Hilton Worldwide Inc. executives said that roughly 3% of the 560 Hilton-branded hotels currently under development in the U.S. are financed at least in part with EB-5 proceeds.

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Since the credit crunch, there has also been a dramatic increase in the number of U.S. companies seeking EB-5 funding.

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Now, developers of some projects are covering more than 60% of the project's cost entirely with EB-5 proceeds, allowing them to take bigger risks.

WSJ: Casino Revamp Banks on U.S. Program

Virginia was particularly alarmed by GreenTech's use of an opaque visa program, called EB-5, to fund itself.

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In May, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services proposed to streamline the EB-5 visa process, designed for immigrant investors and entrepreneurs who create at least 10 U.S. jobs.

WHITEHOUSE: Office of Science and Technology Policy Blog

This would be similar to the EB-5 program, which gives green cards to rich foreigners who invest in the U.S. This would allow non-rich immigrants to make an investment in the region sponsoring their visa.

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