Meaning of lo mein loophole | Babel Free

Definitions

A loophole in early-1900s American immigration law that allowed Chinese people to enter the country if they managed a Chinese restaurant, resulting in a greater-than-average increase of those establishments over several decades.

US, historical

Examples

“"Lo Mein Loophole: How U.S. Immigration Law Fueled A Chinese Restaurant Boom [...] Some Chinese business owners in the U.S. could get special merchant visas that allowed them to travel to China, and bring back employees. Only a few types of businesses qualified for this status. In 1915, a federal court added restaurants to that list. Voila! A restaurant boom was born."”

CEFR level