And, Speaking of the EB5 Investor Visa…
31 Dec 2009A UPI story cites Chinese reports that greater numbers of affluent Chinese people are applying for green cards via the EB5 investor visa, which requires each applicant to invest at least $500,000 in a U.S. business, and create ten new jobs. (See: More Wealthy Chinese Seek U.S. Green Card, UPI.com, Dec 25, 2009.) According to the UPI report, 1,000 Chinese investors applied for the EB5 visa in 2009, nearly double the previous year’s total.
The report says Chinese investors are motivated by better business opportunities in the United States, and better educational opportunities for their children. This shows that the U.S. still remains an attractive place for foreign entrepreneurs; but it still could be – and should be – made more attractive for well-educated innovators who lack the funds for an EB5 visa, but who do have creative entrepreneurial talent with the potential for creating new jobs, even new industries, in the United States.