A common question that most people ask if they want to immigrate to the US is “how much money for investor visa is required?” This common query arises because there is no uniform number. The amount varies according to a number of factors.

The amount varies depending on the person applying for the visa and the type of investor visa that one applies for. It also depends on which country you are applying for. There are various types of investor visas that one could apply for. Below we briefly discuss the costs of each one.

Types of Investor Visa

E-2 Work Visa

You can apply for an E-2 work visa if your country has an investment treaty with the USA. This allows you to sponsor yourself through a company you are the owner of in the US. The amount, in this case, varies from $100,000 to $300,000, depending on the type of investment you are undertaking. However, if you decide to establish a completely new business, then you will have to pay more money. This is because you will also have to incur the cost of setting up the company instead of just depositing the amount in an established business.

Another aspect of obtaining this visa is that the amount you can obtain using external financing options has a certain limit. However, this limit varies according to the amount invested. So if you invest a smaller amount such as $100,000-$200,000, then you can only borrow 25%-30% from external finance options such as loans. But if you plan to invest a larger amount like $1,000,000, which will be the case if you set up a new business, then you can borrow up to 50% from external sources.

EB-1 or Corporate Transfer

You can easily apply for immigration without spending a lot of money by pursuing either the EB-1 (extraordinary immigrants) path or the corporate transfer employee path. The amount required here is very small as compared to other options and only includes the fees you will pay to the embassy to apply for the visa. The majority of the amount required here will be paid by your sponsor, as is the case for the corporate transfer employee.

EB-5 Investor Visa

The last option, which is the most expensive route, allows you to apply irrespective of which country you belong to. The only condition is that you should be able to afford it. The EB-5 investor visa allows you to invest half a million dollars to $1.8 million dollars. Obviously, this depends on your financial background and if you can afford to take this route.

The minimum amount required here is at least $500,000 and this will increase to $900,000 after November 21, 2019. This amount will be required if you decide to invest in a rural area, which is designated as a TEA (Target Employment Area).

To invest in TEA, you will need $1,000,000. If you wish to invest in an area that is not classified as a TEA, this amount will increase to $1.8 million after 21 November 2019 because of inflation.

You might be thinking that these figures are pretty steep. However, many people are still applying for immigration to the US every year. There are many reasons why people immigrate to the United States of America every year. Below we will discuss some reasons in detail.

Economic Prosperity

One of the key reasons seems to be attaining economic prosperity. The key concept influencing this line of thinking is the “American Dream,” which has been the driving force for people coming to America.

America has always been touted as the land of opportunity for people from all walks of life, despite their current economic status. Although the meaning of the “American Dream” might vary from person to person, the general message is that everyone is free to pursue their economic prosperity. This is why most people inquire about how much money for investor visa is required in the USA.

Most experts agree with the prognosis that economic opportunity is a key factor that encourages people to immigrate to the USA. Many people migrate because of a better job or because they want to start a new business. However, economic prosperity is not the only reason people wish to immigrate to the USA. There are other factors that influence this desire as well.

Basic Human Freedom

One of the other factors is the level of freedom provided by the government in the USA. Unlike other countries where the level of freedom allowed is fairly restricted, USA provides a safe haven for those looking to exercise their basic human rights. The freedom of speech, freedom to practice your religion, freedom to have a political opinion and so on are encouraged in the USA. The ability to stand up for one’s rights is not allowed in many countries. This is one of the major reasons why most people wish to immigrate to the USA despite knowing how much money for investor visa is needed in the USA.

The freedom to do things is important to live a peaceful and happy life. When people are suppressed for long periods of time, the chances of depression increase.

For some people living such a lifestyle becomes unbearable. Many people immigrate to the USA so that they can relieve their mental health issues.

Most people also immigrate to the USA because they don’t agree with the government in their local countries. This disagreement with the government, though a natural part of democratic societies, is not generally well accepted in other countries. Having a different political opinion is almost tantamount to treason in some countries. This also leads to persecution by the authorities against such individuals who publicly voice their dissent against the sitting government. This suppression of opposing opinions impeaches on various rights that human beings should be entitled to. This is where the citizens of the USA have a great advantage as the USA provides the right of freedom of speech to all citizens.

