USCIS published quarterly statistics for all application and petition form types for the second quarter (Q2) in fiscal year (FY) 2021, including the latest data between January 1st and March 31th for Form I-526, Form I-829, Form I-924, and Form I-924A.
IIUSA produced a new data report (members-only) to inform our stakeholders of the latest demands for EB-5, the I-526 case processing trends, the average approval rates and the current I-526 case backlog.
(Form I-526 Statistics by Fiscal Year)
KEY DATA HIGHLIGHTS
Form I-526 Filings:
- With 98 I-526 filings in Q2, FY2021, a total of 189 EB-5 investors filed their I-526 petition in the first half of fiscal year 2021 (October 1, 2020 – March 31, 2021), down by 96% from the same time period in FY2020.
- However, it’s important to note that 4,264 (or 97%) I-526 filings occurred in the first quarter of the last fiscal year; while only 21 I-526 petitions were filed in Q2 FY2020 after the new regulation went into effect, indicating the number of I-526 filing in Q2, FY2021 increased by 367% year over year .
Form I-526 Adjudications:
- 882 I-526 petitions were processed in Q2, FY2021, decreasing by 21% from the previous quarter.
- USCIS adjudicated a total of 2,005 I-526 cases in the first two quarters of FY2021, a 48% increase from the same time period in the last fiscal year.
Form I-526 Approval Rate:
- The average approval rate of I-526 petitions declined by 4% from Q1 to 85% in Q2, FY2021.
- Overall, the 24-month average I-526 approval rate was 76.7% while the 36-month average was 83.6%.
Form I-526 Backlog:
- As of March 31th, 2021 a total of 10,344 I-526 cases were still pending at USCIS and awaiting adjudications;
- USCIS stated in its latest guidance that the agency is not processing any regional center affiliated I-526 cases during the lapse of the EB-5 Regional Center Program, which expired after June 30, 2021.
INTRODUCING THE NEW I-526 DATA DASHBOARD
Key I-526 statistics and data trends, all at your fingertips
It’s our pleasure to introduce you the new interactive I-526 Data Dashboard available on IIUSA’s website: https://iiusa.org/i526data/
This new online tool features historical trends of the demand for the EB-5 Program and the most up-to-date statistics on Form I-526 petitions, including:
- Estimated amount of EB-5 investment inflows to the U.S. economy;
- Number of I-526 petitions filed by EB-5 investors;
- USCIS’s productivity in processing I-526 cases;
- Average approval rates for I-526 petitions; and
- The latest news and analyses regarding USCIS adjudication trends;
Add this new interactive I-526 Data Dashboard to your bookmark and stay up-to-date with the key statistics most relevant to EB-5 investors.
