Worldway has learned that the U.S. Department of State's Visa Office has released the latest visa bulletin for February 2016. Due to the extension of the EB-5 program, the EB-5 U.S. investor visa is no longer marked as "U" (unauthorized/unavailable), and it continues to feature both Chart A and Chart B visa schedules.
As shown in the two tables above, in Chart A (Final Action Dates), the cut-off date for EB-5 visa applications from mainland China is January 15, 2014, which is one week ahead of January 2016. In Chart B (Dates for Filing), the cut-off date remains unchanged at May 1, 2015.
Impact on U.S. EB-5 Investor Visa Applicants
1. According to Chart A, if your priority date is before January 15, 2014, and your I-526 petition has been approved, you may proceed with your interview at the Guangzhou Consulate or file an I-485 application within the United States, and you may be approved for a visa or green card immediately;
2. Chart B (Dates for Filing) generally remains unchanged. The suspense lies in the stance of the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services). Within a week, the USCIS will announce whether they will accept I-485 applications (adjustment of status within the U.S.) based on Chart A or Chart B.
Waiting Time Caused by Visa Retrogression
Based on Chart A, the EB-5 retrogression for February 2016 is approximately 2 years. Given that the current average processing time for an I-526 petition is about 13 months, we can conclude:
Additional Waiting Time=Retrogression Period -I-526Processing Time=24months -13months=11months
In other words, current EB-5 applicants from mainland China only need to wait an additional 11 months on average. Furthermore, since the visa process begins during the waiting period, and after deducting the typical 3-month NVC processing time, the final result is an average wait of 8 months longer than it would be without retrogression.
Although the U.S. investor visa program has been successfully extended this time, Worldway immigration experts believe that "the sooner you apply for immigration, the better" remains a fundamental truth. Especially against the backdrop of the continuous depreciation of the RMB and the ongoing upward trend of the U.S. dollar, for high-net-worth individuals, increasing holdings of U.S. dollar assets and accelerating the layout of EB-5 investment immigration is the best choice to cope with RMB depreciation, conduct overseas asset allocation, and diversify investment risks. At the same time, it also allows the whole family to obtain U.S. status, which is a multi-faceted benefit! Friends who are interested in immigrating to the United States should plan early, submit their immigration applications as soon as possible, and take control of the initiative.
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