eb5exclusive

The advantage of the EB-5 visa program to the U.S. economy and American business executives is clear: substantial foreign investments are likely to create jobs and spur recovery at a time in which loans and shareholder confidence are scant.

But for the investors themselves, the returns on their capital may manifest themselves in more ways than one.

EB-5 visa-holder Eric Canal-Forgues, a law professor and businessman from France, was the subject of a recent Washington Post feature that examined the benefit of the immigration program to foreign nationals.

In 2007, Canal-Forgues invested $500,000 in an EB-5 regional center that funded the construction of Comcast’s Philadelphia headquarters.

Although the profits resulting from his investment only slightly cover overhead costs, Canal-Forgues told the news source, “I knew the conditions going in, and it was worth it to me.”

He added, “We really wanted our children to be raised in a dual culture…because I think the educational system at the university level is much stronger here than in France.”

Additionally, some immigrants may be looking for quicker ways to gain U.S. citizenship; about 70 percent of those given EB-5 visas in 2009 came from China or South Korea, which face stringent restrictions on the number of U.S. visas that can be issued each year, the Post reports.