澳大利亚投资签证项目吸引中国富豪

当前位置：首页 > 英语笔译

澳大利亚投资签证项目吸引中国富豪

天之聪教育 2013-05-08 天之聪教育 323次

澳大利亚投资签证项目吸引中国富豪

Australia Offers Visa for Millionaires

Australia said that so far it has attracted 170 applicants to a new program to develop foreign investment by offering overseas millionaires the right of residency in return for a portion of their wealth, in a bid to help the country compete better against other nations for money and expertise from abroad.

澳大利亚说，它的一个开发海外投资的项目已经吸引了170名申请者，该项目向海外富豪投资者提供居住资格，从而使澳大利亚更好地与其他国家竞争来自海外的资金和专业知识。

The so-called significant investor visa was launched in November. If all those made so far are accepted, the applications, believed to be mostly from China, would translate into inbound investment of at least 850 million Australian dollars (US$877 million).

澳大利亚去年11月推出了所谓的重要投资者签证。如果澳大利亚批准迄今收到的所有申请，就意味着它将获得至少8.5亿澳元的入境投资（约合8.77亿美元）。

The program lets foreigners settle in Australia for up to four years, in exchange for a minimum A$5 million investment during their stay. The money can be placed in federal or state bonds, managed funds, Australian companies, or in a combination of those assets.

该项目允许外国人在澳大利亚居留最多四年时间，申请人在居留期间需要进行至少500万澳元的投资。这些钱可用于投资联邦或州债券、管理基金、澳大利亚公司或是这些资产的组合。

The push by Australia to start attracting foreign investors by offering them residency comes as the country faces what Finance Minister Penny Wong terms a new reality, as a decadelong mining boom evaporates amid a slowing global economy.

在通过提供居住资格吸引外国投资者之际，澳大利亚正面临着财政部长黄英贤(Penny Wong)所说的一个新的现实，在全球经济放缓的背景下，长达10年的矿业繁荣正在消失。

The country is also playing catch-up with others offering visas to the wealthy investors. Its neighbor New Zealand, offers visas to those willing to invest as little as 1.5 million New Zealand dollars (US$1.3 million). And the U.S., a magnet for Chinese investors, grants green cards to qualifying foreign nationals for investing as little as $500,000 in a qualified U.S. business that creates a minimum number of jobs. In the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, more than $1.8 billion was raised by the U.S. this way and 7,641 foreign nationals were issued visas, 80% of them Chinese.

澳大利亚与其他国家正竞相向富裕的投资者提供签证。澳大利亚的邻国新西兰向愿意投资至少150万新西兰元（合130万美元）的外国人提供签证。美国对中国投资者的吸引力很大。投资者需要对一家有资格的美国企业投资至少50万美元，并创造一定数量的工作岗位才有资格获得绿卡。在去年9月30日结束的财年，美国用这种方式筹集了超过18亿美元，向7,641名外国人发放了签证，其中80%为中国人。

In Australia, successful applicants are allowed later to apply for permanent visas. There is no upper limit on the number of special visas the government can grant. Consultants at Deloitte expect the total to climb to around 700 a year, potentially at least A$3.5 billion in fresh foreign investment.

在澳大利亚，成功的申请者未来可以申请永久签证。政府可以授予的特殊签证的数量没有上限。德勤(Deloitte)的咨询师预计，申请数量将攀升到每年大约700人，这意味着至少35亿澳元的新外国投资。

But not all applications are guaranteed to succeed.

但是，并非所有申请都能成功。

The department of immigration said it had granted the first significant-investor visa to a Chinese toy manufacturer and his family. A spokesman for the department said that following a four-month assessment of the his application, the candidate made a A$5 million investment in Victoria state bonds. The government declined to identify the successful applicant.

澳大利亚移民局(Australian Department of Immigration & Citizenship)说，该机构已经向一名中国玩具制造商及其家人发放了第一个重要投资者签证。该机构的一名发言人说，在对其申请进行了四个月的评估之后，这名候选人向维多利亚州债券投资了500万澳元。澳大利亚政府拒绝透露这名成功申请者的身份信息。

'Australia is in active competition with other countries across our region for successful, high-wealth individuals and the capital and business acumen that comes with them,' Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor said last week.

