Michelle Tavares on Why Compliance Teams Need EB-5 on Their Radar

In this episode, Tom Fox welcomes Michelle Tavares, a former federal government forensic accountant and former USCIS EB-5 compliance officer who helped rewrite the EB-5 statute into the Reform and Integrity Act (RIA). Tavares explains EB-5 as an investor visa program where foreign nationals invest $1,000,000 (or $800,000 in a TEA) in U.S. projects that must create jobs, and she describes how EB-5 transactions sit at the intersection of immigration, securities, banking/AML, and corporate governance, making consistent documentation and a unified “story” critical for adjudication. She outlines the roles of regional centers, NCEs, and JCEs; the challenges of proving a lawful source of funds; and the importance of third-party oversight, KYC/AML controls, and tone-from-the-top governance. She discusses how RIA added compliance expectations, penalties, and increased scrutiny of regional centers and overseas promoters, and shares why she founded Standard & Proof Investigations to close knowledge gaps in EB-5 compliance. Key Highlights: EB-5 Basics and Why It Matters RIA Overhaul and New Compliance Inside the Adjudicator Mindset Boardroom Governance for EB-5 Third-Party Oversight Essentials Resources: Standard & Proof Investigations Counsel Ready Michelle Tavares on LinkedIn Tom Fox Instagram Facebook YouTube Twitter LinkedIn My first work of general non-fiction is now out: Deluge Before Dawn, the story of the 2025 flood in Kerr County, Texas, which killed 119 people and devastated a county. It is a story of tragedy, heartbreak, survival, and resilience. It is available on the following sites: Amazon.com Stoney Creek Publishing Barnes and Noble Texas A&M University Press Bookshop.org Google.Books Walmart This week only, the Kindle e-book version is available for $0.99 on Amazon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices