India's demand for EB-5 visa applications to jump despite stricter norms

A total of 10,000 visas are up for grabs every year with no country allowed more than seven per cent of all visas

Even as the US government debates a proposal to toughen the norms for a cash-for-visa programme, demand from India is expected to continue strongly, potentially upstaging Chinese applicants in 2018. 

Indians have invested upwards of $120 million in the United States through the EB-5 visa programme which offers foreign residents the chance to become permanent residents, provided they invest a minimum $500,000 (more than Rs 31 million) in a government-approved EB-5 business or create 10 full-time jobs in the country. 

Recently, the US government reportedly began discussions on increasing the base investment component in the EB-5 programme to $920,000. "We expect demand