Thread: Murrieta, CA. hopes to trade jobs for green cards

EMPLOYMENT: Murrieta hopes to trade jobs for green cards

Murrieta plays matchmaker under federal immigration program

By PAT MAIO - pmaio@nctimes.com
North County Times - Californian
December 11, 2010 10:00 pm

Murrieta thinks it knows the price of a "green card."

As part of a little-known immigration program managed by the Department of Homeland Security, foreigners can invest $500,000 in a strip center, office building, food market or whatever that creates 10 jobs.

In return, they win a conditional green card and a ticket to America.

In immigration parlance, a green card is the federal identification card (it's no longer green) that designates permanent permission to live and work in the United States.

Even though Murrieta has single-digit unemployment, it's taking advantage of being in Riverside County and the county's high unemployment, which has hovered in the 14 percent range.

This means Murrieta can ask foreign investors to cough up $500,000, not the $1 million required in less recession-ravaged areas, to invest in a real estate project.

Even though the program has been around for 20 years, it hadn't garnered much interest until the Great Recession.

Bruce Coleman, Murrieta's economic development director, uncovered this financial carrot.

"It's an interesting perspective in how to get financing in an era when it's difficult to get traditional financing from a bank," said Coleman, who said the city is acting as a matchmaker between local developers and a third party in Orange County working to recruit immigrant investors.

He recently struck pay dirt.

The city now boasts of becoming what is believed to be the first city in the San Diego-Riverside county area to embrace the program, called EB-5, which is a foreign investment visa offered by the Immigration Act of 1990.

Already, the city's proposed $12 million Olivewood project has attracted 15 foreign investors ---- all of whom will get a conditional green card to live in the U.S. once immigration officials check to make sure they aren't drug lords, terrorists, or deriving their money from illicit activities.
10 jobs per investment

The $12 million equates to 240 jobs to be created permanently in the U.S. ---- Murrieta, specifically.

Overall, Murrieta hopes to line up 24 investors.

They can move to digs anywhere in America. No strings attached.

Some have plans to take posh apartments in New York City, others in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, officials said.

One unidentified investor in the Olivewood project is packing her bags, scoping out living arrangements in Los Angeles, said Ron Darling, a consultant with Irvine-based American Redevelopment Solutions LLC who is working with Murrieta on its 50,000-square-foot, mixed-use project.

The other 14 investors are still being checked out by immigration officials, Darling said.

"We have investors from China, Japan and Peru," he said of the Olivewood project's backers.

Darling also has investor bites from Taiwan, Korea and Vietnam to round out the list of 24.

"They must complete the paperwork and wire the funds here before they can come to this country," he said.

The marriage between the city of Murrieta and local developers on Olivewood came about because of economic hard times.

On one hand, Murrieta was trying to scratch its way out from under the dark cloud of double-digit unemployment in the Riverside County region.

On the other hand, a pair of developers couldn't find a bank willing to lend money on a project begging to be built.

Five years ago, the developers, Rick Neugebauer and Craig Schleuniger, both with Oak Grove Equities Inc. of Murrieta, bought land to develop at the southwest corner of Jefferson Avenue and California Oaks Road, just across the street from Murrieta's City Hall.

They jumped through all of the land-planning hoops to get the project started, except they couldn't find a lender.

When the Great Recession was in full swing in 2008, credit dried up, and the project very nearly did, as well.

Lot eyed for revival

The lot today is vacant, with the exception of a handful of olive trees and a gutted building formerly used for medical offices and as an equine surgery center years ago, once considered the largest in the western U.S.

Under the EB-5 program, the building will be converted to a "lifestyle" market called The Farmstead Market, selling mostly vegetables and organic food from local farmers.

Five other buildings in the Olivewood complex will include a two-story Class A commercial office building, retailers, restaurants and a drive-through bank.

"You need that mix for EB-5 to work because you need to create 10 jobs for every $500,000 invested," Schleuniger said.

The timing was right for Oak Grove Equities and city officials.

While Oak Grove Equities had trouble finding a lender, Murrieta officials were stumbling onto EB-5.

Earlier this year, Riverside County's Economic Development Agency had uncovered the program and began to search overseas for immigrant investors for projects.

Murrieta's EB-5 deal may become the first in Riverside and San Diego counties, according to Darling, an immigration law expert who teaches seminars on the EB-5 program in California.

He said roughly 95 percent of EB-5 programs are offered through sanctioned "regional centers," which is what Murrieta is using with Darling's American Redevelopment Solutions.

The centers are sanctioned by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, an arm of the Department of Homeland Security.

"This used to be a very small industry, and we'd all fit in one room. Now, it's much bigger than that," Darling said.

The industry has grown from about 30 centers a few years ago to several hundred.

U.S. offers better deal

Darling said that EB-5 didn't get much attention until the Great Recession, when local communities in the U.S. saw foreclosed homes litter subdivisions in their backyards.

The program also languished since the late 1990s because of fraud and scandals, he said.

The program found new life once U.S. officials realized its jobs-creation importance, and after a similar program in Canada doubled the price of a similar green card to $800,000 ---- making the U.S. the better deal.

Technically, if the center determines that the jobs were created, then the investor receives permanent legal residency in the U.S.

However, the monetary return on the investment for the immigrants isn't anything to write home about.

Darling, who has worked the EB-5 program since its inception, said the average immigrant investor receives a 3 percent return on the investment annually, and eventually recoups the $500,000 in a five-year period once they're bought out by other investors ---- such as Oak Grove Equities, for example.

"The statistics on where people come from is driven by the economy, and the political desire to get out of their country," Darling said in observing tensions throughout parts of Asia.

Ultimately, he said, "It's a jobs bill."

Call staff writer Pat Maio at 760-740-3527.

http://www.nctimes.com/business/article ... 82845.html

By The Numbers

The U.S. Department of Citizenship & Immigration Services sets aside 10,000 visas nationwide each year through the EB-5 foreign investment program. The limit has never been reached.

Fiscal Year 2008 (Oct. 1, 2007-Sept. 30, 2008)

Total visas issued: 996

No. 1: South Korea, 545

No. 2: China, 290

Fiscal Year 2009 (Oct. 1, 2008-Sept. 30, 2009)

Total visas issued: 2,800

No. 1: China, 1,778

No. 2: South Korea, 559

Fiscal Year 2010 (Oct. 1, 2009-Sept. 30, 2010)

Total visas issued: 1,349

No. 1: China, 768

No. 2: Korea, 293

Source: U.S. Department of Citizenship & Immigration Services, Dept. of Homeland Security

http://www.nctimes.com/business/article ... 82845.html

We don't care who you are We don't want to know how you made your money to be able to afford such a large Investment If you are a drug dealer we don't care If your a criminal that preys on Americans we don't want to know about It. We just want your money,and In exchange we will make you a citiizen no questions asked What the f@#$%$k Is going on In Our country

EB-5 visa

From Wikipedia

The EB-5 visa for Immigrant Investors is a United States visa created by the Immigration Act of 1990. This visa provides a method of obtaining a green card for foreign nationals who invest money in the United States.[1] To obtain the visa, individuals must invest at least $500,000, creating at least 10 jobs.[2]

By investing in certain qualified investments or regional centers with high unemployment rates, the required investment amount is $500,000. The Immigrant Investor Pilot Program was created by Section 610 of Public Law 102-395 on October 6, 1992. This was in accordance to a Congressional mandate aimed at stimulating economic activity and job growth, while allowing eligible aliens the opportunity to become lawful permanent residents. This "Pilot Program" required only $500,000 of investment in exchange for permanent resident status. The investment could only be received by an economic unit defined as a Regional Center.[3]

A Regional Center is defined by any economic unit, public or private, engaged in the promotion of economic growth, improved regional productivity, job creation and increased domestic capital investment. Prior law required the investment in the Regional Center to generate an increase in export sales, however statutory amendments in 2000 and 2002 no longer require this increase. The individual receiving the visa is not required to actively manage the business invested in. For investors who wish to invest in a new or existing business, have an active role in the management of the operation (although simply being a Limited partner in the organization that owns the business qualifies as "AN ACTIVE ROLE."), and have at least one million US dollars to invest ($500,000 if the business is located in certain areas deemed as Rural or with very high unemployment), then the traditional EB-5 visa is the best option. Start Up visa Act Bill was introduced in Senate on February 24, 2010 by Senators Lugar and Kerry.[4] It is in fact a modified EB-5 Visa to create more jobs in America and it may be called as EB-6 Visa.

