据美国《CQ TODAY》报道，上周四，美国参议院通过了本将于
EB-5的名额上限为10000人，包括投资者的直系家属。目前尚未达到这一数字，但方案已越来越受到欢迎。Leahy一直长期倡导EB-5区域中心方案，Grassley是E-Verify的强力支持者。
新闻原文
CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS – IMMIGRATION
Aug. 2, 2012 – 10:40 p.m.
Senate Passes Extension of Expiring Visa Programs
By Elham Khatami and David Harrison, CQ Staff
The Senate on Thursday passed a three-year renewal of a program that grants green cards to foreign investors and the government’s electronic workplace verification program, which are due to expire in September.
The amended version of the bill (S 3245), sponsored by Judiciary Chairman Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., and Republican Charles E. Grassley of
A substitute amendment by Leahy and Grassley, adopted by unanimous consent, would extend for three years the E-verify program, the workplace verification system that uses online Social Security databases to determine whether a job applicant is a legal immigrant. Employers currently use E-Verify voluntarily, but Republicans have been trying unsuccessfully to make the program mandatory.
The amended bill also would extend for three years the EB-5 immigrant investor regional center program which grants legal permanent residency to foreigners who invest at least $500,000 and who create at least 10 jobs in the United States, both directly and indirectly, within two years of arriving in the nation.
The program is capped at 10,000 visas, including those given to an investor’s immediate family. It has yet to reach that level, although the program’s popularity is growing.
Leahy has been a longtime advocate for the EB-5 regional center program, which has helped two
As amended, the bill would clarify that none of the bill’s provisions could be construed as authorizing the planning or development of a national identification card.
