[Authoritative Interpretation] Key Points of the USCIS EB-5 Stakeholders Meeting

On August 13, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services held an EB-5 Stakeholders Meeting. Worldway has excerpted key points closely related to investors and provided an authoritative interpretation. Additionally, solutions addressing the latest changes to the EB-5 program have been offered to investors for reference.

Key Point 1: Increased Approval Rates, Stable Approval Policies with Steady Improvement.

USCIS officials pointed out at the meeting that as of the third quarter of this fiscal year, there have been over 7,700 EB-5 applications, reflecting a 5% increase compared to the same period last year, with 6,498 approved and 653 denied. Currently, the approval rates for I-526 and I-829 remain high. In the first three quarters of this year, the approval rate for I-526 was 90.74%, and for I-829, it was 95.5%. This indicates that the USCIS's approval policies are experiencing steady improvement.

Key Point 2: Focus on Job Creation in the I-829 Stage.

USCIS has released a draft policy memorandum which emphasizes that EB-5 approvals should focus on the job creation and investment sustainability considerations against the backdrop of the EB-5 visa backlog. It is essential to note that at the time of initial job creation, if the position is a formal and permanent one, the USCIS will still recognize it even if the position no longer exists during the I-829 approval phase.

Key Point 3: USCIS is Committed to Increasing Approval Speed while Strengthening Fraud Prevention.

The meeting highlighted the importance of "promoting job creation and capital investment sustainability" in the draft memorandum and indicated that efforts are ongoing to enhance the speed and efficiency of the EB-5 approval process while shortening wait times. This includes promoting electronic processing of forms, improving communication with applicants and potential applicants, and increasing staff. Additionally, USCIS's focus will shift towards preventing fraud, enhancing information collection, and approving based on job creation and investment sustainability.

[Worldway's Authoritative Interpretation] Through these excerpts from the meeting records, we can conclude that the USCIS is speeding up the approval process while striving to improve the credibility of projects, which is beneficial for investors. Worldway continues to remind investors: As the changes to the EB-5 investment program and the price increase are imminent, two major earthquakes are approaching! Currently, the best advice for investors regarding the upcoming changes and price increases is to act quickly. The urgent priority is to secure investment in projects that have already received sample approvals from USCIS, as they may be protected under the "grandfather clause" and not affected by new legislation regarding price increases.

Worldway Group boasts a premier analyst team in the immigration industry and adheres to a "curated project" philosophy, fervently presenting two superior projects that have received sample approvals from USCIS and are protected under the "grandfather clause"—the DLJ Seasons Hotel Resort Project (a project invested in by the DLJ trillion-dollar fund that has received I-526 sample approval) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Project Phase III (a project that has received I-924 actual project sample approval with government repayment promises).

[Special Note] Worldway's online group purchase event "One Dollar Off Ten Thousand, Truly Added Discounts" will conclude on August 20, with a limited usage period ending on August 30. Please pay attention to updates from the Worldway official website, Worldway Group, and their official WeChat accounts, or consult Worldway's mainland China service hotline: 400-138-2929.

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