Contents [hide]
1 List of USCIS Approved EB-5 Regional Center projects
1.1 Alabama
1.2 Arizona
1.3 California
1.4 Connecticut
1.5 District of Columbia, (Washington, DC)
1.6 Florida
1.7 Hawaii
1.8 Illinois
1.9 Iowa
1.10 Kansas
1.11 Louisiana & Mississippi
1.12 Michigan
1.13 Nevada
1.14 New Jersey
1.15 New York
1.16 Pennsylvania
1.17 South Carolina
1.18 South Dakota
1.19 Texas/Oklahoma
1.20 Vermont
1.21 Washington
1.22 Wisconsin
2 External links

[edit] List of USCIS Approved EB-5 Regional Center projects

[edit] Alabama
Alabama Center for Foreign Investment Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: State of Alabama
Allowed Activities: Heavy and light manufacturing; agriculture; high technology; construction; hospitality, resort and service industries (hotels, restaurants, resorts, golf courses, entertainment, and the like); schools, health care facilities, and infrastructure; and cruise line support services.

[edit] Arizona
Arizona EB-5 Regional Center (Green Card Fund)
Geographic Area Covered: State of Arizona
Allowed Activities: Healthcare (Hospitals and Medical Office Buildings); Education; Hospitality (Hotel & Motel); Residential; Retail; Office; Restaurants; Banking; Technology; Distribution; Heavy and light manufacturing; Construction

[edit] California
American Logistics [International] Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: South Central Los Angeles, with an emphasis on the cities of Carson, Compton, parts of the cities of Lynwood and Long Beach, the Wilmington
Allowed Activities: 1) Advanced logistic operations; 2) U.S. Customs bonded warehouse services; 3) U.S. Customs approved Centralized Examination Station.

California Consortium for Agricultural Export
Geographic Area Covered: San Joaquin Valley, CA
Allowed Activities: An agricultural investment program purchasing and converting fallow or row crop lands into permanent commercially viable fruit and/or nut trees and grape vines for the domestic and export markets, wineries, and elevator platform machinery manufacturing.

California Global Alliance Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: Central California
Allowed Activities: Hotels, Restaurants, Retail shopping centers, Retail automotive dealerships, nursing home and assisted living facilities, casinos

California Investment Immigration Fund, LLC

California Military Bases (CMB) Geographic Area Covered: Former military bases located in Sacramento, San Bernardino, and Riverside Counties, CA
Allowed Activities: Redevelopment and rebuilding of former military bases.

California Wineries & Vineyards, LLC Regional Center (CWVRC)
Geographic Area Covered: Napa & Sonoma counties, CA
Allowed Activities: Purchase vineyards and wineries and invest in troubled wineries.

El Monte Regional Center

FFC-East Bay Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: Alameda and Contra Costa Counties
Allowed Activities: Equity funding of or third party loans to enterprises engaged in real estate construction, renovation and management; construction and development of infrastructures; design, development and operation of manufacturing facilities; and design, development of support services for specialized software and/or hardware; and preliminary funding for biotechnology development. Industry clusters include the following: Healthcare; Logistics; Digital Arts; Food Manufacturing and Distribution; Biotechnology (R&D and Manufacturing); and Clean or Alternative Energy

Imperial Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: Heber and surrounding areas in Imperial County, CA
Allowed Activities: Mixed use commercial projects designed to attract high volume consumers in retail, wholesale, dining, entertainment, and hospitality industries

Los Angeles Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: All Los Angeles County
Allowed Activities: Real Estate Construction and Management within the following industries: Hotel, Manufacturing, Retail, Medical Offices, Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities

California Global Alliance Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: 12 Counties in Central California
Allowed Activities: Automotive, Hotel, Restaurant, Office, Nursing Home

Los Angeles County Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: Los Angeles County
Allowed Activities: Agriculture & food processing, alternative energy, health services, higher education, motion picture & film, technology and transportation.

