Immigrant families can now be given permanent residence in the US in exchange for investing in a program known as “EB-5,” which was created 23 years ago back in 1990 by Congress in order to stimulate the economy of the nation via capital investment and job creation from overseas shareholders. Immigrants are asked by the project to invest $500,000 in any project that results in the creation of a minimum of ten new jobs, and so long as the project is a success, in return they will be granted permanent residence in the United States.
Because of the struggling economy in the US, EB-5 is currently largely being driven by developers that are looking for new sources of funding for projects, although it is also being fuelled by increased demand from foreigners who are searching for access to schools in the United States and being able to safely invest in US enterprises. In some instances, as with the case of the Dekker family who are Dutch immigrants that now live in Michigan, investing serves as a guarantee that they will all be able to stay together.
“We love our life here,” Judith Dekker noted in an interview with the Washington Post. “We have invested so much money because we want to live here in Michigan and we don’t want to split up our family.”
The Dekkers have put $500,000 into the Marriott Maquis Hotel, which is situated near to the Washington Convention Center.