美国绿卡对中国富人可能弊大于利

For the U.S. investor visa program known as EB-5, an individual-country quota is likely to kick in later this year, according to the U.S. State Department. That means some Chinese investors will need to wait for several years after their money has been invested in the U.S., Mr. Jafri said.
根据美国国务院预测，今年开始，投资移民签证会开始受国家配额限制，这意味着未来中国申请人把钱投到美国后，可能要等好几年才能拿到移民签证。

A U.S. green card can be lost just by doing nothing, yet the applicant may still be on the hook for U.S. taxes. In general, permanent residents who fail to enter the U.S. for more than a year will be treated as if they abandoned their green cards. This is a time burden for first-generation rich in China who are still deeply involved in their businesses at home.
美国绿卡也很容易失去，但绿卡拥有者可能还要继续给美国税。一般来说，美国永久居民如果有一年没有踏上美国土地就被认为自动放弃了绿卡。这对还积极忙于打造他们的商业帝国的中国第一代富豪来说，这也是个不小的时间负担。

'People should ask themselves if a U.S. green card is what they really want, ' said Erik Wallace, a Hong Kong-based lawyer at Withers. 'If not, there are other options available.'
“人们应该问问自己，是否美国绿卡真是他们想要的，”Withers的香港律师Erik Wallace说，“如果不是，他们还有其他选择。”

For Chinese businessmen who want to spread their empires to America, they can apply for an L-1 visa, which allows foreign employees of international companies to relocate to the corporation's U.S. office. The L-1 visa, which can be extended to up to seven years, may legally be used as a steppingstone to a green card.
对于想要把自己的生意扩张到美国的中国商人，他们可以申请L-1签证。该签证帮助国际公司的外国雇员在其美国公司工作。L-1签证可以一共延期到七年，也可以合法地作为申请绿卡的一个踏脚石。

The L-1 visa has no investment or job-creation requirements, while the U.S. investor visa program does, and L-1 visas can usually be approved in a matter of weeks. People on L-1 visas are subject to U.S. taxes on their U.S. income, but not on their overseas income and capital gains if they spend fewer than 122 days each year in the U.S., according to Mr. Wallace.
和美国投资移民不同， L-1签证对于在美国的投资金额，以及在美国创造的工作都没有特别要求。一般来说，几个星期就可以批下来。Wallace说，成功的申请人需要为他们的美国收入交税，但只要每年在美国呆的时间不超过122天，一般就不需要为海外收入交美国税。

Many Chinese believe a foreign passport, especially if it is from the world's No. 1 superpower, can protect them from being targeted by Chinese authorities, or get them on a plane out of China if the country sinks into turmoil. Those are unlikely scenarios and people need to be realistic about the costs and benefits of foreign passports. It is always good to have a backup plan, but rich Chinese also need to make sure that they aren't overpaying for it.
很多中国人相信一本外国护照，尤其是来自世界第一超级大国的护照，能够保护他们不受中国政府的惩罚。万一中国乱了，还可以坐上一架特别飞机离开中国，他们有必要更现实和理智地看待这个问题。给自己找一个备用方案是个好主意，但中国富人也没必要为其付出太高昂的代价。