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SBA says legal permanent residents will be ineligible for its loan program, effective March 1

The SBA's policy bars green card holders from loans to prioritize U.S. citizens, despite immigrants being twice as likely to start businesses, advocates say.

  • On March 1, the Small Business Administration said lawful permanent residents won’t be eligible to apply for SBA loans, tightening loan restrictions as part of agency restructuring.
  • Last year, the SBA tightened ownership requirement rules by raising thresholds from 51% to 100%, and in December issued a policy note allowing 5% non-citizen ownership.
  • The SBA generally works with private lenders to distribute loans, and SBA-backed loans typically offer better rates than traditional loans for small businesses seeking SBA loans.
  • Small Business Majority warned that the move will limit small-business growth and jobs, while CEO John Arensmeyer said it ignores that immigrant entrepreneurs start businesses twice as often as native-born citizens.
  • The current policy rescinds December's guidance and explicitly makes lawful permanent residents ineligible, while the SBA did not respond to requests for comment about the change.
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+7 Reposted by 7 other sources
Center

By Luis Quintana, CNN en Español. Permanent residents in the United States (those with "green cards") will no longer qualify for loans granted by the Small Business Administration (SBA) starting March 1, according to a memo announced by the agency that limits the benefit to wholly-owned American businesses whose owners reside in the country. The SBA had already tightened the requirements for these loans, known as 7(a), last December, allowing on…

·Idaho Falls, United States
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Lean Right

Permanent residents of the United States (those with ‘green card’) will no longer qualify for loans granted by the Small Business Administration (SBA) as of March 1, as announced by the agency in a memorandum limiting profit to 100 percent US-owned companies whose owners reside in the country. The SBA had already tightened the requirements for these loans, known as 7(a), last December, by allowing only companies with up to 5 percent of their own…

·Mexico
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Center

Permanent residents in the US (those with 'green card') will no longer qualify for loans granted by the US.

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Hindustan Times broke the news in New Delhi, India on Tuesday, February 3, 2026.
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