CHASING THE AMERCIAN DREAM

FOR SHAI ZAMANIAN, THE US IS A LAND OF LIMITLESS POSSIBILITIES, AN AVENUE HE AIMS TO OPEN FOR FAMILIES WORLDWIDE VIA IMMIGRATION. HERE’S HOW HE IS BRINGING HIS GOAL TO FRUITION

- ZAINAB MANSOOR

The decision to move away from home and live and work in a different continent to follow his dream wasn't a difficult one for Shai Zamanian.

That's because the legal director and founder of The American Legal Center in Dubai was keen to pursue a vision he held dear. In 2012, I made the choice to immigrate far away from home, to follow my passion of assisting families to build better lives through immigration. My vision was to educate the Middle Eastern market about the EB-5 Immigrant Investor programme and to use my knowledge and expertise in assisting families start their migration journey to America,” he explains.

” It wasn't the first time Zamanian was leaving home. “Many years ago, I had immigrated (to America] with my parents from a war-torn nation in the hopes of a better and more secure future. Living in the US gave my younger brother and me the opportunity to receive quality education and to build a life that had not been possible for our parents, he reminisces.

His company, The American Legal Center, is now the perfect combination of his most fervent passions - immigration and real estate. My first passion - immigration - is the reason why I am here today. My second passion - real estate - grew out of my experience at Rialto Capital, the financial arm of USbased housing developer Lennar. When I completed my doctorate in law at the University of Miami, the world was going through the 2008 recession. The financial markets had collapsed with banks being undercapitalized, and with the failure to obtain traditional loans from banks, Lennar was amongst the first to discuss alternative forms of financing. This is where I learned about the US EB-5 Immigrant Investor programme.”