The EB-5 visa provides lawful permanent resident (LPR) status to foreign nationals who invest $1 million in the United States, or half that amount in a Targeted Employment Area, and who employ at least 10 U.S. workers. The investment can be made directly or through specially set up and approved Regional Centers which create EB-5 projects in which indirectly created employment can count toward the creation of 10 U.S. Worker jobs.

The CRS report outlines the EB-5 policy issues that are currently under debate in Congress. The report points out that while proponents argue that the U.S. economy benefits from the investments that the program brings, critics contend that the program allows people to buy their way into the United States. According to the report, many EB-5 stakeholders are concerned about delays in processing EB-5 applications, and some question whether U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has the expertise to administer the embedded business components of the program. Others contend that the EB-5 program is susceptible to fraud and threats to national security, as evidenced by the recent, massive fraud allegations against the EB-5 Regional Center at the Jay Peak Resort in Vermont.

The Congressional debate over EB-5 visas will continue ahead of the scheduled September 30, 2016 program expiration. Whether major changes will occur in a Presidential election year remain to be seen.

Here are some of the key findings of the report:

• There are more foreign-born residents in the United States today — 42.4 million in 2014 — than at any other point in history.
• Immigration in recent decades has not been dominated by three or four countries as it was in the early 20th century.
• The proportion of foreign-born residents in the United States was 13.3 percent in 2014, approaching a level last seen in 1910, when the proportion of foreign-born residents reached 14.8 percent.
• In fiscal year 2013, approximately 991,000 aliens gained legal permanent resident (LPR) status, with about 65 percent entering the United States based on family ties.
• There were 9.9 million temporary visas issued in fiscal year 2014, an increase from 2004, when 5.0 million temporary visas were issued.
• Overall, there has been an increase in all temporary, employment-based visa categories since 1994, with the number rising each year except for a brief dip during the recession.
• There were 617,000 employers enrolled in the E-Verify employment eligibility verification system at the end of fiscal year 2015, representing about 10 percent of U.S. employers.
• There were 462,463 formal removals in fiscal year 2015, compared to 30,039 in 1990.
• The population of unauthorized resident aliens grew from 8.5 million to 12.2 million from 2000 to 2007, but then dipped to 11.3 million in 2014.