On June 29, 2015, the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman published its 2015 Annual Report to Congress. By statute, the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman submits an Annual Report to Congress by June 30 of each year. The Ombudsman’s Annual Report must provide a summary of the most pervasive and serious problems encountered by individuals and employers applying for immigration benefits with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The Annual Report also reviews past recommendations to improve USCIS programs and services.
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Click to View the Annual Citizenship and Immigration Service Ombudsman Report for 2015. EB-5 is covered on pages 46-48.
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The EB-5 Program is covered on paged 46-48 of the report, noting that “The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program has surged in popularity in recent years as an effective way to attract foreign investment, to provide financing to large private and public projects, and for foreign nationals to obtain lawful permanent residency in the United States. While USCIS has hired new adjudicators and economists, it had 12,749 investor petitions (Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur) in its pending inventory as of March 31, 2015, with nearly 20 percent pending adjudication for more than a year; EB-5 processing times have been getting longer. USCIS has provided technical assistance to Congress and is actively working with other DHS and government agencies to put safeguards in place to ensure program integrity.”
The report on EB-5 concludes that the USCIS Immigrant Investor Program Office (IPO) leadership “is determined to reduce processing times and improve predictability and consistency in the EB-5 program, while simultaneously continuing to enhance overall program integrity. In the coming year, the Ombudsman will remain actively engaged in monitoring USCIS administration of this job-creating program.”
The Ombudsman’s Public Teleconference Series
The Ombudsman’s Office hosts public teleconferences to share information on specific topics and to hear your comments and suggestions regarding your interactions with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The Ombudsman welcomes you to join a teleconference discussion of the 2015 Annual Report to Congress.
When: Thursday, July 16, 2015; 1:00 – 2:00 P.M. Eastern Time
Please RSVP by Thursday, July 9, 2015 to CISOmbudsman.PublicAffairs@hq.dhs.gov.
Teleconference call-in information will be provided.
