As a financing option that is more flexible and often cheaper than bank or private-equity loans, EB-5 has been invaluable to real estate developers. From 2010 to 2015, EB-5 contributed over $1.1 billion to residential projects in the U.S. EB-5 was instrumental in financing the industry after 2008 financial crisis; having the program lapse now would be counter productive.Read the Inman article (subscription required)