Can an individual obtain permanent residence through investment?
In order to qualify as an immigrant investor, the individual must invest at least $1 million in a new commercial enterprise, which employs at least ten U.S. citizens on a full-time basis (exclusive of the individual, spouse, and children). If the investment is made either in a rural area or an area experiencing high unemployment, the minimum investment may be reduced to $500,000, but the latter option has a restricted quota of 3,000 investor visas for what are termed “targeted investment areas.” Due to the limited number of people applying under this category, the INS has issued regulations allowing more subjective and less literal readings of the law in these cases. However, because of fraud issues, there is a two-year conditional status accorded to such investors, similar to the conditional status of spouses of U.S. citizens.