澳大利亚移民部部长柯甘纳(Brendan O'Connor)上周说，澳大利亚正与该地区其它国家展开积极竞争，希望得到那些事业成功、拥有巨额财富人士的青睐，并获得随之而来的资本和商业才智。

While the program is open to all, Chinese nationals are likely to be among the biggest takers, according to people involved with the program.

参与该移民签证项目的人表示，虽然这个项目对所有人开放，但中国公民可能是最重要的申请者。

Indeed, the ranks of China's wealthy have risen. PricewaterhouseCoopers estimates China has more than a million millionaires and about 60,000 'super rich,' or people with more than A$15 million to their name. The special Australian visa has a unique identifier number '188,' making it distinct from the traditional '457' visa given to most temporary foreign workers.

实际上，中国富人队伍已经大幅扩大。据普华永道(PricewaterhouseCoopers)估计，中国内地百万（美元）富豪人数已超百万，“超级富豪”（名下资产逾1,500万澳元）约6万人。这种特殊签证的识别码十分独特，为“188”，明显区别于发放给大多数外籍临时工的“457”传统签证。

Adding to the allure of the investor visa, the government has created a new subclass of permanent visa to go along with the program, '888,' a number many Chinese associate with wealth.

让这种投资者签证更具诱惑力的是，澳大利亚政府为配合这一项目新设了一个永久签证类别：888。这个数字会让很多中国人联想到发财。

'Clearly, the whole thing has been targeted at China so far,' said Bill Fuggle, Sydney-based head of financial services Baker & McKenzie, which advises clients, including many Chinese, on significant-investor visas.

金融服务机构贝克•麦坚时(Baker & McKenzie)驻悉尼负责人福格尔(Bill Fuggle)说，整个签证计划到目前为止很明显针对的是中国。该机构为包括很多中国人在内的客户就重要投资者签证提供咨询意见。

The government's openness to wealthy foreigners contrasts with its approach more generally to immigration, a polarizing topic in Australia, particularly ahead of an election only four months away. Prime Minister Julia Gillard has pledged to clamp down on the '457' temporary work visas.

澳大利亚政府对富裕外籍人士的开放态度与其对待一般移民的态度形成鲜明对比。澳大利亚国内对移民问题的看法呈两极化趋势，特别是在距大选仅四个月的现在。澳大利亚总理吉拉德(Julia Gillard)承诺，将收紧457临时工作签证的发放。

The Labor government, which opinion polls suggest will lose the Sept. 14 election to the center-right Liberal Nationals, has proposed changes to the 457 temporary work visa system and has said it would 'put Aussie workers first' as the nation's economy has slowed, led by a cooling in the mining sector.

由执政党工党领导的澳大利亚政府已经提议改革457临时工作签证，说在该国矿业部门降温导致经济增速放缓之际，要把本国劳动者的权益放在第一位。民调显示，该政府将在9月14日的大选中输给中间偏右的自由党-国家党联盟(Liberal Nationals)。

Foreign investment, particularly from China, is a hot-button topic in Australia. Last year, conservative lawmakers, particularly from rural areas, attacked the government for allowing the takeover of a large cotton farm, Cubbie Station, by a Chinese-led consortium.

外商投资尤其是来自中国的投资是澳大利亚的热议话题。去年，保守派议员（特别是来自农村地区的议员）就曾指责澳大利亚政府允许中国人牵头的某财团收购大型棉企库比棉花生产基地(Cubbie Station)。

Treasurer Wayne Swan labeled their views as 'xenophobic claptrap' at the time.

澳大利亚国库部长斯万(Wayne Swan)当时说，那不过是他们表达排外情绪的话，完全是哗众取宠。

In 2011, the government rejected a takeover of Australia's main bourse operator, ASX Ltd., ASX.AU -0.63% by Singapore's main exchange, saying the deal was against the national interest.

2011年，澳大利亚政府曾以不符合国家利益为由，驳回了新加坡主要交易收购澳大利亚证券交易所运营商ASX Ltd.的交易。