EB-5 Processing Times
On April 30th, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) posted updated estimated average processing times for I-526, I-829 and I-924 petitions. Most notably, the average processing times for I-526 and I-924 petitions have been significantly reduced. I-526 petitions have been reduced by six months, from a national average of 18.4 months at the end of 2013 to a national average of 12.4 months at the end of April. Average I-829 processing times remain at about 8.7 months and I-924 designation went from 10.6 months to 4.4 months at the end of April.
Please see the charts below. To follow online, visit “My Case Status” at USCIS.gov.
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USCIS Processing Times of I-526 Petitions as of April 30, 2014.
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Courtesy of USCIS.gov
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USCIS Processing Times of I-829 Petitions as of April 30, 2014.
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Courtesy of USCIS.gov
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USCIS Processing Times of I-924 Petitions as of April 30, 2014
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Courtesy of USCIS.gov
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USCIS Publishes Q1 & Q2 Adjudication Data for I-526 & I-829 Petitions
USCIS recently posted the adjudication data representing the first two quarters of the fiscal year 2014 (see below). At the current pace, full year data would show over 9,000 I-526 petitions being received by USCIS, indicating that investor demand is at an all-time high – which would be more than a 40% increase from the previous record in FY2014. Moreover, as we learned last month at the IIUSA EB-5 Advocacy Conference from Charles Oppenheim, the head of the visa controls office at the Department of State (
Watch EB-5 Retrogression Predictions and Consequences), there are only 3,000 visas left for EB-5 category in FY2014. Despite Mr. Oppenheim’s prediction that the EB-5 quota for China will stay current through the end of the fiscal year, there will undoubtedly be retrogression implications in FY2015 if changes are not made by Congress to current EB-5 legislation which place limits on the number of visas allotted per country or increases the annual allotment.
I-526 Immigrant Petitions by Alien Entrepreneurs (Received, Approved, Denied & Pending) by Fiscal Year & by Quarter in 2014
I-829 Petitions by Entrepreneurs to Remove Conditions (Received, Approved, Denied & Pending) by Fiscal Year & by Quarter in 2014
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