At the end of March, Forbes magazine published an article titled “Tired Of Waitlists And Uncertainty, Some Chinese Favor U.S. Visa Over Green Card” by Ellen Sheng (https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellensheng/2017/03/28/tired-of-waitlists-and-uncertainty-some-chinese-favor-u-s-visa-over-green-card/#32d288ca535f). As the title suggests, the article proposes that in the face of uncertainty and long waits EB-5 is being viewed as less appealing to the Chinese market of investors, many of whom are choosing instead to look for other methods of staying in the United States for an extended period of time.
EIC’s own David Enterline was quoted in the article, an extract of which is included below for your convenience:
In China, “the feeling on EB-5 right now is kind of negative. It’s partly because of the uncertainty of what will happen to the program. There’s no real certainty or security and some projects have failed. Some have been outright fraud,” said David Enterline, a U.S. immigration lawyer based in Taipei, Taiwan.
The L1 visa is much more attractive, he said, noting that there is no language or education requirement or quota and can be obtained within four to six months. Though the L1 visa limits the stay to seven years, immigrants who expand their business enough can apply for another visa, such as the EB1C, which enables them to get residency.