Charter schools a gravy train for US wealthy. Also path to citizenship for foreign investors. EB-5

[TBF]

3. I don't think many folks really know about EB5

and it's huge because there is apparently a big incentive for some foreign investors to move to the US. Passed in 1990. Foreigners bring in their money and "invest" in a business in the US that will employ at least 10 people full-time. It has nothing to do with students - if they happen to do well in these "charter" schools it is purely incidental. The goal is to stimulate economic growth in the US. Some more articles for you -

EB-5 Immigrant Investor
Visa Description

USCIS administers the Immigrant Investor Program, also known as “EB-5,” created by Congress in 1990 to stimulate the U.S. economy through job creation and capital investment by foreign investors. Under a pilot immigration program first enacted in 1992 and regularly reauthorized since, certain EB-5 visas also are set aside for investors in Regional Centers designated by USCIS based on proposals for promoting economic growth.
http://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/permanent-workers/employment-based-immigration-fifth-preference-eb-5/eb-5-immigrant-investor

China overwhelming the program:

Any foreigner willing to commit at least $500,000 and create 10 jobs in America can apply for an investor immigrant visa -- also known as an EB-5.
The demand from mainland Chinese eager to move abroad has already led the U.S. government to warn the program could hit a wall as early as this summer.

But there are plenty of critics, too. Some argue that the program is a way for the global elite to buy U.S. citizenship. Others say the scheme has too much red tape, and believe parts of it are mismanaged to the point of fraud.

http://money.cnn.com/2014/03/25/news/economy/china-us-immigrant-visa/

And the charter school piece - again the goal for these foreign investors is to get permanent VISAs for their own families (places like China now have over a million millionaires but it is crowded and poor environmental conditions - smog etc - so they move their families over to the US to live):

A federal program known as EB-5 allows foreigners to invest at least $1 million in certain job-producing projects — or $500,000 if the project is in a rural area or one with high unemployment — to win immigration visas for their families. So much for students first in education.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/02/15/why-wealthy-foreigners-invest-in-u-s-charter-schools/