Florida Targeted Employment Areas for EB-5 Investments

As EB-5 investor visa programs use foreign investments to build economically stable and sustainable developments within the United States, the program requires a lower investment for projects in areas that most need them in order to gain visas. For example, an individual investor is typically required to contribute at least $1 million toward a project in order to obtain a visa for him or her and their family. But if the project is located in a Targeted Employment Area (TEA), the investment requirements lessen to $500,000.

What Qualifies as a Targeted Employment Area (TEA)?

According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a Targeted Employment Area is a rural area or non-rural area that is suffering from high unemployment. The unemployment level of an area must equal 150 percent of the national unemployment rate during a comparable 12-month period in order for a non-rural area to be considered a TEA. Rural areas are defined as those areas not located in a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) or within a city or town with a population over 20,000. The State of Florida currently maintains 33 Targeted Employment Areas, as defined by the EB-5 Investor Visa Program.

Rural Regions

Regions considered rural by the USCIS, thus also named as Targeted Employment Areas, include the following:

• Bradford County
• Calhoun County
• Citrus County
• Columbia County
• DeSoto County
• Dixie County
• Franklin County
• Glades County
• Gulf County
• Hamilton County
• Hardee County
• Hendry County
• Jackson County
• Lafayette County
• Levy County
• Liberty County
• Madison County
• Monroe County (excluding Key West)
• Okeechobee County
• Putnam County
• Sumter County
• Suwanee County
• Taylor County
• Union County
• Walton County
• Washington County

Non-Rural Regions

Non-rural, high-unemployment zones—which are either whole MSAs, component counties of multicounty MSAs, or cities with populations over 20,000—whose unemployment was 150 percent higher than the 2011 national average of 8.9 percent, include the following (listed zone, percent unemployment):

Palm Coast MSA (Flagler County), 14.1 percent
Hernando County, 13.4 percent
Hialeah City (in Miami-Dade County), 14.1 percent
Miami Gardens City (in Miami-Dade County), 14.8 percent
Fort Pierce City (in St. Lucie County), 15.8 percent

If seeking unemployment statistics for smaller areas, the Labor Market Statistics (LMS) Center can provide estimates. It is also important to note that if seeking EB-5 investment visa approval, inquiring into the labor statistics as a last step ensures the data is the most recent.

For more information on the EB-5 Investor Visa Program, as well as information on current Florida EB-5-funded projects, visit Florida Regional Center.