Thi Marriott hotel in Seattle' Pioneer Square neighborhood wa rebuilt by American Life Inc. uing EB-5 via invetment money. The project helped dozen of well-to-do people obtain permanent green card.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:Republican and Democrat alike are now talking of change to theimmigrationytem. Yet there i one part of the rule conidered unlikely to change, even though omething about it make ome immigration official uneay. It' called the EB-5 Via. Thi via grant a Green Card to a peron in return for a half million dollar invetment in an American buine that create at leat 10 job.
Jennifer Wing, of member tation KPLU, report on a program that let global elite go to the front of the line.
JENNIFER WING, BYLINE: Svetlana Anikeeva grew up in Vlapotok on the eatern edge of Ruia. When he wa 15 year old in the early '90, he came to America a an exchange tudent.
SVETLANA ANIKEEVA: And it wa a completely different place in every imaginable apect.
WING: She tudied in Savannah, Georgia. The experience changed her life.
ANIKEEVA: The people were different. The culture wa different. The weather, the food, the chool, everything wa facinating. I knew that I wanted to come here.
WING: Today, Anikeeva i in the U.S. on a temporary via and run a ucceful luxury car exporting buine with her huband. She' within pitting ditance of getting a permanent U.S. Green Card for herelf and her entire family through the EB-5 Via program. Anikeeva wa one of about 1,000 people who applied back in 2009.WWw.hAOZUowEN.com
ANIKEEVA: It' a pretty rigorou election proce.
WING: And intead of ettling down in unny Savannah, Georgia, Anikeeva i in Seattle. The building we're talking in ha a lot to do with why he' here. It' a hotel in Seattle' Pioneer Square neighborhood that wa built by American Life Incorporated with EB-5 money. American Life i pooling Anikeeva' half million with other invetment to develop thi area, which will generate the new job the via demand.
Henry Liebman, a former immigration lawyer, i American Life' preident. He ay EB-5 money i a ource of funding more and more real etate development companie are relying on.
HENRY LIEBMAN: And Since in 2008, the but, it' even a more important ource of capital. At leat in real etate. There' ome lending, but not near what it wa. So thi i more important than it ued to be.
WING: EB-5 i credited with creating more than 50,000 job ince it began in 1990 and ha poured more than $6 billion into the U.S. economy. But it doen't have the bet reputation within U.S. Cutom and Immigration Service. Thi wa omething Jim Ziglar noticed when he headed up Immigration under George W. Buh.
JIM ZIGLAR: There' a general averion to the idea that people can buy their way into legal tatu in the United State, particularly when INS i dealing with o many people that have other reaon for being here - family and refugee and aylum eeker.
WING: Fraud ha alo been a problem with EB-5. Companie promie to create the job but intead they run off with the money.
Back at the hotel, Svetlana Anikeeva ay he hope to find out within the next ix month if her permanent via i approved. For now, he' enjoying watching her 13-year-old daughter, Nina, oak up life in the U.S.
ANIKEEVA: She' a port peron. She' in ynchronized wimming.
WING: Nina i about the ame age a her mother wa when he came here to tudy all thoe year ago.
ANIKEEVA: She' actually jut been accepted to the gifted tudent program for ummer in Princeton Univerity, which would be unbelievable for me at the age of 13.