In Vermont, Chinese immigrants provided most of the $52 million for the Mount Snow ski resort. In California, they are providing funds for the development of the San Francisco Shipyard. And in New York City, 1,200 Chinese families paid for the $600 million foundation for the city's biggest real estate project.

In those areas and elsewhere in the country, Chinese immigrants are using the EB-5 investor program of putting up money in exchange for a United States visa.

The EB-5 program is run by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. With a minimum of $1 million - or $500,000 in low employment or rural areas - an EB-5 investor's project must create or preserve at least 10 full-time jobs. In return, the investor is eligible for a green card for permanent US residency.