The immigration policy landscape in 2010 was turbulent, with Australia and Canada successively adjusting their immigration policies; among them, Australia's policy changes were the most "drastic." While popular immigration destinations were tightening their policies, positive news emerged from the United States, with the potential for the investment immigration threshold to be halved.
New US Proposal Requires Only $250,000 Investment
While Australia and Canada were tightening their immigration policies, US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry and senior member Richard Lugar introduced a new US investment immigration bill to Congress, proposing to lower the minimum investment requirement from the original $500,000 to $250,000 for a temporary visa.
It is reported that this bill has a lower threshold compared to the current investment immigration requirements and, if passed, would attract more foreign investors to immigrate to the United States. The bill requires investors to first invest $250,000, granting them a 2-year valid visa. Upon the expiration of the 2-year visa, if the investor can prove that their $250,000 investment has created 5 full-time jobs, attracted $1 million in additional investment, or generated $1 million in profit, they will be granted permanent resident (Green Card) status. This proposal has already received support from many American entrepreneurs.
Regarding this, relevant experts stated that the passage of a US bill requires layers of discussion and voting procedures, and must finally be signed by the President to become law. Therefore, it is currently impossible to conclude whether this bill will pass. Experts noted that given the current instability of Australia's immigration policy and the established trend of rising costs for Canadian investment immigration, the lowering of the threshold for US investment immigration will undoubtedly cause the existing immigration landscape to face a reshuffling.
