With USCIS publishing the latest quarterly statistics of all application and petition form types for the fourth quarter (Q4) in fiscal year (FY) 2022, IIUSA was able to produce a comprehensive data report on the latest Form I-526 statistics, analyzing the trends of overall demand for EB-5, adjudication of I-526 cases, average approval rates, and the current I-526 case backlog at USCIS.
(Form I-526 Statistics by Quarter by Fiscal Year)
KEY DATA HIGHLIGHTS
EB-5 Investment Inflow:
-
We estimated that $384 million in capital investment was generated through the EB-5 Program in FY2022.
-
On average, the EB-5 Program contributed approximately $1.8 billion annually between FY2019 and FY2020, while this number dropped significantly to $400 million from FY2021 to FY2022, during part of which the Regional Center Program discontinued for nearly 9 months. That is, the lapse of the Regional Center Program costed American communities $1.4 billion annually in potential funding for economic development.
Form I-526 Filing:
- A total of 829 EB-5 investors filed their I-526(E) petition in FY2022, up by 2% from FY2021.
- Although the volume of Form I-526(E) filing remained in historical low in the last two fiscal years, we expect that the number will be higher in FY2023 thanks to the long-term reauthorization of the EB-5 Regional Center Program and the reopening of major investor markets.
Form I-526 Adjudication:
-
USCIS adjudicated only 1,203* I-526 cases in FY2022, down by 61% from FY2021.
Form I-526 Approval Rate:
-
The average approval rate of I-526 cases that were adjudicated in Q4 FY2022 was only 48%, a 10% decline from the last quarter.
Form I-526 Backlog:
-
At the end of Q4 FY2022 (September 30, 2022), 13,062 I-526 cases were still pending at USCIS and awaiting adjudication.
* USCIS reported that the total number of I-526 adjudication in FY2022 is 1,415. However, based on the statistics that USCIS published in each quarter, the sum of I-526 adjudication from Q1 to Q4 FY2022 is 1,203. IIUSA has inquired USCIS about the data discrepancy.
For more in-depth data analyses, download the full report here (Members Only)
BOOKMARK THE I-526 DATA DASHBOARD
Key I-526 statistics and data trends, all at your fingertips: 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.
