German
ContactCareersMediaClient Portal
  • Insights

EB-5 Debate Tackles the TEA Designation – Part II

February 24, 2016

Chad Ellsworth

Country / Territory

  • United StatesUnited States

Related contacts

Chad Blocker

Chad Ellsworth

Partner

San Francisco, CA, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 212 230 2826

Related offices

  • Atlanta, GA
  • Boston, MA
  • Chicago, IL
  • Miami, FL
  • Dallas, TX
  • Houston, TX
  • Irvine, CA
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Matawan, NJ
  • New York, NY
  • Phoenix, AZ
  • San Diego, CA
  • San Francisco, CA
  • San Jose
  • Silicon Valley, CA
  • Detroit, MI
  • Washington, DC

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Related contacts

Chad Blocker

Chad Ellsworth

Partner

San Francisco, CA, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 212 230 2826

Related offices

  • Atlanta, GA
  • Boston, MA
  • Chicago, IL
  • Miami, FL
  • Dallas, TX
  • Houston, TX
  • Irvine, CA
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Matawan, NJ
  • New York, NY
  • Phoenix, AZ
  • San Diego, CA
  • San Francisco, CA
  • San Jose
  • Silicon Valley, CA
  • Detroit, MI
  • Washington, DC

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Related contacts

Chad Blocker

Chad Ellsworth

Partner

San Francisco, CA, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 212 230 2826

Related offices

  • Atlanta, GA
  • Boston, MA
  • Chicago, IL
  • Miami, FL
  • Dallas, TX
  • Houston, TX
  • Irvine, CA
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Matawan, NJ
  • New York, NY
  • Phoenix, AZ
  • San Diego, CA
  • San Francisco, CA
  • San Jose
  • Silicon Valley, CA
  • Detroit, MI
  • Washington, DC

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

By: Chad Ellsworth

This is part 2 in a two part series. Click here to read part 1.

If the December 12, 2015, draft, titled the American Job Creation and Investment Promotion Reform Act of 2015, is used as baseline for this year’s proposed legislation, the TEA definition would be limited to EB-5 projects which qualify under one of the following standards. Again, if incorporated into future legislation, these changes would likely limit the ability of urban projects to qualify for TEAs:

  • Priority Urban Investment Areas (“PUIA”), defined as a single census tract or bordering tracts, each in a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and, using the most recent census data available, each of which has (1) an unemployment rate that is 150 percent of the national average unemployment rate, which may also include any census tract or tracts contiguous to 1 or more of the tracts that have the requisite unemployment rate; (2) a poverty rate of at least 20 percent; or (3) a medium family income that is no more than 80 percent of the applicable area medium income.
  • Special Investment Zones (“SIZ”), defined as (1) a city or county with an unemployment rate that is 150 percent of the national average; or (2) an area of no more than 12 contiguous census tracts bordering the primary physical location of the project, which has an unemployment rate of 150 percent of the national average.  
 
We read with great interest a working article titled “What TEA Projects Might Look Like Under EB-5 2.0: Alternatives Illustrated with Maps and Data (working draft)” published by Professor Jeanne Calderon and Scholar-in-Residence Gary Friedland from the NYU Stern School of Business, available at the following link: http://www.stern.nyu.edu/sites/default/files/assets/documents/What-TEA-Projects-Might-Look-Like-under-EB5-2.0-Alternatives-with-Maps-and-Data_0.pdf. Calderon and Friedland’s insightful article provides additional, in-depth analysis of how New York City would be impacted by the proposed changes to the TEA designation. 
 

