A report by US government’s Citizenship and Immigration Services department has revealed that 85% of the EB-5 visas issued by the US this year were claimed by Chinese nationals. Figures show that the US granted 10,692 EB-5 visas in 2014, of which 9,128 were given to Chinese nationals.
Chinese applicants in overall immigration visas have seen a growth of 12% since 2013. Last year’s report reveals that the US issued 32,825 immigration visas to Chinese nationals, a figure that has increased to 36,138 in 2014.
The report, which was based on figures between October 2013 and September 2014, also reveals that China ranked third in the total number of visas issued by the US in the past year (35,347), after Mexico (57,746) and Dominican Republic (37,146).
Of the total number of EB-5 visas issued, 10,375 were obtained through investments into regional center programs while the remaining 316 were obtained through direct investment programs.
According to the Association to Invest in the USA (IIUSA), the EB-5 immigration scheme has to date contributed roughly $3 billion to the US economy.
Source: www.chinatopix.com