One option for immigrants is to qualify as immigrant investors. However, the United States wants these investments to be substantial, so they’ve put minimums in the law.
First off, the standard minimum is $1 million. This investment has to be made to a commercial enterprise that qualifies, but there is some flexibility there.
The minimum can drop to $500,000 if certain stipulations are met. The area has to be rural or have a very high unemployment rate. This means that the government considers it a “targeted” area.
Essentially, there are high-employment areas that get plenty of investing anyway, so the government wants twice as much money to be used for people to buy into these areas. For places that national investors ignore, less money is needed.
One other stipulation is that the money cannot be borrowed. It has to be the person’s own capital that is used in the investment.
After the investment is made, in the next 24 months, it has to create at least 10 jobs. These go to U.S. citizens, other immigrants who already have the right authorization to work, or permanent residents. They need to be full-time positions. Moreover, immediate family members do not count. For example, an investor who has a spouse and nine children can’t just hand a job to each person and then meet the qualification for having created 10 jobs. They can work at the company, but 10 additional jobs need to be created.
If you’re thinking about becoming an immigrant investor, be sure you know exactly what legal steps to take.
Source: U.S. Department of State, “Immigrant Investor Visas,” accessed July 05, 2017