Two major concerns for U.S. investment immigration: Can one obtain a permanent green card? Can the investment of $500,000 be recouped?
Since entering the Chinese market at the end of 2005, applicants for U.S. investment immigration have been most concerned with two questions: How to successfully lift the two-year conditional green card and obtain a permanent green card? How to recoup the investment of $500,000 after five years? The year 2010 marks the first "coming of age year" after the "five-year period" for U.S. investment immigration, and whether these two expected goals can be achieved will directly affect the "nerves" of U.S. investment immigration applicants.
The ability to recoup the investment is related to confidence
Applicants generally have reasonable expectations for U.S. investment immigration. Many applicants believe that obtaining green cards for the whole family is already very satisfying, and they can psychologically accept a loss of 5% to 10% of the investment amount.
Last year, as some early applicants successfully lifted their two-year conditional green cards, a new wave of immigration enthusiasm was sparked; this year, as the five-year investment period approaches, if applicants can recoup their investment without loss, it will undoubtedly lead to a larger wave of immigration to the United States.
Mainland Chinese families are surging
China ranks first in EB-5 applications
In 2009, the number of EB-5 applications from China and the success rate saw significant growth. According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from October 2008 to September 2009, the number of EB-5 applicants from mainland China has far surpassed that of South Korea, which previously led by a wide margin. There were 1,795 applicant families from mainland China, while there were 142 applicant families from Taiwan, placing China at the top of the U.S. immigration agency's rankings; South Korea had 689 families, and the number of applicants from China is now nearly three times that of similar applicant families from South Korea. This demonstrates the strong attraction the U.S. holds for wealthy individuals from China. With the rapid recovery of the Chinese economy, it is expected that the number of people applying for U.S. investment immigration from China will at least double in 2010.
From the final approval numbers, the U.S. immigration agency issued over 1,800 investment immigration green cards in 2009, nearly double the total number approved in 2008. Approximately one-fifth of the green cards were granted to Chinese applicants, slightly behind South Korea. However, in terms of the growth rate of visa approvals, China has surpassed any other country, ranking first.
