EB5 INVESTORS M AGAZINE
24
‘L ife -C hanging ’ EB-5 P rogram P rovides
A merican D ream for H ong K ong F amily
Danny Lo used the program to bring his wife and children to Texas,
where they love having a big house and top-notch education.
By Fang Tian, EB5 Investors Magazine Staff
T
he moment Danny Lo stepped into his new
house i n Aust i n, Te xas, t he 42-year-old
father knew he had made the best choice for
his family.
“My k id s h ad ne ver se e n a big hou se l i k e t h i s
before,” Lo said. “They were over the moon!”
According to Lo, a similar house in his native Hong
Kong would cost a fortune. Fortunately, Austin is
considerably more affordable, which allows Lo’s
two children — ages 7 and 11 — to enjoy spacious
bedrooms and the family’s own garden.
CONSIDERING HIS OPTIONS
He believed it was time to relocate his family. He
thought about the U.K., a country he knew first-hand
through his 10 years living and studying there. But he
wasn’t impressed enough by it.
“I know the U.K. very well, but I’ve also traveled to the
U.S. many times for work,” Lo said. “It is quite clear to
me that the U.S. is better than the U.K. for the future of
my children in many aspects.”
The standard of living is one of them.
“They run around the house all day,” Lo said. “For something very simple, such as sizes of houses,
houses in the U.S. are much bigger,” Lo said.
What makes Lo feels most relieved, however, is
k now ing that his children have access to high-
qualit y education. His family lives in a top-tier
school district, giving his children some of the best
public education the United States has to offer. The ease of integration was another reason Lo favored
the U.S. over the U.K. He believed it would be easier
for his family to understand and absorb the culture of
American society.
“This is all because of the EB-5 program,” Lo said. “In general, I think the U.S. is more receptive to
immigrants,” Lo said.
B or n a n d r a i s e d i n Ho n g K o n g, L o h a s m i x e d
feelings about his home cit y, where his parents
still live. When Lo and his wife started their family
there, they wanted to offer better educational and
life opportunities for their children. Lo worried
most about the quality of Hong Kong’s education. As
an established financial analyst who holds a Ph.D.
in mathematical finance, Lo did not feel the quality
of schools there lived up to his standards. According
to him, education was expensive, but the result was
unsatisfactory.
What drove his final decision was a visit to a local
public school in Austin, where his sister was already
living. While watching presentations, Lo got a taste of
the kind of education his children could get in a leading
U.S. school district. He was impressed by the creativity
and practical skills the students demonstrated.
“I think that it is something that not many Hong
Kong students can do when they graduate,” Lo said.
He was determined to give his children education
opportunities of the same quality.