Small Business Administration shuts out non-U.S. citizens from its main lending program
The Small Business Administration is barring green card holders and other non-U.S. citizens from applying for loans from the agency's main lending program.
Starting March 1, only U.S. citizens or nationals who have their chief residence in the U.S. or legal territories will be eligible to borrow money under the agency's 7(a) program.
"SBA is requiring that 100% of all direct and/or indirect owners of a small business applicant be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals who have their Principal Residence in the United States, its territories or possessions," the SBA said Monday in a policy notice.
Under a previous SBA notice released in December, up to 5% of a small business could be owned by foreign nationals or legal permanent residents and still legally qualify for a loan.
The SBA said the new rules align with President Trump's January 2025 executive order, called the "Protecting the American People Against Invasion," that the White House said at the time was aimed at enforcing U.S. immigration laws and ensuring public safety.
Maggie Clemmons, a spokesperson for the SBA, said the agency's new guidance is intended to create job opportunities for U.S. citizens.
"The Trump SBA is committed to driving economic growth and job creation for American citizens – which is why, effective March 1, the agency will no longer guarantee loans for small businesses owned by foreign nationals," she said in a statement to CBS News. "Across every program, the SBA is ensuring that every taxpayer dollar entrusted to this agency goes to support U.S. job creators and innovators.
"To that end, we expect to be able to offer them even more capital in the near future pending legislation to increase SBA loan limits for small businesses that are hiring, building and producing in America," Clemmons added.
The 7(a) program provides loan guarantees to lenders serving small businesses, according to the SBA. It allows business owners to borrow up to $5 million to use as working capital, refinance debt, purchase equipment, and buy or upgrade real estate and buildings, among other purposes.
New policy draws fire
Advocates for small businesses and immigrants slammed the new SBA rules, saying they could stymie entrepreneurship. Carolina Martinez, CEO of CAMEO Network, a network of small business support groups, said that immigrants start new enterprises at twice the rate of U.S.-born residents, citing research from the University of California and the National Bureau of Economic Research.
"The SBA's decision to bar legal permanent residents from accessing SBA loans jeopardizes business creation and hurts the economy," Martinez said in a statement Tuesday. "America thrives because people come here from around the world to follow their dreams, bringing new ideas and building businesses."
CAMEO Network said it plans to work with lawmakers to fight the guidance, which it characterized as discriminatory.
Democratic members on the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship also criticized the SBA policy, calling it a "devastating attack on immigrant entrepreneurs."
"The Trump administration is stoking the flames of hatred, spreading fear and confusion among immigrants and small business owners," Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts and Nydia Velázquez of New York said in a joint statement on Monday. "Rather than support hardworking legal immigrants to start or expand a business, the Trump SBA is choosing hatred by barring green card holders from receiving an SBA loan. The administration's message to immigrants is clear: You are not welcome to pursue the American Dream."