Regional Center Properties, Inc.
Geographic Area Covered: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside, Orange, and San Diego Counties, CA
Allowed Activities: Mixed use shopping centers

Regional Center Management Los Angeles
Geographic Area Covered: Los Angeles Enterprise zone to Eastside Enterprise Zone and the area in between bordered by Glendale Blvd and the Santa Monica Freeway
Contact Info: commercial/industrial developments; Private/public arrangements with governmental agencies, non-profits or others to develop civic/public facilities and infrastructure; Renovation of functionally obsolete buildings; Residential developments; Capital, loans, or investments to businesses in RC area; Establish or invest in lending institutions

South East Los Ageles RC (SELARC)
Geographic Area Covered: City of Vernon, CA (Southeast of LA)
Allowed Activities: Food products; Apparel manufacturing; Transportation and warehousing; Household furniture and furnishings

Victorville Regional Center Geographic Area Covered: City of Victorville, CA (Northeast of LA)
About: City (Government Sponsored Project) Project: Infrastructure Development at Southern California Logistics Airport

[edit] Connecticut
American Hospitality Investments LLC has a number of qualified traditional EB-5 Investments in the hospitality industry that are real estate backed and have a much higher rate of return then any regional center investments with much less risk of loss.

DMG Studio Holdings, LLC in Stratford, CT has a significant number of qualified EB-5 Investments in the digital media industry that are backed by real estate and other underlying assests such as IP and FCC licenses.

Hartmann Development LLC Has a significant number of qualified EB-5 Investments in the Digital Media Industry that are backed by Real Estate, We also have Resort Properties Museum and Marinas & Construction Companies. We have Associates in Hong Kong, Main Land China, Tokyo & South Korea to help you.

[edit] District of Columbia, (Washington, DC)
Capital Area Regional Center (CARC)
Geographic Area Covered: Washington, DC; Alexandria, VA; Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties, MD; and Arlington and Fairfax Counties, VA
Allowed Activities: Mixed hotel, office, retail and residential space; Soccer stadium; Conference center space; Industrial space

EB-5 America
Geographic Area Covered: District of Columbia
Allowed Activities: Hospitality; Mixed use real estate construction this state is the capital of our country like mexico city is the capital of mexico

[edit] Florida
Florida Regional Center is an approved EB-5 Regional Center in Palm Beach County, Florida. It's allowed activities are Mixed-Use Commercial Projects, Hospitality, Retail, Restaurant, Office Space, Marina and Entertainment. It's current project is the Town of Jupiter's downtown district, Harbourside Place.

Palm Coast Florida Regional Center Geographic Area Covered: St. Johns, Flagler, Brevard, Orange, Volusia, Seminole, and Indian River Counties. Allowed Activities: Hotel, Shopping Centers, Light Manufacturing, Office, Medical Office

Florida Equity & Growth Fund Regional Center (FEGF-RC)
Geographic Area Covered: Florida High Tech Corridor
Allowed Activities: Traveler accommodation; Food services and drinking places; Retail trade; Real estate; Manufacturing; Performing arts; Museums, historical sites & similar institutions; Professional scientific and technical services.

Florida Overseas Investment Center
Geographic Area Covered: All of Florida
Allowed Activities: Hotel and Hospitality, Retail Shopping, Industrial, Restaurant, Office Buildings, Hospitals and Senior Care Facilities, Agriculture, Educational Facilities, Sports Entertainment, Energy, Food Processing, Mixed Use Projects.

Lake Buena Vista RC
Geographic Area Covered: Orlando-Kissimmee Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area
Allowed Activities: Development and expansion of Lake Buena Vista Resort Village and Spa

Palm Beach RC
Geographic Area Covered: Miami-Dade and Monroe counties
Allowed Activities: Intermodal traffic and cargo distribution center; Manufacturing and research facilities; Commercial and office space; Film and TV production

South Atlantic Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: Palm Beach county
Allowed Activities: Senior Housing, Hotel, Retail, Restaurant, Office, Medical Office, and Industrial

South Florida Investment Regional Center (SFIRC)
Geographic Area Covered: Monroe and Miami-Dade Counties, FL
Allowed Activities: Construction of a hotel complex (includes spa, restaurants, and retail space).

