Last week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Public Engagement Division invited Stakeholders to take part in a webinar on USCIS ELIS (Electronic Immigration System) Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur, and the Document Library. This webinar, to be held on Wednesday July 30th from 3:30-4:30pm (Eastern), is open to the public but is limited to the first 100 registrants. View the Webinar Invitation in PDF.
This one hour webinar will demonstrate ELIS functionality and provide tips on using USCIS ELIS features.
The USCIS ELIS Form I-526 allows customers to:
- Submit their petition electronically,
- Upload evidence, and
- Track case status in real-time.
The USCIS ELIS Document Library allows regional centers to provide immigrant investors in new commercial enterprises with electronic copies of their investment-related documents, including:
- Organizational,
- Transactional, and
- Offering documents.
Form I-526 petitioners can:
- Access electronic copies of documents pertaining to their investment,
- Attest the documents are true and accurate copies, and
- Supplement their electronic or paper-based Form I-526 petition with documents stored in the document library.
To register:
- Email the Public Engagement Division at Public.Engagement@uscis.dhs.gov by July 28.
- Reference “Document Library” in the subject line.
- Provide your full name.
- Provide the name of your organization, if applicable.
Once your registration is processed by USCIS, you will receive a confirmation email with additional instructions on how to participate in the webinar.
If you have any questions regarding the registration process, or if you have not received a confirmation email within two business days, please email Public.Engagement@uscis.dhs.gov.
Stakeholders Encounter Technical Issues with ELIS Filings
Thus far, EB-5 Stakeholders have had mixed results using the new ELIS filing system. First introduced in the February 26 USCIS EB-5 Stakeholder teleconference (Members: Listen Here), ELIS is intended to replace paper filing. According to the USCIS webpage, “By creating a USCIS ELIS account, immigrant investors can access electronic copies of the documents pertaining to their investment, attest that the documents are true and accurate copies of their investment documents, and supplement their electronic or paper-based Form I-526 petition with documents stored in the online library.”
In April, IIUSA posted an article on its blog by Immigration Attorney Martin Lawler, Managing Partner of Lawler & Lawler, detailing the technical difficulties in completing the e-filings. Lawler notes, “I have seen other government electronic immigration systems rolled out by the USCIS and the Department of Labor for various visas. They start out rocky, crash occasionally, and then – usually, not always – start to work well. We will see how the ELIS filing process progresses.”
ELIS is accessed at www.uscis.gov/uscis-elis. The ELIS Help Desk is reached via www.uscis.gov/uscis-elis/uscis-elis-help-and-customer-support or by calling 1-800-375-5283.
