A look at the visas sought by Mich. Gov. Snyder

Jan. 23, 2014 (AP): Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder wants the federal government to set aside 50,000 work visas for bankrupt Detroit over the next five years. Here are some facts and figures about the EB-2 visas he is seeking:

• NUMBER AVAILABLE: 40,000 each year nationally, nearly 30 percent of the 140,000 employment-based visas overall. Snyder wants to get a quarter of them each year for immigrants willing to live and work for five years in Detroit.
 

Gov. Rick Snyder

• WHO THEY TARGET: Immigrants who generally have a master's degree or higher or show exceptional ability in science, business or the arts. The government also offers a waiver for applicants without a job lined up or whose employers cannot show that there are no qualified U.S. citizens to fill the position. The waivers require proof that granting the visa is in the ``national interest.''

• WHAT THEY OFFER: The visas provide legal residency, the ability to work in the U.S., the freedom to leave and return unrestricted and the ability to bring dependents such as a spouse or children.

• WHAT ARE THE LIMITS: Under U.S. law, no one country can account for more than 7 percent of approved work visa applications.

• VISAS FOR INVESTORS: Snyder is also promoting Michigan as a place for EB-5 visas, which let immigrant investors into the U.S. if they invest at least $500,000 and create 10 full-time jobs.

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Revised: 01/28/14 22:21:40 -0800.