Earlier this month, USCIS published data on Q4 2018 (September-December) I-526 adjudication trends and IIUSA is pleased to publish our most recent analysis. The in-depth analysis focuses on the significant economic contribution EB-5 is making, the impact of the efforts by USCIS to continue to improve its adjudication efficiency and other salient industry data points.
The full report is now available to all IIUSA members through your member portal account and key highlights can be explored below.
Read the Comprehensive Report (Members Only)
Key Data Highlights
Capital investment
Based on the number of approved I‐526 petitions in FY2018, the EB‐5 Program generated nearly $7 billion in economic development funding last year. Between FY2008 to FY2018, USCIS approved over 64,600 I‐526 petitions, representing more than $32.3 billion in capital investment for the U.S. economy through the EB‐5 Program.
Job Creation
The U.S. Department of Commerce concluded that each EB‐5 investor is expected to create 16 U.S. jobs. With that, the qualified EB-5 investors between FY2008 to FY2018 supported over 1 million U.S. jobs.
I-526 Filings
The number of I‐526 petitions filed in FY2018 was 6,424, a 40% decline from FY2017. The annual I‐526 filing in FY2018 was at its lowest level in the last five years.
I-526 Adjudications
In FY2018, over 14,850 I‐526 petitions were adjudicated by USCIS, representing a growth of 60% year‐over‐year in USCIS’s productivity.
I-526 Approval Rate
The average approval rate of an I‐526 petition declined by 10% in Q4 FY2018, down from 97% in Q3 FY2018 to only 87% in the fourth quarter.
I-526 Backlog
With the combination of the significant decline in I‐526 filings and the consistent growth in I‐526 adjudications, the number of I‐526 petitions pending in USCIS as of the end of Q4 FY2018 continued to decrease by 16% from the last quarter to 14,394, the lowest level since Q3 FY2015.
