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Buy a home, get a US visa, Senators propose

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Re: Buy a home, get a US visa, Senators propose

#21

Post by andreshb »

jellicle wrote: post #14

The only beneficiaries I can think of for this program would be rich capitalists from China and the Middle East who are exporting their gains and sinking them into foreign property already, and who would now get a fast-track for immigration as well. I guess Congress would like to get campaign contributions from these people (once you have a green card, you can legally make political contributions to U.S. politicians)…

I don't see a problem in these being the only beneficiaries, right now, they are already getting EB5 visas if they invest in a business. This approach would be similar, except with the added benefit of solving the issue (or at least help) of the housing market. I think this is a really creative approach.

Re: Buy a home, get a US visa, Senators propose

#22

Post by 9999 »

Give me your energetic, your rich, Your striding elite yearning to oppress, The vaunted gild of your desolate shore. Send these, the landowners, first-class-turbulence-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the door for those with gold!

Re: Buy a home, get a US visa, Senators propose

#23

Post by jhamburger »

sixtofour wrote: post #5
onemoreact wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are several programs that let you 'buy' a Visa and adding another one for the low low price of '$500,000 to buy a home in the U.S.' is not going to do much for immigration or home prices.

The $500,000 floor seems to be a benefit for people who have $500,000 houses to sell. Doesn't do much for Joe Sixpack while he's deciding whether to stick or walk away.

In theory if high-end prices go up, it should have a cascading effect with lower-end prices going up to fill the vacuum.

Re: Buy a home, get a US visa, Senators propose

#24

Post by cbs »

$500,000?

The number of people for whom visas are the only barrier to buying a home in the USA and would spend over 500k on one is probably way too small to have any real impact on the housing market.

Why not $5k? There are plenty of houses going for dirt cheap in the parts of the country hit the worst by the recession. It would mean more people taking advantage of the program and selling that cheap housing would have more of an impact on the housing market and overall economy.

Re: Buy a home, get a US visa, Senators propose

#25

Post by ComputerGuru »

cbs wrote: post #24

$500,000? The number of people for whom visas are the only barrier to buying a home in the USA and would spend over 500k on one is probably way too small to have any real impact on the housing market. Why not $5k? There are plenty of houses going for dirt cheap in the parts of the country hit the worst by the recession. It would mean more people taking advantage of the program and selling that cheap housing would hav…

Because they clearly don't want immigrants from the bottom of the socioeconomic status of other countries.

Re: Buy a home, get a US visa, Senators propose

#26

Post by untog »

nobody314159 wrote: post #18
pitdesi wrote: post #11

In case you're looking at this and somehow don't know about http://startupvisa.com/ , take a look and offer your support if so inclined. It would allow non-US entrepreneurs with funding from a US investor to get a visa to start a company. StartupVisa would be wayyy more beneficial than the housing thing... get folks to contribute to society, hire local workers, etc. Those local workers then can in turn buy homes, etc…

Trouble is that it must be from a US investor. So it's the same slave labor problem as H1B. If you don't like anything the investor suggests after you have moved then he withdraws the funding and you get deported. Can we think of how a good capitalist VC might use that to their advantage?

I think you're overstating the issue. I am in the US in an H1B visa and am in no way 'slave labor'. But I can't start my own company- the Startup Visa would finally solve that issue.

Re: Buy a home, get a US visa, Senators propose

#29

Post by mixmastamyk »

andreshb wrote: post #21
jellicle wrote: post #14

The only beneficiaries I can think of for this program would be rich capitalists from China and the Middle East who are exporting their gains and sinking them into foreign property already, and who would now get a fast-track for immigration as well. I guess Congress would like to get campaign contributions from these people (once you have a green card, you can legally make political contributions to U.S. politicians)…

I don't see a problem in these being the only beneficiaries, right now, they are already getting EB5 visas if they invest in a business. This approach would be similar, except with the added benefit of solving the issue (or at least help) of the housing market. I think this is a really creative approach.

The problem with housing is that it is too expensive for the common man. Propping up prices artificially is not a solution.

Re: Buy a home, get a US visa, Senators propose

#30

Post by IgorPartola »

Instead, they should automatically offer work visas to college graduates. It is such a pain to have to get a work visa after you graduate if you were on an F1 before then. And most people that come all the way to the US to go to college are top notch professionals by the time they graduate.
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