201 GREAT IDEAS for Your SMALL BUSINESS, Third Edition

GREAT 39 IDEA: EB-5 Visas for Foreign Investors

Did you know that foreign investors with at least $500,000 cash can “buy” themselves a green card? It's true. Under the EB-5 visa program, foreign investors with a minimum of $500,000 to invest in an area experiencing high unemployment can invest in an American business as long as they create at least 10 fulltime jobs.

“These (foreign) investments are creating jobs for qualified U.S. workers,” said Lara Baharlo, an associate at the Global Law Group in Los Angeles, which handles dozens of these visa applications a year.

The investment visa program is not without controversy. In fact, several consultants who make these lucrative matches declined to be interviewed. One West Coast business owner, who ...