Join American Lending Center (ALC), a leading EB-5 regional center headquartered in Irvine, California, and Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLP, the world’s largest business immigration law firm, for an exclusive webinar exploring the future of the EB-5 program.
The EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act has reshaped the investor visa landscape, bringing greater transparency, reduced risk, and faster access to benefits such as work and travel authorization. And 2026 is a pivotal year for investors considering the EB-5 program.
With the September 30, 2026, expiration of “grandfathering” protections and the program facing a potential sunset in 2027, investors and industry professionals must act strategically.
Featured Speakers:
- Gary N. Merson, President, ALC
- Chris Mason, Chief Communications Officer, ALC
- Chad Blocker, Managing Partner (Los Angeles), Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLP
Bringing together former government officials and leading immigration experts, this panel offers insider perspectives you won’t want to miss.
The panel will provide an overview of the EB-5 program and cover the latest policy developments and adjudication trends.
For international professionals and entrepreneurs, EB-5 offers a powerful pathway to stability, mobility, and long-term opportunity in the United States.
Who Should Attend:
- International professionals and entrepreneurs seeking a reliable, long-term pathway to U.S. residency amid increasing visa uncertainty;
- Broker-dealers working with potential EB-5 investors; and
- Anyone considering EB-5 investment in 2026.
Speaker Bios:
Chad Blocker, Managing Partner, Fragomen Los Angeles: Leading Fragomen’s Los Angeles office, Chad Blocker counsels on a broad array of immigration matters for a diverse client base including organizations in the following industries: financial services (investment banking, corporate banking, wealth management, private equity), technology, consulting, insurance and risk management, resort/hospitality, media, and energy, among others.
His practice includes all aspects of corporate immigration including nonimmigrant visas, permanent residence, naturalization, Form I-9 and Labor Condition Application compliance as well as corporate restructuring matters. He also consults with individual clients on naturalization matters and family-based petitions as well as EB-5 immigration investor petitions, including Form I-526 and Form I-829 issues as well as EB-5 adjudication trends and results.
From 1996 to 1998, Chad served as a Law Clerk to federal Administrative Law Judge John C. Holmes of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) in Washington, D.C. where he assisted Judge Holmes in writing more than 50 appellate decisions.
Gary N. Merson, President, ALC: Gary N. Merson is the President of ALC, bringing more than 25 years of experience in government and the private sector with expertise in U.S. immigration law, policy, and compliance. Most recently, he served as Chief of Staff at the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
In that role, he led EB-5 stakeholder engagement and policy initiatives and chaired an interagency working group with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of State to improve coordination of visa queues and Visa Bulletin cutoff dates. He also served as Chief Counsel (Minority) for the House Judiciary Committee’s immigration subcommittee, where he contributed to bicameral, bipartisan EB-5 reform efforts that helped shape the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act. His career additionally includes senior roles at the White House National Security Council and the DHS Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans.
Chris Mason, Chief Communications Officer, ALC: Christopher Mason is ALC’s Chief Communications Officer, bringing more than a decade of leadership experience across the public and private sectors. He has deep expertise in stakeholder engagement, cross-border investment, and strategic communications, making him a key addition to ALC’s executive team.
From 2010 to 2020, Chris held senior roles within the federal government, including serving as the Chief Economist for the Immigrant Investor Program Office (EB-5) at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). In this role, he led teams responsible for reviewing billions of dollars in foreign investment supporting U.S. economic development projects, while also driving EB-5 program integrity initiatives and key regulatory and policy reforms.
In the private sector, Chris has advised Fortune 100 companies, global financial institutions, and multinational corporations on compliance, risk management, and international communications strategies. He has also served as a Risk Officer for one of the largest U.S. banks headquartered in New York, bringing a strong risk-informed perspective to executive decision-making.