Many urban projects are likely to fail the PUIA approach, as this methodology only grants TEA designation to EB-5 projects which are either 1) actually located in a census tract which meets one of the “High Unemployment”, “High Poverty” or “Median Family Income” standards set in the above PUIA definition, or 2) which meets one of the “High Unemployment”, “High Poverty” or “Median Family Income” standards set in the above PUIA definition with the help of bordering census tracts.[1] Further, the use of bordering census tracts under PUIA may effectively be rendered meaningless under the language of the December 12 draft, as the language “each of which” suggests that all census tracts used must individually meet one of the three the standards set in the definition, and thus the EB-5 Project Tract must be located in a qualifying census tract in any case.[2]

Many urban projects will not pass under any of the “High Unemployment”, “High Poverty” or “Median Family Income” options set in the PUIA definition. For example, in examining the most recent census data available[3], the borough of Manhattan in New York City has very few tracts which meet any of the above mentioned three requirements.[4] Based on the available census data, for the area below 96th Street in Manhattan, only 9 tracts would meet the “High Unemployment” standard and 33 would meet the “High Poverty” or “Median Family Income” standard under PUIA.[5]

The December 12 draft also provides a SIZ approach for TEA designation, which allows projects to extend the geographic boundaries beyond the project tract and review tracts with high unemployment rate to bring up the average unemployment rate of the combined area in order to meet the 150% threshold. However, the ability to extend the geographic region far beyond the project tract in order to reach high unemployment tract(s) is extremely limited based on the definitional language, which only allows extension up to 12 census tracts, all of which must be in the same county, and which must include all bordering census tracts to the Project Location. Additionally, the SIZ approach in the December 12 draft does not include areas with little residential population, such as parks, forests, or large bodies of water. Given these restrictions, a large number of projects in urban areas are unlikely to qualify as TEAs based on the SIZ approach.

As applied to Manhattan, the SIZ approach is unlikely to qualify many Project Locations in the Midtown and Downtown sections of the city, as it is likely that these Project Locations would need to extend over 12 tracts to reach a high unemployment tract. Further, with the exclusion of public parks, projects that are located along or near Central Park can no longer use the park to connect with the tracts on the other side of the park. Additionally, as all bordering tracts must be included in the total 12 census tract count, projects located in the popular development areas of Midtown, Upper East Side, or Upper West Side of Manhattan, are unlikely to extend far beyond their immediate proximity to reach a high unemployment tract. 

[1] The “High Unemployment” prong under PUIA also allows the use of census tracts contiguous to neighboring tracts to be considered in the analysis. Additionally, the PUIA approach also provides two additional avenues for granting TEA designation for EB-5 projects, in areas of “High Poverty” or areas which have a “Median Family Income” that is no more than 80 percent of the applicable area medium income. The High Poverty and Median Family Income avenues do not allow for the combination of census tracts which are contiguous to neighboring tracts to be considered in the analysis. 

[2] Previous drafts of compromise legislation did not include the “each of which” language, and based on legislative intent, it is likely that it was intended for a Project tract to qualify under PUIA if the weighted average of the combined area (including bordering tracts) meets any of the thresholds.

[3] The U.S. Census is held every ten years, with the most recent census data from 2010. It is unclear based on current guidance whether the U.S. Census data is considered the most current data available for TEA test purposes. 

[4]In Manhattan, the average unemployment rate has steadily and significantly declined over the last three years, from 7.7% in July 2013 to 4.7% in July 2015, lower than the national average. See http://www.bls.gov/regions/new-york-new-jersey/news-release/unemployment_newyorkarea.htm

[5] Calderon and Friedland, What TEA Projects Might Look Like Under EB-5 2.0: Alternatives Illustrated with Maps and Data (working draft), December 23, 2015, Center for Real Estate Finance Research, NYC Stern. Manhattan areas below 96th street are generally considered prime development areas in New York City.

