Eli I. Silverstein, Founder of Bamboo Bridge Advisors and a Partner in the United Continents Group, a partnership with Prem Behl’s Exhibitions India Group, has spent over a decade living and working in East Asia.
With degrees from Cornell University, Cambridge University, and Peking University, Silverstein, who pioneered the instruction of Chinese Law at the University-level in America has shifted his focus to India.
Silverstein, who is frequently invited by New York City’s Department of Education to speak on the topic of”Global Education,” intends to “unite continents” by assisting Indian nationals in that first step to an American Passport and to unlocking the opportunities therein.
Silverstein has been living in India for the last year. We had the opportunity to sit down with him to discuss his latest project.
Zakir Hussein
Editor
International News and Views Corporation
1. Tell me about the United Continents Group.
The UCG is promoting the EB-5 Visa Program, through which eligible Indian nationals can receive a US Green Card.
The United Continents Group (UCG) is a partnership between Delhi’s Exhibitions India Group, led by Prem Behl, and New York’s Bamboo Bridge Advisors, of which I am the founder.
As a partnership, we at the UCG intend to assist Indian nationals who dream of global opportunity, of international wealth, and of world experience.
We believe that territorial boundaries should never serve as barricades to education, to business, and to experience.
2. Who is Eli Silverstein and what brought you to India?
With over a decade of experience in East Asia, having pioneered instruction of Chinese Law at the University-level in America, I would say that I am a China-scholar who recognizes the greater potential of India.
My interest in Asia has always been academically motivated, which gave rise to a keen awareness of market trends.
When approached by the developers of a Marriott Hotel in New York City to raise EB-5 Visa Funds, I agreed to do so only if I could raise the funds in India.
3. While India is quite familiar with the H1-B Visa, can you tell our readers about the EB-5 VisaProgram?
EB-5 is extremely popular, particularly in China, with over 60,000 Green Cards having been granted.
The EB-5 Visa Program, generally speaking, enables a foreign national (along with their spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21) to obtain a green card (“permanent residency”) by investing, at a minimum, $500,000 into a qualified American business.
Unlike the H1-B Visa, which is limited to those seeking employment in specialty occupations, individuals holding an EB-5 Visa can pursue not just employment in America, but University education as well.
4. What EB-5 project is UCG currently representing?
UCG clients have exclusive access to the development of a Marriott Autograph Collection Hotel in the Hudson Yards District of Manhattan. The Marriott Hotel, which will be known as the Hudson Yards Hotel, will be constructed at 432 W 31st Street in the Hudson Yards district of Manhattan – America’s largest development project to date rising at a price tag of $20 billion.
With 25 floors and 226 rooms, the Hudson Yards Hotel will service a robust business and leisure traveler market. Situated directly across from the “Culture Shed,” Hudson Yard’s 170,000 sq. ft. exhibition space that is likely to serve as the permanent home for NY Fashion Week, Marriott’s Hudson Yards Hotel will cost an estimated $120 million, of which $30 million will be raised from 60 Indian EB-5 candidates.
5. What is the role of UCG in the EB-5 market?
The UCGworks directly with New York City real estate developers to offer a strategy that is most advantageous to the EB-5 applicant.
This strategy includes:
1) A refund of the investment capital should the EB-5 petition be denied by the US. This refund is not government mandatedand not offered by any other company other than UCG.
2) A due diligence protocol by UCGthat completes United States documentationbefore any international transfer of money.
3) An annual return of no less than 3% on a New York City real estate project that is qualified by the US government.
6. Can you talk about your underlying motivation for promoting EB-5?
Promoting entry into America through EB-5 can grant Indian nationals access to the opportunities that maximize potential personal and economic growth.
The EB-5 Visa Program is the first step to a Green Card and an American Passport, which are keys to educational and economic freedom.
It is my hope that I can be a catalyst towards helping Indian nationals unlock the potential of their future in the United States.
