There are many ways to secure a visa or green card to work and live in the United States. If you do not qualify for life in the US in other ways, one good option is to start a business and invest in the US. You may be able to qualify for a Green Card (EB-5) this way. The United States was founded on entrepreneurs and people who built the country from a wilderness. The US continues to reward the US spirit by allowing people with business ideas and the ability to work hard to live and work in the US. A Green Card (EB-5) is designed to create a winning situation. Through a Green Card (EB-5), someone gets to enter the US and contribute to life in the US, while the US gets more jobs and new business.
The EB-5 Visa Program gives Permanent Residency for investors, their spouses, and their children (minors under the age of 21 only). Even if you do not have a family member to sponsor you to come to the US, even if you do not have a business that does trade in the US, even if you cannot get an employer to sponsor you, you can still qualify for a green card investment program. In other words, getting a green card through investment allows people who would not otherwise qualify for residency in the US to qualify for life in the US through this program and through their own hard work. In a way, the immigration investment program levels the playing field. Virtually anyone willing to invest in the US and work hard can qualify for a green card investment program.
The green card investor program was created in 1992 through The Immigrant Investor Pilot Program by Section 610 of Public Law 102-395. The program was designed to allow eligible immigrants into the country while also bolstering the US economy. Originally, immigrants could invest $500, 000 and acquire a green card.
In order to qualify for an EB5 visa program, you must either begin an original company or you must invest in an existing EB-5 visa project. There are more than 60 Regional Centers in the United States offering such visa projects. Many focus on areas where there is little employment. To qualify, you may also choose to buy an existing business and substantially restructure it. You may also qualify for the program if you expand an existing business by 140% in terms of net worth or employment. Therefore, you can buy a struggling business and turn it around (rather than starting a new business from scratch).