Circle the area on this map
D. Spain also allows an immigrant family to gain residency by buying at least $578,000 in real estate, and it too is part of the Schengen agreement that allows citizens and legal residents to travel through much of Europe without a visa. Cyprus, Ireland and Malta also have “golden visa” schemes.
A. Australia requires a business investment of more than $1 million, while immigrants can gain legal status in the other nations for less than half that. The United States grants legal residency to people who invest at least $500,000 in business that creates at least 10 jobs in higher unemployment areas. That investment minimum can go up to $1 million in other U.S. areas.
B. Portugal’s Left Bloc party complains that only 11 of the 6,416 people who have gained “golden visas” went for the option where they create a business that employs more than 10 people. The rest invested in real estate mostly in Lisbon and Portugal’s second largest city Porto.
C. The United States gained an estimated $7.7 billion in investments in the last decade from Chinese participants in its “golden visa” scheme, according to an Associated Press analysis. That compares with $6 billion for Australia, $4.3 billion for Canada and $1.96 billion for the United Kingdom.