 

Country / Territory

  • United StatesUnited States

Related contacts

Chad Blocker

Chad Ellsworth

Partner

San Francisco, CA, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 212 230 2826

Related offices

  • Atlanta, GA
  • Boston, MA
  • Chicago, IL
  • Miami, FL
  • Dallas, TX
  • Houston, TX
  • Irvine, CA
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Matawan, NJ
  • New York, NY
  • Phoenix, AZ
  • San Diego, CA
  • San Francisco, CA
  • San Jose
  • Silicon Valley, CA
  • Detroit, MI
  • Washington, DC

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Related contacts

Chad Blocker

Chad Ellsworth

Partner

San Francisco, CA, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 212 230 2826

Related offices

  • Atlanta, GA
  • Boston, MA
  • Chicago, IL
  • Miami, FL
  • Dallas, TX
  • Houston, TX
  • Irvine, CA
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Matawan, NJ
  • New York, NY
  • Phoenix, AZ
  • San Diego, CA
  • San Francisco, CA
  • San Jose
  • Silicon Valley, CA
  • Detroit, MI
  • Washington, DC

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Related contacts

Chad Blocker

Chad Ellsworth

Partner

San Francisco, CA, United States

Email

[email protected]

T:+1 212 230 2826

Related offices

  • Atlanta, GA
  • Boston, MA
  • Chicago, IL
  • Miami, FL
  • Dallas, TX
  • Houston, TX
  • Irvine, CA
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Matawan, NJ
  • New York, NY
  • Phoenix, AZ
  • San Diego, CA
  • San Francisco, CA
  • San Jose
  • Silicon Valley, CA
  • Detroit, MI
  • Washington, DC

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

Explore more at Fragomen

Awards

Fragomen and Regional Partner for the Asia Pacific Mark Buchanan Named 2025 FEM APAC EMMAs Winners

Fragomen and Regional Partner for the Asia Pacific Mark Buchanan were recognized at the 2025 FEM APAC EMMAs.

Learn more

Awards

Partner Archana Iyer Wins "Innovation Award" at The New York Law Journal's 2025 New York Legal Awards

Partner Archana Iyer won the "Innovation Award" at The New York Law Journal's 2025 New York Legal Awards.

Learn more

Media mentions

Times of India: A War on Fraud: USCIS to Train Special Armed Agents with Powers to Arrest Applicants and Lawyers

Senior Counsel Mitch Wexler discusses how USCIS’s new rule could potentially increase enforcement and affect how applicants interact with the US immigration system.

Learn more

Blog post

Red Carpet or Red Tape? Indonesia’s Immigration Strategy After the Election

Assistant Business Immigration Manager Raga Rasuanta discusses Indonesia’s post-election immigration strategy and its shift toward balancing openness to global talent with increased regulatory scrutiny.

Learn more

Fragomen news

2025年8月 アメリカ移民法ダイジェストLearn more

Fragomen news

Fragomen Center for Strategy and Applied Insights Names Leah Rogal Senior Director

Fragomen announces the appointment of Leah Rogal as Senior Director of its Center for Strategy and Applied Insights.

Learn more

Blog post

Moving to Saudi Arabia: How Orientation Programs Help Expats Adjust

Destination Services Manager Ali Sikandar discusses how orientation programmes in Saudi Arabia help expatriates adapt to cultural differences, workplace norms and everyday challenges, easing their transition into a new environment.

Learn more

Blog post

Exploring Self-Sponsored Visa Pathways in the UAE

Manager Olga Astapova outlines options for individuals to obtain residency without employer sponsorship, highlighting legal routes and strategic considerations.

Learn more

Video

Ireland 2025 Submission Period Opens for Consultation on Occupation Lists | #MobilityMinute

Senior Manager Fatima Aydin discusses Ireland's 2025 public consultation on the occupations lists, and how stakeholders such as employers can provide input.

Learn more

Blog post

Swiss Immigration Quotas 2025: Mid-Year Update

Manager Mihaela Dumitru outlines Switzerland's evolving immigration policies and quota adjustments for 2025.

Learn more

Video

German Citizenship by Descent Explained

Learn how to apply for German citizenship by descent. Discover eligibility under Article 116 and Section 15, benefits of EU citizenship and the step-by-step application process.

