Waning Interest Harming Rural Access to Immigrant Investor Funds

Plummeting interest in the immigrant investor visa program is creating a roadblock to accomplishing the Trump administration’s goal of raising more money to create jobs in rural, economically depressed areas.

On Nov. 21, a recently finalized regulation will raise the minimum required investments for the EB-5 program and redefine “targeted employment areas” where investors can contribute less and still qualify for a visa.

The move responds to critics who say the program’s allowance of development in wealthy, urban areas and failure to account for inflation have caused it to stray from its original purpose of creating jobs where they’re otherwise ...