Updated List of Certified Target Areas for Alien Investment

The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development has issued the 2007 list of certified  
areas of high unemployment in the state for purposes of targeting alien entrepreneurial investment under  
the provisions of the federal Immigration Act (IMMACT) of 1990. There were some changes to the list which  
was released in September 2006.  Nothing was dropped from the list, but East Orange, Irvington, Union City,  
Passaic, Hillside, and Roselle borough were added. 

IMMACT 1990 made substantial changes to the categories or preferences under which aliens can immigrate to 
the United States for purposes of employment. One of the categories established by IMMACT 1990 provides that 
up to 10,000 visas will be made available each fiscal year to qualified immigrants (along with their spouses
and unmarried minor children) seeking to enter the United States for the purpose of engaging in a new 
commercial enterprise.
 
This new enterprise may take any lawful business form and must benefit both the United States economy and 
create full-time employment for not fewer than ten citizens, lawful permanent residents or other immigrants 
lawfully authorized to be employed.
 
In general, IMMACT 1990 established a threshold investment of $1,000,000.  To encourage new enterprises in 
areas which would most benefit from "employment creation visas," 3,000 of these visas are reserved for qualified 
aliens who would invest in "targeted employment areas."  In such areas, the minimum investment is $500,000.
 
In New Jersey, "targeted employment areas" include any county or municipality with 20,000 or more population, 
and an unemployment rate 150 percent or higher than the US rate in the latest calendar year 
(the rate for 2006 should be 6.9% or higher).
 
Based on currently available data, the following areas qualify to be certified:  the cities of 
Atlantic City, Camden, Lower Township, Bridgeton, Millville, East Orange, Irvington, Newark, Union City, 
Trenton, Carteret borough, Perth Amboy, Passaic, Paterson, Hillside, and Roselle borough.
 
An alien seeking to become classified as an entrepreneur for purposes of this program must petition by 
filing Form I-526 (Immigration Petition by Alien Entrepreneur), which can be obtained by writing to the 
US Immigration and Naturalization Services, 970 Board Street, Federal Building, Newark, NJ  07102 or 
by calling (800) 375-5283.
 
An alien entrepreneur seeking to do business in areas of high unemployment must, along with the petition, 
include a letter which certifies that the commercial enterprise is or will be located in a "targeted 
employment area" with a population of at least 20,000.  This letter may be obtained by writing to the Local Area Unemployment Statistics,
New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Division of Labor Market and Demographic Research,
P.O. Box 383, Trenton NJ  08625-0383 or by calling (609) 292-2568 or by e-mailing David Felsheim.