I-526 processing time

EB-5 immigrant investor program is a United States immigration program that offers citizens of other countries the opportunity to seek permanent U.S. residency through job creation in the U.S.

For investments in areas other than “targeted employment areas,” the minimum amount of investment is US$1 million. Investments in “targeted employment areas,” which include most regional center projects, can qualify with a minimum of US$500,000.

Every month USCIS publishes Processing Time Information for the Immigrant Investor Program Office. EB-5 Processing Time Report released on February 1st 2018 with processing dates as of November 30th 2017.The update just published indicates that as of November 30, 2017, Immigrant Investor Program Office (IPO) was processing I-526 filed on  December  12, 2015, I-829 filed on October 24, 2015, and I-924 filed on December  02, 2015.

In her published remarks for the 11/7/2017 EB-5 stakeholder meeting, IPO Deputy Chief Julia Harrison discussed the wait time for I-526 petitions filed in 2015.

Question: What is USCIS’s best estimate of the wait times for form I-526 petitions filed in 2015?
 
Answer: The posted processing time is the best indication of a petitioner’s position in the queue. The actual adjudication time for any individual petition can vary based on: its position in the queue, the quality (and hence the adjudication time required) for prior petitions in the queue, and the quality and clarity (i.e. credibility of the evidence presented) in the individual’s petition. If RFEs or NOIDs are required they can significantly add to the time required to adjudicate a petition.
 
Also, if the investment project is first presented to USCIS on an I-526, the adjudication may have additional due diligence needs pertaining to the investment project which may require an RFE and any additional processing time will vary depending on the facts and complexity of each case.
 
I-526 petitions filed in 2016 and 2017 can anticipate to wait about 20 months for processing, on average, assuming essentially first-come-first-served processing.

Key Highlights on Latest EB-5 Processing Time Statistics:

• Form I-526:  processing time is 23.6 months.
• Form I-829: processing time is 25.2 months.
• Form I-924: application processing time is 23.9 months.

To learn more about the EB-5 immigrant investor program, please contact us today.