A foreign national who successfully obtains a green card (known as a lawful permanent resident card) has typically completed a rather arduous journey through the labyrinthine U.S. immigration system. Green card eligibility can be based on a host of factors, but eligibility most commonly stems from sponsorship by a family member or an employer. Within the employment category there is a preference category (EB-5) through which immigrant investors can obtain a green card if their investment meets certain criteria.

While the news headlines have been focused on illegal immigration at the border and talk of barriers constructed out of concrete, steel slats or chain link fencing (take your pick), over the past 24 months a much more pernicious barrier has been constructed in the form of subtle changes to immigration policy and procedures that have been quietly implemented in a way that has effectively limited legal immigration.