United Arab Emirates citizens who are able to invest a minimum of $500,000 in a company without having to borrow any funds to do so might be able to secure an EB-5 visa, an investor class of the US green card. Phoenix Fox News affiliate KSAZ says that the Immigrant Investor Program of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services has recently experienced a record amount of applications from immigrants in Mexico, with the program also having become more and more popular with residents of the UAE who are hoping to become US citizens.
The highest demand for the visa is coming from Arab expatriates from the likes of Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon, as well as Iranians, Indians and Pakistanis. At the moment, the Middle East is displaying the second biggest amount of entrepreneurial and investment interest.
“The US government is helping them leave Iran faster and come to the US faster,” says the president and chief executive officer of Arton Capital, Armond Arton. “The UAE is becoming a hub for wealthy citizens from problematic countries who go on to migrate to other countries.”
Individuals who apply for these US visas are looking for a brighter future as well as superior education for their children and a much safer place to live for their entire family. Green cards are usually given out in a kind of lottery, but there is an expedited process for the investor green card, which can be granted in just18 months, with US citizenship then possible after five years of living in the United States.