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A proposed EB-5 visa program project in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is expected to benefit from a number of tax cuts.

A group of developers is looking to use the EB-5 visa program to build a Marriott in downtown Milwaukee, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The developers have said that they would not draw on public funds to finance the $50 million endeavor but have indicated that they would qualify for New Markets Tax Credits.

According to the news source, the credits exist to encourage investment development in lower income areas.

When asked whether the tax breaks amounted to public funding by the Journal Sentinel, spokesman for the developers Evan Zeppos said that there was difference in receiving money or loans from the state and getting tax credits once the project is complete.

Zeppos said that the credits exist to reward developers for "taking a chance and investing in what the feds say is a distressed urban area."

The EB-5 visa program allows foreign nationals a chance to earn U.S. green card eligibility. If a foreign national invests $1 million (or in some areas, $500,000) in an American business and that investment leads to the creation or preservation of 10 jobs, the investor and his family obtain U.S. green card eligibility.