Helping others pursue the American Dream is more than a professional mission for me—it’s deeply personal. I was born in Taiwan to a Chinese mother and an American father, a teacher at the Taipei American School during the 1960s when the U.S. maintained a significant military presence in the region. At the age of two, my family moved to Seattle, where I spent my formative years and eventually attended the University of Washington. This background shaped how I view the value of opportunity, hard work, and immigration. Today, I’m proud to focus on areas like financing for behavioral health, helping ensure access to care is within reach for those who need it most.
After spending 35 years in real estate development and 12 years immersed in the EB-5 business, I’ve found profound fulfillment in helping immigrant investors gain permanent residency in the U.S. by supporting ventures that serve the greater good. One of the most compelling sectors we work with today is behavioral health—an industry facing both soaring demand and growing financial challenges.
The EB-5 Visa Program: A Pathway to Opportunity
The EB-5 program—short for Employment-Based Fifth Preference Visa—is administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), under the Department of Homeland Security. It allows foreign nationals to obtain lawful permanent residence (green cards) by investing a minimum of $800,000 in a U.S. enterprise that creates at least 10 jobs for American workers.
What’s particularly attractive about this program is that it’s a passive investment. EB-5 investors aren’t expected to operate or manage the business in which they invest. Instead, they contribute capital to projects that are carefully vetted and structured to meet the job creation requirements set by USCIS.
Our role is to manage the investor relationships on behalf of the enterprise. For example, if a behavioral health operator requires $8 million in capital, we would pool funds from 10 investors, each contributing $800,000. These funds are placed into a designated EB-5 investment vehicle, and we oversee all compliance, reporting, and investor engagement, allowing the business to focus entirely on its core mission—delivering mental health and addiction treatment services.
Why Behavioral Health Operators Are Turning to EB-5 Financing for Behavioral Health
For many behavioral health clinics and addiction treatment centers, financing for behavioral health presents a much-needed alternative to traditional capital sources. In today’s turbulent banking environment—exacerbated by the collapse of institutions like Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank—access to commercial loans and conventional private equity has narrowed significantly. Behavioral health, often viewed as higher-risk due to its complex reimbursement structures, may struggle even more to secure traditional financing.
EB-5 financing for behavioral health steps into that gap. While similar to private equity in structure, financing for behavioral health is often more affordable and far more flexible. It doesn’t come with the same short-term performance expectations or control provisions. Operators don’t need to cede ownership or decision-making power. Instead, they gain access to significant growth capital while maintaining autonomy over their business operations.
This can be a game-changer for behavioral health providers looking to expand services, invest in facilities, or scale innovative treatment programs—all without the burden of restrictive financing.
Why Immigrant Investors Are Choosing Behavioral Health
From the investor’s perspective, behavioral health is not only a high-impact sector—it’s one that carries significant immigration advantages. Due to the scale and urgency of the U.S. addiction and mental health crisis, behavioral health projects have been recognized as serving the national interest.
Roughly 300 Americans die each day from drug overdoses. This sobering figure has contributed to the designation of addiction as a national emergency. Because of this classification, financing for behavioral health projects can qualify for expedited visa processing. Rather than waiting years for approval—common in standard EB-5 applications—investors in these priority sectors often receive green cards in a matter of months.
This fast-tracked process has opened the door to a new kind of immigrant investor: one who is not just looking for financial returns, but who is committed to contributing to meaningful, life-saving work in the United States. They are investing in healing, recovery, and the future of American families. And in return, they are given the opportunity to start a new life for their own families in this country.
Addressing the Industry’s Greatest Challenges with Smarter Capital
Despite growing demand for mental health and addiction treatment services, many providers are still struggling. The biggest challenge is sustainable funding. Reimbursement rates, particularly for clinics that depend on Medicaid or Medi-Cal, are often too low to support long-term operations. In California, a state I know well and where I own a home, an estimated 10% of addiction clinics have shut down. The primary reason? Insufficient reimbursement.
This unsustainable business environment has led us to avoid operating in California—for now. But the issue is not isolated to one state. Across the country, behavioral health providers are grappling with limited insurance coverage, inconsistent Medicaid policies, and rising operational costs. The result is that millions of Americans go untreated for mental illness and addiction, not because the services don’t exist, but because they are financially out of reach.
EB-5 financing for behavioral health won’t solve every systemic issue, but it can provide much-needed capital for providers who are doing the hard work of serving their communities. It offers breathing room—allowing organizations to expand, build new facilities, and hire more staff without relying on uncertain reimbursement revenue.
A Look at the Road Ahead
As we look ahead, one thing is abundantly clear: the mental health crisis in America is not going away. If anything, it’s intensifying. When asked to describe 2023 in the behavioral health industry, I put it this way: it’s been defined by an inexorable upward trend of mental unhealth. We are not approaching a plateau. In fact, we are still climbing toward a peak that’s uncertain and frightening.
This is why I believe behavioral health should be a national investment priority—not only for government, but for immigrant investors seeking meaningful, long-term opportunities. EB-5 financing for behavioral health is a tool that aligns immigration with social impact. It’s a way to turn capital into care, and ambition into transformation.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a behavioral health operator looking for new ways to fund your growth—or an investor eager to start a new life in the U.S. while making a difference—EB-5 financing for behavioral health offers a powerful and timely solution.
We’re in a moment where vision, capital, and purpose must align. The American Dream is still alive, and through strategic investment in behavioral health, we have a chance to help others achieve it—while building a stronger, healthier country in the process.
