為挖人才，澳在美推投資移民

Flush with the success of a millionaire visa program to attract wealthy Chinese, Australia is now promising citizenship to rich Americans who are willing to bring their cash and entrepreneurial talent Down Under.

澳大利亞的百萬(wàn)富翁簽證項(xiàng)目成功吸引了大批中國(guó)富豪，現(xiàn)在澳政府又向那些愿意將鈔票和創(chuàng)業(yè)人才帶到澳州來(lái)的美國(guó)富豪伸出了入籍的橄欖枝。

But there's a rather large catch: participants in the invitation-only Premium Investment Visa scheme will need to invest A$15 million ($11.57 million) for the privilege of becoming an Aussie.

不過(guò)這只橄欖枝也不是那么容易獲得的：這個(gè)高端投資者簽證(PIV)項(xiàng)目只有受邀人士才能參與，申請(qǐng)人需要投資1500萬(wàn)澳元(1157萬(wàn)美元)才能成為澳洲公民。

Launched earlier this month but not widely publicized, the scheme's investment requirements easily top the existing two-year-old Significant Investor Visa (SIV) program, which asks for a A$5 million commitment and has been especially popular with Chinese migrants.

這一項(xiàng)目本月初啟動(dòng)，但并未大肆宣傳，其投資額要求遠(yuǎn)超已經(jīng)出臺(tái)兩年的重大投資者簽證(SIV)項(xiàng)目。SIV項(xiàng)目只要求申請(qǐng)人承諾投資500萬(wàn)澳元，尤其受中國(guó)移民青睞。

Investment advisors who have been briefed on the plan by government officials expressed doubts about the wisdom of targeting Americans, with several telling Reuters the more obvious place to start was Australia's Asian neighbors.

投資顧問(wèn)在政府官員簡(jiǎn)單介紹了這項(xiàng)計(jì)劃后，對(duì)將計(jì)劃的受眾定為美國(guó)人是否明智表示懷疑，其中有些人對(duì)路透社表示，澳大利亞的亞洲鄰國(guó)明顯是更好的起點(diǎn)。

After all, why would a successful U.S. entrepreneur want to invest a large chunk of cash in Australia - a country very similar to the United States, just further away from everything - in exchange for a passport that carries few additional benefits to their own?

歸根結(jié)底，為什么一個(gè)成功的美國(guó)大亨會(huì)想要去澳大利亞花這么一大筆銀子換一本護(hù)照呢?持澳洲護(hù)照不比持美國(guó)護(hù)照多出什么好處，澳大利亞和美國(guó)也差不多，只是遠(yuǎn)了點(diǎn)兒。

"The U.S. has some problems that Australia doesn't have. It's got a lot more racial crimes, it's got a lot more gun-related crimes, but I don't think that is going to drive a whole bunch of ultra-rich Americans out of their country," said Bill Fuggle, a partner at law firm Baker & McKenzie.

貝克·麥肯思國(guó)際律師事務(wù)所的合伙人福格爾(Bill Fuggle)說(shuō)：“美國(guó)存在的一些問(wèn)題在澳大利亞并不存在。美國(guó)的確有更多的種族犯罪以及涉槍犯罪，但我并不認(rèn)為單憑這點(diǎn)就能讓所有的美國(guó)超級(jí)富豪離開(kāi)他們的家園。”

The program, which does not have any residency requirement, allows would-be migrants to invest pretty much anywhere except housing. In comparison, SIV holders must put at least 40 percent of their A$5 million investments in risky small-cap and venture capital funds, and be an Australian resident for 40 days a year for four years.

PIV項(xiàng)目沒(méi)有任何居住要求的限制，申請(qǐng)人只需在房地產(chǎn)外其他領(lǐng)域砸下大筆投資就行了。相較而言，SIV則要求申請(qǐng)人500萬(wàn)澳元的投資中，至少40%投資于高風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的小盤(pán)基金和風(fēng)險(xiǎn)投資基金中，此外申請(qǐng)人還需在四年內(nèi)保證每年在澳居住40天。

The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) revealed for the first time that the program would begin in the United States, Australia's top two-way investment market, before expanding to other major investment markets such as the United Kingdom.

澳大利亞貿(mào)易委員會(huì)(Austrade)首次透露，該項(xiàng)目將在澳方最大的雙向投資市場(chǎng)美國(guó)首推，然后才會(huì)推廣到英國(guó)等其他重要投資市場(chǎng)。

Despite the hefty investment requirement, officials say it's not about the money. It's about attracting the best and brightest entrepreneurial talent from around the globe, and from America in particular.

盡管這個(gè)項(xiàng)目對(duì)投資數(shù)額有著極高的要求，澳洲官員卻稱他們并不只是為了錢(qián)，而是為了吸引來(lái)自全球的最優(yōu)秀最頂尖的創(chuàng)業(yè)人才，特別是美國(guó)的人才。

"The United States ... is a natural place to target the kinds of entrepreneurial skills and talents we need to cultivate further in Australia," Austrade told Reuters in an email.

“美國(guó)的各種創(chuàng)業(yè)才能和人才正是澳大利亞需要進(jìn)一步培養(yǎng)的，因此是(該項(xiàng)目的)不二之選，”Austrade在寫(xiě)給路透社的郵件中說(shuō)道。

U.S."innovators" would help to build links between Australians and "entrepreneurial hubs" such as Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and Boston, it added.

郵件中還說(shuō)，美國(guó)的“創(chuàng)新人才”將幫助澳大利亞人和硅谷、洛杉磯和波士頓等“創(chuàng)業(yè)中心”建立聯(lián)系。

Vocabulary

Down Under：澳大利亞或新西蘭

Premium Investment Visa (PIV)：高端投資者簽證

Significant Investor Visa (SIV)：重大投資者簽證

The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade)：澳大利亞貿(mào)易委員會(huì)