[edit] Hawaii
Hawaii DBEDT Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: the entire Hawaii state
Allowed Activities: Tourism of all kinds; Technology, Research & Development and Life Sciences; Transportation in Air, Harbors and Highways; Trade & Manufacturing; Health Services: Hospitals, Nursing homes, Private medical offices, In-Home healthcare, Outpatient services, Ambulance services and Laboratories; Agriculture and Food Processing, Aquaculture, Major agricultural production, Exotic and specialized crops; Higher Education, both Exported and Foreign Students; Leashold improvements in commercial real estate; Alternative energy in Geothermal, Hydro-power, Ocean Thermal, Solar and Wind; and Motion Picture and TV Productions

Golden Pacific Ventures Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: Hawaii County
Allowed Activities: Farming tropical fruits: Lychee, Longan, and Rambutan.

[edit] Illinois
CMB, California Military Base. Main offices in Illinois
Chicagoland Foreign Investment Group (CFIG) Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: Illinois Counties of Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, McHenry, Will, Lake, Kankakee, Boone, Winnebago, Ogle, and Stephenson.
Allowed Activities: Accommodation, Agriculture, Education, Entertainment, Health Care, and Manufacturing

[edit] Iowa
Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED)
Geographic Area Covered: Iowa
Allowed Activities: Dairy farms

[edit] Kansas
Kansas Bio-Fuel RC, LLC
Geographic Area Covered: 21 counties in Southwest Kansas
Allowed Activities: Development and operation of fuel grade ethanol production facilities

[edit] Louisiana & Mississippi
Gulf Coast Funds Management, LLC
Geographic Area Covered: States of Mississippi and Louisiana
Allowed Activities: Shipbuilding; Food Processing; Manufacturing

New Orleans' Mayor's Office RC
Geographic Area Covered: New Orleans
Allowed Activities: Leasehold improvements to fixed asset commercial buildings sector; Mobile medical services facilities sector; Commercial lodging, hotels, and hospitality sector; Mixed-use real estate construction/reconstruction sector; Mixed-use residential lease and rental properties sector; Arts and sciences industry sector.

Noble Coastal Ventures—Louisiana Mississippi Regional Center Geographic Area Covered: States of Louisiana and Mississippi
Allowed Activities: Leasehold improvements to fixed asset commercial buildings sector; Mobile medical services facilities sector; Commercial lodging, hotels and hospitality sector; Mixed-use real estate construction/reconstruction sector; Mixed-use residential lease and rental properties sector; Arts and sciences industry sector; Harbor facilities sector; Gaming and casinos sector; Marine sector.

[edit] Michigan
EB-5 Michigan Regional Center, LLC in East Lansing, Michigan (MI) Name: EB-5 Michigan Regional Center, LLC Street: 333 Albert Ave, Ste 500 Postal address: East Lansing, MI Phone: (517) 242-7004

[edit] Nevada
Nevada Regional Economic Development Center (NREDC)
Geographic Area Covered: Nevada
Allowed Activities: Service Industry, Infrastructure, Waste Mgmt & Transportation.

American Dream Fund - Las Vegas
Geographic Area Covered: Clark County
Allowed Activities: Casino, Food and Beverage, Hotel, Senior Care

[edit] New Jersey
New Jersey Regional Center, LLC
Geographic Area Covered: Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Passaic, and Union Counties, NJ
Allowed Activities: Hotels; Restaurants; Retail stores; Office buildings; Light industrial warehouses; Civic buildings; Apartments/Condominiums; Mixed use I (hotel/retail/apartments); Mixed use II (office buildings/retail/condominiums)

[edit] New York
New York City Regional Center, LLC
Geographic Area Covered: New York City counties of Bronx, Kiings, Queens, and New York (Manhattan)
Allowed Activities: Hotels; Restaurants; Retail stores; Office buildings; Light industrial warehouses; Civic buildings; Apartments/Condominiums; Mixed use I (hotel/retail/apartments); Mixed use II (office buildings/retail/condominiums)

Upstate New York Regional Center (UNYRC)
Geographic Area Covered: 22 counties of Western upstate New York
Allowed Activities: Agriculture, Natural Resources and Mining; Manufacturing; Trade, Transportation and Utilities; Information; Financial Activities; Leisure and Hospitality; Professional and Business Services; Education and Health Services; Other Services.

