Flush with the success of a millionaire visa program to attract wealthy Chinese, Australia is now promising¹ citizenship² to rich Americans who are willing to bring their cash and entrepreneurial talent Down Under.

澳大利亚的百万富翁签证项目成功吸引了大批中国富豪，现在澳政府又向那些愿意将钞票和创业人才带到澳州来的美国富豪伸出了入籍的橄榄枝。

But there's a rather large catch: participants in the invitation-only Premium³ Investment Visa scheme will need to invest A$15 million ($11.57 million) for the privilege of becoming an Aussie.

不过这只橄榄枝也不是那么容易获得的：这个高端投资者签证（PIV）项目只有受邀人士才能参与，申请人需要投资1500万澳元（1157万美元）才能成为澳洲公民。

Launched earlier this month but not widely publicized, the scheme's investment requirements easily top the existing two-year-old Significant Investor⁴ Visa (SIV) program, which asks for a A$5 million commitment and has been especially popular with Chinese migrants.

这一项目本月初启动，但并未大肆宣传，其投资额要求远超已经出台两年的重大投资者签证（SIV）项目。SIV项目只要求申请人承诺投资500万澳元，尤其受中国移民青睐。

Investment advisors⁵ 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.

投资顾问在政府官员简单介绍了这项计划后，对将计划的受众定为美国人是否明智表示怀疑，其中有些人对路透社表示，澳大利亚的亚洲邻国明显是更好的起点。

After all, why would a successful U.S. entrepreneur want to invest a large chunk⁶ 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?

归根结底，为什么一个成功的美国大亨会想要去澳大利亚花这么一大笔银子换一本护照呢？持澳洲护照不比持美国护照多出什么好处，澳大利亚和美国也差不多，只是远了点儿。

"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 Baker⁷ & McKenzie.

贝克·麦肯思国际律师事务所的合伙人福格尔（Bill Fuggle）说：“美国存在的一些问题在澳大利亚并不存在。美国的确有更多的种族犯罪以及涉枪犯罪，但我并不认为单凭这点就能让所有的美国超级富豪离开他们的家园。”

The program, which does not have any residency requirement, allows would-be migrants to invest pretty much anywhere except housing. In comparison, SIV holders⁸ must put at least 40 percent of their A$5 million investments in risky⁹ small-cap and venture capital funds, and be an Australian resident for 40 days a year for four years.

PIV项目没有任何居住要求的限制，申请人只需在房地产外其他领域砸下大笔投资就行了。相较而言，SIV则要求申请人500万澳元的投资中，至少40%投资于高风险的小盘基金和风险投资基金中，此外申请人还需在四年内保证每年在澳居住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.

澳大利亚贸易委员会（Austrade）首次透露，该项目将在澳方最大的双向投资市场美国首推，然后才会推广到英国等其他重要投资市场。

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.

尽管这个项目对投资数额有着极高的要求，澳洲官员却称他们并不只是为了钱，而是为了吸引来自全球的最优秀最顶尖的创业人才，特别是美国的人才。

"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.

“美国的各种创业才能和人才正是澳大利亚需要进一步培养的，因此是（该项目的）不二之选，”Austrade在写给路透社的邮件中说道。

U.S."innovators" would help to build links between Australians and "entrepreneurial hubs" such as Silicon¹⁰ Valley, Los Angeles and Boston, it added.

邮件中还说，美国的“创新人才”将帮助澳大利亚人和硅谷、洛杉矶和波士顿等“创业中心”建立联系。