Good Education System

Another great advantage of immigrating to the USA is that it has a great education system. The education quality standards are one of the best in the world despite the recent decline. A good education system is essential for raising kids. A good education early on in a child’s life is crucial for their development.

Another advantage of a good education system in the USA is that it provides great opportunities for higher education after college and high school. Not to mention, it also offers financial aid for students who meet the criteria but cannot afford the tuition fees. Also, let’s not forget that the USA is home to the best universities in the world such as Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Caltech, Yale, and many more.  Most of these universities offer generous financial aid and support for students who cannot afford to pay the tuition and other fees.

A good education system with world class education is generally more successful in helping their graduates find good jobs after graduation. The prestige of the university and the quality of education and skills taught are crucial factors as they positively impact the graduates’ future. This means that students successfully studying from US universities are able to get good jobs, which help them in achieving financial prosperity and stability. This is why most families wish to immigrate to the USA even after knowing how much money for investor visa is needed.

Good Healthcare System

The healthcare system in the USA, despite its fair share of problems, is still far ahead than other healthcare systems in the world. This is because of the world class facilities provided in most US hospitals. But the facilities are not the only reason for the high quality of healthcare in the US. There are a lot of diseases that can be treated in the US that cannot be treated in most countries of the world. This is why a lot of patients come from abroad for procedures that are available in the US but not in their own countries.

Another interesting fact is that according to a study done in 2008, most immigrants are much healthier in comparison to US residents. This highlights the strength of the US healthcare system.

Political Rights

One of the great benefits of immigrating to the US is that once you complete all the requirements and formalities of the immigration process and get US citizenship, you can actually run for any political position, except the President. Most countries do not offer political rights to immigrants who were not born in their country, but fortunately, that is not the case in the USA. This is actually one of the hallmarks of immigrating to the US because you are treated equally and share the same rights as the citizens.

Voting rights are afforded to all citizens in the USA, whether they were born in the USA or not. If they have acquired citizenship through the legal route, then they will also have a chance to vote, like citizens who were born in the US do. This ensures that you will have the right to express your opinion in a decision that will potentially impact your life. This is because all elected representatives are servants of the public and they are held accountable to all voters in a democracy.

But the political rights aren’t just restricted to voting for someone; instead, you can also run for any government post in the election. This includes becoming a part of the US Congress or the Senate. The diversity of the US is reflected in the diverse politicians that are part of the Congress. People of all races, color and socio-economic backgrounds are allowed to run for any government position they desire. These political rights make it worthwhile to immigrate to the US despite how much money for investor visa is required.

Freedom to Travel Around the World

One of the great pleasures of acquiring US citizenship is that you can travel to most countries in the world easily. If you have ever applied for a visa to any country, you would most probably know the cumbersome visa requirements of most countries in the world. The tedious and arduous visa process tends to wear out the person who wants to travel to another country.

The list of documents required for certain visa applications can exhaust you. If one or two documents are missing even for genuine reasons, the embassy may decline your visa despite having a valid reason to visit. This is extremely frustrating for many people who are not citizens of the USA.

Traveling to other countries could require advanced planning, sometimes even months in advance, because of the long visa processing time embassies take. Furthermore, just obtaining an appointment for the application of the visa takes too much time. Both processes could easily take up at least a month. And even after such a long wait, the visa can easily be rejected without any reason or explanation. Some embassies do provide an explanation as to why your visa request has been declined, but most embassies do not bother, so you don’t even know where you went wrong.

This is why having a US citizenship is very valuable, especially if you wish to travel internationally. Having a US passport allows you to travel to 116 countries without a visa. This is a huge chunk of the world that you can travel to freely.  All you need to do is pack your bags and leave after booking the flights.

And the countries that do have visa requirements for US citizens have a pretty relaxed visa process. The list of documents is not as big and the process is very simple. Some countries even offer visa on arrival, which is a very quick and easy process. This a great facility to have for any travel enthusiast who loves traveling to other countries from the USA.

Conclusion

The USA provides great benefits for immigrants and citizens alike. Hence, it is understandable why so many people migrate to the USA. Whether you can successfully immigrate to the USA will depend on whether you will be able to fulfill the conditions set by the Government of the USA and whether you are able to afford the visa. Just remember that applying for USA visa is not easy and takes time. Patience and remaining calm is the way to go about it.

Good Luck!