Buffalo Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: Buffalo, NY

[edit] Pennsylvania
Philadelphia PIDC Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: Philadelphia County, PA
Allowed Activities: Tourism; Trade; Technology; Higher Education; Transportation; Leasehold improvements of commercial office space

Pennsylvania DCED Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: most counties of PA
Allowed Activities: Tourism and hospitality; Technology; Transportation; Manufacturing and Trade; Health services; Agriculture and food production; Higher education; Leasehold improvements to commercial office and mixed-use spaces.

[edit] South Carolina
Carolina Center for Foreign Investment RC

[edit] South Dakota
South Dakota SDIBI
Geographic Area Covered: Eastern South Dakota
Allowed Activities: Animal dairy farm operations; Animal heifer ranch operations; Animal feedlot operations; and Meat processing and packing operations.

[edit] Texas/Oklahoma
Global Century Development, LLC
Geographic Area Covered: Houston's Chinatown area
Allowed Activities: Hotel and Hospitality; Retail; Mixed use residential; Commercial office; Restaurant/Entertainment

South West Bio-Fuel RC, LLD
Geographic Area Covered: 40 counties in Northwest Texas and 9 counties in Western Oklahoma
Allowed Activities: Development and operation of fuel grade ethanol production facilities.

[edit] Vermont
Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development EB-5 Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: The entire state of Vermont

Allowed Activities: Ski Industry Development, Manufacturing, IT, Professional Services, Education,Retirement Home

[edit] Washington
Aero-Space Port International (ASPI)

American Life Ventures Everett, Washington
Geographic Area Covered: City of Everett, WA
Allowed Activities: Renovation of Industrial facilities or new construction of facilities to be leased to business tenants engaged in light manufacturing, or retail sales activities.

American Life Seattle RC/Golden Rainbow Freedom Fund
Geographic Area Covered: Jackson County, Oregon and the City of Seattle Neighborhood Reinvestment Area, WA
Allowed Activities: Air cargo and manufacturing facility; Commercial/industrial/residential development; Provide capital, loans or investments; Establish or invest in lending institutions

American Life Ventures, Tacoma, Washington
Geographic Area Covered: City of Tacoma, WA
Allowed Activities: Renovation of industrial facilities or new construction of facilities to be leased to business tenants engaged in light manufacturing, warehousing, or retail sales activities

American Life Ventures, Lakewood, Washington
Geographic Area Covered: City of Lakewood, WA
Allowed Activities: Renovation of industrial and commercial facilities or new construction of facilities to be leased to business tenants engaged in light manufacturing, warehousing,hospitality industry or retail sales activities

Whatcom Opportunities RC
Geographic Area Covered: Whatcom County, WA
Allowed Activities: Assisted living facilities for the elderly

[edit] Wisconsin
Ecorntech Regional Center
Geographic Area Covered: 164-acre (0.66 km2) park located at Arlington Prairie Industrial Park, 101 Skyline Dr., Arlington, County of Columbia, Wisconsin Allowed Activities: The production and sale of Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) and the production and sale of Cornstalk Polymer Composite (CPC).

Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce
Geographic Area Covered: Southeastern Wisconsin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EB-5_visa

Originally Posted by topsecret10

We don't care who you are :roll: We don't want to know how you made your money to be able to afford such a large Investment :roll: If you are a drug dealer we don't care :roll: If your a criminal that preys on Americans we don't want to know about It. :roll: :twisted: We just want your money,and In exchange we will make you a citiizen no questions asked :!: :twisted: :roll: What the f@#$%$k Is going on In Our country :!: :twisted:

Why do you assume that there is no requirement to show the source of your income in order to apply for an EB-5 visa?

Already, the city's proposed $12 million Olivewood project has attracted 15 foreign investors ---- all of whom will get a conditional green card to live in the U.S. once immigration officials check to make sure they aren't drug lords, terrorists, or deriving their money from illicit activities.

Hollywood Florida was looking at doing the same but if they invested in a waterfront development. At this time I have not heard of any takers.

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

Already, the city's proposed $12 million Olivewood project has attracted 15 foreign investors ---- all of whom will get a conditional green card to live in the U.S. once immigration officials check to make sure they aren't drug lords, terrorists, or deriving their money from illicit activities.

Just like the thorough job that they do enforcing the laws right now I feel safer already ......