Flush with the success of a millionaire visa program to attract wealthy Chinese, Australia is now promising citizenship to rich Americans who are willing to bring their cash and entrepreneurial talent Down Under.
澳大利亞的百萬富翁簽證項目成功吸引了大批中國富豪，現在澳政府又向那些愿意將鈔票和創業人才帶到澳州來的美國富豪伸出了入籍的橄欖枝。

But there's a rather large catch: participants in the invitation-only Premium Investment Visa scheme will need to invest A$15 million ($11.57 million) for the privilege of becoming an Aussie.
不過這只橄欖枝也不是那么容易獲得的：這個高端投資者簽證（PIV）項目只有受邀人士才能參與，申請人需要投資1500萬澳元（1157萬美元）才能成為澳洲公民。

Launched earlier this month but not widely publicized, the scheme's investment requirements easily top the existing two-year-old Significant Investor Visa (SIV) program, which asks for a A$5 million commitment and has been especially popular with Chinese migrants.
這一項目本月初啟動，但并未大肆宣傳，其投資額要求遠超已經出臺兩年的重大投資者簽證（SIV）項目。SIV項目只要求申請人承諾投資500萬澳元，尤其受中國移民青睞。

Investment advisors who have been briefed on the plan by government officials expressed doubts about the wisdom of targeting Americans, with several telling Reuters the more obvious place to start was Australia's Asian neighbors.
投資顧問在政府官員簡單介紹了這項計劃后，對將計劃的受眾定為美國人是否明智表示懷疑，其中有些人對路透社表示，澳大利亞的亞洲鄰國明顯是更好的起點。

After all, why would a successful U.S. entrepreneur want to invest a large chunk of cash in Australia - a country very similar to the United States, just further away from everything - in exchange for a passport that carries few additional benefits to their own?
歸根結底，為什么一個成功的美國大亨會想要去澳大利亞花這么一大筆銀子換一本護照呢？持澳洲護照不比持美國護照多出什么好處，澳大利亞和美國也差不多，只是遠了點兒。

"The U.S. has some problems that Australia doesn't have. It's got a lot more racial crimes, it's got a lot more gun-related crimes, but I don't think that is going to drive a whole bunch of ultra-rich Americans out of their country," said Bill Fuggle, a partner at law firm Baker & McKenzie.
貝克·麥肯思國際律師事務所的合伙人福格爾（Bill Fuggle）說：“美國存在的一些問題在澳大利亞并不存在。美國的確有更多的種族犯罪以及涉槍犯罪，但我并不認為單憑這點就能讓所有的美國超級富豪離開他們的家園?！?/span>

The program, which does not have any residency requirement, allows would-be migrants to invest pretty much anywhere except housing. In comparison, SIV holders must put at least 40 percent of their A$5 million investments in risky small-cap and venture capital funds, and be an Australian resident for 40 days a year for four years.
PIV項目沒有任何居住要求的限制，申請人只需在房地產外其他領域砸下大筆投資就行了。相較而言，SIV則要求申請人500萬澳元的投資中，至少40%投資于高風險的小盤基金和風險投資基金中，此外申請人還需在四年內保證每年在澳居住40天。

The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) revealed for the first time that the program would begin in the United States, Australia's top two-way investment market, before expanding to other major investment markets such as the United Kingdom.
澳大利亞貿易委員會（Austrade）首次透露，該項目將在澳方最大的雙向投資市場美國首推，然后才會推廣到英國等其他重要投資市場。

Despite the hefty investment requirement, officials say it's not about the money. It's about attracting the best and brightest entrepreneurial talent from around the globe, and from America in particular.
盡管這個項目對投資數額有著極高的要求，澳洲官員卻稱他們并不只是為了錢，而是為了吸引來自全球的最優秀最頂尖的創業人才，特別是美國的人才。

"The United States ... is a natural place to target the kinds of entrepreneurial skills and talents we need to cultivate further in Australia," Austrade told Reuters in an email.
“美國的各種創業才能和人才正是澳大利亞需要進一步培養的，因此是（該項目的）不二之選，”Austrade在寫給路透社的郵件中說道。

U.S."innovators" would help to build links between Australians and "entrepreneurial hubs" such as Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and Boston, it added.
郵件中還說，美國的“創新人才”將幫助澳大利亞人和硅谷、洛杉磯和波士頓等“創業中心”建立聯系。

Vocabulary

Down Under：澳大利亞或新西蘭

Premium Investment Visa (PIV)：高端投資者簽證

Significant Investor Visa (SIV)：重大投資者簽證

The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade)：澳大利亞貿易委員會

英文來源：路透社

譯者：白潔

審校&編輯：劉明