Learn more

Media mentions

Personnel Today: Immigration: Huge Fall in Health and Care Worker Visas

Partner Siobhan Owers discussed how visa reforms are reducing available international staff and creating workforce challenges in the UK care sector.

Learn more

Awards

Fragomen and Regional Partner for the Asia Pacific Mark Buchanan Named 2025 FEM APAC EMMAs Winners

Fragomen and Regional Partner for the Asia Pacific Mark Buchanan were recognized at the 2025 FEM APAC EMMAs.

Learn more

Awards

Partner Archana Iyer Wins "Innovation Award" at The New York Law Journal's 2025 New York Legal Awards

Partner Archana Iyer won the "Innovation Award" at The New York Law Journal's 2025 New York Legal Awards.

Learn more

Media mentions

Times of India: A War on Fraud: USCIS to Train Special Armed Agents with Powers to Arrest Applicants and Lawyers

Senior Counsel Mitch Wexler discusses how USCIS’s new rule could potentially increase enforcement and affect how applicants interact with the US immigration system.

Learn more

Blog post

Red Carpet or Red Tape? Indonesia’s Immigration Strategy After the Election

Assistant Business Immigration Manager Raga Rasuanta discusses Indonesia’s post-election immigration strategy and its shift toward balancing openness to global talent with increased regulatory scrutiny.

Learn more

Fragomen news

2025年8月 アメリカ移民法ダイジェストLearn more

Fragomen news

Fragomen Center for Strategy and Applied Insights Names Leah Rogal Senior Director

Fragomen announces the appointment of Leah Rogal as Senior Director of its Center for Strategy and Applied Insights.

Learn more

Blog post

Moving to Saudi Arabia: How Orientation Programs Help Expats Adjust

Destination Services Manager Ali Sikandar discusses how orientation programmes in Saudi Arabia help expatriates adapt to cultural differences, workplace norms and everyday challenges, easing their transition into a new environment.

Learn more

Blog post

Exploring Self-Sponsored Visa Pathways in the UAE

Manager Olga Astapova outlines options for individuals to obtain residency without employer sponsorship, highlighting legal routes and strategic considerations.

Learn more

Video

Ireland 2025 Submission Period Opens for Consultation on Occupation Lists | #MobilityMinute

Senior Manager Fatima Aydin discusses Ireland's 2025 public consultation on the occupations lists, and how stakeholders such as employers can provide input.

Learn more

Blog post

Swiss Immigration Quotas 2025: Mid-Year Update

Manager Mihaela Dumitru outlines Switzerland's evolving immigration policies and quota adjustments for 2025.

Learn more

Video

German Citizenship by Descent Explained

Learn how to apply for German citizenship by descent. Discover eligibility under Article 116 and Section 15, benefits of EU citizenship and the step-by-step application process.

Learn more

Media mentions

Personnel Today: Immigration: Huge Fall in Health and Care Worker Visas

Partner Siobhan Owers discussed how visa reforms are reducing available international staff and creating workforce challenges in the UK care sector.

Learn more

Stay in touch

Subscribe to receive our latest immigration alerts

Subscribe

Our firm

  • About
  • Careers
  • Firm Governance
  • Media Inquiries
  • Recognition

Information

  • Attorney Advertising
  • Legal Notices
  • Privacy Policies
  • UK Regulatory Requirements

Our firm

  • About
  • Careers
  • Firm Governance
  • Media Inquiries
  • Recognition

Information

  • Attorney Advertising
  • Legal Notices
  • Privacy Policies
  • UK Regulatory Requirements

Have a question?

Contact Us
  • LinkedIn
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

© 2025 Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP, Fragomen Global LLP and affiliates. All Rights Reserved.

Please note that the content made available on this site is not intended for visitors / customers located in the province of Quebec, and the information provided is not applicable to the Quebec market. To access relevant information that applies to the Quebec market, please click here.