On July 19, 2023, USCIS released their quarterly data for Q2 FY2023 and made a significant update on EB-5 statistics reporting. Notably, this update marked the first time USCIS provided detailed insights into three categories of Form I-526 petitions: the “legacy I-526” filed prior to the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act, the new Form I-526 for direct EB-5 investment (“direct I-526”), and the new Form I-526E for Regional Center EB-5 investment.
(From the Data Report: EB-5 Investment Inflows by Fiscal Year)
KEY DATA HIGHLIGHTS
EB-5 Investment Inflows:
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Based on our estimations, at least $834 million has been generated through the EB-5 Program in the first half of FY2023 alone.
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Since the inception of RIA, we estimate that over $974 million in capital investment has been raised through the EB-5 Program.
Case Filing:
- USCIS received a total of 1,042 I-526 petitions in the first two quarters of FY2023, including 965 I-526E petitions and 77 I-526 (direct) petitions.
Case Processing:
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In the first half of FY2023 alone, USCIS processed 1,304 I-526 cases, an 8% increase from the total I-526 adjudications in FY2022.
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According to USCIS, all the I-526 cases adjudicated in Q1 and Q2 FY2023 were filed before the implementation of RIA.
Case Approval Rate:
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In recent months, the average approval rate of I-526 cases has seen a significant decline, plummeting to approximately 50% since FY2022. This marks the lowest approval level in the 32-year history of the EB-5 Program.
Case Backlog:
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As of March 31, 2023, a total of 12,819 I-526 cases were still pending at USCIS, including 11,602 I-526 legacy cases, 90 I-526 (direct) petitions, and 1,127 I-526E cases.
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-526E, Form I-526 (direct) and Form I-526 (legacy) 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.
