At Visa Business Plans we have a long history of success developing EB-2/NIW projects for clients. Recently, we prepared a successful EB-2/NIW business plan for a real estate developer, using detailed research on the housing industry and comprehensive analysis of construction costs, as well as savings due to affordable housing.
In 2015, the National Association of Home Builders analyzed the economic impact of affordable housing and identified two sets of impacts: construction impacts, and recurring post-construction impacts.[4] The analysis identified the following impacts based on 100 multi-family housing units. Our research found that real estate developers who plan affordable housing for their areas stand to gain increased jobs, revenue, and positive benefits to their communities. This study identified two sets of impacts, including construction costs ranging from $11.7 million to $28.7 million in local income for single-family and multi-family homes, $2.2 million to $3.6 million in taxes and other revenues, and 161 to 394 new local jobs. Also, the study found recurring post-construction impacts of $2.6 million to $4.1 million in local income, $503,000 to $1 million in taxes and other revenues, and 44 to 69 newly added local jobs in the community. [5]
After analyzing the study, we found that the families living in affordable housing save about $500 per month—and most of these savings are reinvested in the community.[6] These saving, paired with increased economic activity, and multiplied by the number of affordable housing households, has the potential to create new local jobs in wholesale/retail trade, healthcare, education, and local eating establishments.[7] In addition to local spending, housing relief also allows participants to make modest investments they otherwise would not be able to afford, including putting money aside for college education and for retirement. [8] Additionally, the use of affordable housing saves on costs related to funding social services.[9]
Another successful National Interest Waiver case that we worked on at Visa Business Plans was that of a medical company helping to alleviate the problem of infertility. This company offered a vital service that helped combat infertility, an issue that has severe medical, psychological, and economic costs in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 12% of women aged 15 to 44 years in the United States have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term. [10] In fact, some 7.4 million women across the U.S. have received infertility treatments at some point during their lives.[11]
Aside from the obvious problems, infertility can cause deep emotional and psychological wounds in the couples afflicted by it. Harvard Medical School reported one study of 200 couples at a fertility clinic and found that half of the women and 15% of the men reported that infertility was the most upsetting experience of their lives. [12] Another study of 488 American women concluded that women with infertility felt as anxious or depressed as women diagnosed with cancer, hypertension, or those recovering from a heart attack.
Infertility is also contributing to a demographic crisis in the U.S. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau showed the rate of population growth in 2018 was at its lowest rate since 1937, a result of declines in the number of births, and gains in the number of deaths. [13] The current population bust, and the decline in U.S. birthrates, brings additional economic risks besides low growth. The social security system is gradually becoming unstable, as a larger number of baby boomer retirees claim benefits, while the younger population working to support them decreases. The New York Times described the future of Social Security as a “slow-moving crisis…threatening to undermine a central pillar in the retirement of tens of millions of Americans.” [14]
Our client has worked tirelessly, educating and counseling doctors on infertility and miscarriages. In their EB-2/NIW project, we describe how they will help infertile couples achieve their dreams of having children, easing their anxieties and improving their overall quality of life. Throughout the course of the project, we’ve stressed how the increased population of future consumers and laborers resulting from our client’s activities will help support the U.S. economy and buoy the social security system for years to come.
Visa Business Plans is led by Marco Scanu, a certified coach from the University of Miami with a globally-based practice coaching Fortune 1000 company executives, entrepreneurs, as well as professionals in 4 different continents. Mr. Scanu advises clients on turnaround strategies and crisis management.
Mr. Scanu received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (Cum Laude) from the University of Florida and an MBA in Management from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. Mr. Scanu was also a Visiting Scholar at Michigan State University under the prestigious H. Humphrey Fellowship (Fulbright program) with a focus on Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital and high-growth enterprises.
At present, Mr. Scanu is the managing partner and CEO at Visa Business Plans, a Miami-based boutique consulting firm providing attorneys and individuals with business planning services in the areas of immigration and SBA loans.
[6] http://plannersweb.com/2011/08/the-economic-fiscal-benefits-of-affordable-housing/
[10] Centers for Disease Control “Infertility
[11] The National Infertility Association “Fast Facts”
[12] Harvard Medical School -- Harvard Mental Health Letter “The psychological impact of infertility and its treatment” May 2009
[13] Brookings Institution “Us Population Growth Hits 80-year low” December 21, 2018
[14] New York Times “Social Security Is Staring at Its First Real Shortfall in Decades” June 12, 2019
