U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released the latest processing speeds for U.S. investment immigration as of September 30: the processing time for I-526 is 14.3 months; the processing time for I-829 is 6.8 months; and the processing time for I-924 is 8.5 months. Worldway Group U.S. immigration experts have provided an analysis of these figures.
Although the processing speed for U.S. investment immigration I-526 has slowed down compared to last month, it still falls within the normal processing time range for EB-5, so investors do not need to be overly concerned. At the same time, the extended processing time for I-526 indicates that USCIS is placing increasing importance on EB-5 and that the review process for I-526 is becoming more standardized. USCIS will spend more time investigating and understanding project backgrounds to prevent the infiltration of inferior projects.
USCIS is adopting a policy of "strict first, lenient later," meaning that the review of I-526 visas is becoming increasingly stringent, while the processing of I-829 visas has become relatively more lenient. This "strict first, lenient later" trend will be more conducive to investors obtaining permanent green cards and also reflects the increasing maturity and standardization of EB-5 investment immigration.
U.S. EB-5 investment immigration has also recently undergone a process simplification. The National Visa Center (NVC) has changed its procedure for collecting original personal supporting documents. Effective November 12, 2014, for immigrant visa applications, the NVC will no longer require the collection of original personal documents (such as birth, marriage, police, military, court, death, or divorce records) for non-electronic processing cases. Applicants are only required to submit copies to the NVC via mail and retain the originals themselves. Then, they must bring the original supporting documents to the visa interview. This policy is expected to reduce waiting times during the NVC stage.
Worldway Group experts believe that the success of U.S. EB-5 investment immigration depends on the choice of project. Following the successful approval of the 520 Bridge Bond project, for which it was the sole chief agent, Worldway Group has launched the Pennsylvania Turnpike project, which is jointly invested by the U.S. federal and state governments and owned and managed by the state government. It has already received pre-approval from USCIS. The Pennsylvania Turnpike project is the first EB-5 project jointly promoted by a U.S. Congressman and a Chinese immigration agency since the enactment of the U.S. EB-5 investment immigration law. It has attracted high attention and enthusiastic pursuit from U.S. immigration investors, creating a booming situation that is almost like a rush to purchase.
Phase I of the U.S. investment immigration Pennsylvania Turnpike project is about to sell out and close. This is the final call—don't miss this opportunity! Please call the hotline at 400-138-2929.
Pennsylvania Turnpike Project Seminar
Qingdao
Time: Saturday, November 22, 2014, at 14:30
Location: Room 2001, China Merchants Bank Building, No. 36 Hong Kong Middle Road, Shinan District, Qingdao
Shenzhen
Time: Saturday, November 22, 2014, 14:30-17:00
Location: Washington Hall, Worldway Group Shenzhen Office (Rooms 604-612, Excellence Times Square, No. 4068 Yitian Road, Futian District, Shenzhen, China)
Shanghai
Time: Sunday, November 23, 2014, at 14:30
Location: 12th Floor, Standard Chartered Bank Building, No. 201 Century Avenue, Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai
