NEW YORK (JTA) — The U.S. Senate approved a bill allowing Israeli investors to reside in the U.S. to oversee their businesses in the country.
The Senate passed the bill by unanimous voice vote on Thursday. It had been passed unanimously by the U.S. House of Representatives on March 19 and now heads to President Obama for his signature, which is expected.
The measure adds Israel to the list of countries eligible for E-2 investor visas. The citizens in more than 79 other countries are now eligible for the visas.
The visas are temporary documents available to foreign nationals who must be a national of a country with which the United States has a treaty. To qualify, the applicant must come to the U.S. to develop and direct the operations of a business in which he or she has invested or is in the process of investing. The visas allow the investors and business leaders to reside in the United States to oversee their American operations.
