In 2017, two major rumors hit the U.S. investment immigration sector: a 3.6-fold increase in the minimum EB-5 investment amount and calls from congressional leaders to shut down the EB-5 program, triggering massive panic among the immigration industry in China and the U.S., as well as global EB-5 investors! Furthermore, data from the fourth quarter of the 2016 fiscal year showed an I-526 rejection rate as high as 20%, dealing a blow to many investors. Against the backdrop of policy changes, price hikes, and tightening approval standards for U.S. investment immigration, locking in EB-5 projects that have already received exemplar approval from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has become a wise choice for investors.
Recent I-526 approval rate statistics are as follows:
Recent average I-526 approval rates are as follows:
【Worldway Immigration Analysis】
As shown by the data above, the average I-526 approval rate for the 2016 fiscal year was 80.42%, meaning nearly 20% of applicants were rejected. This approval rate is lower than the 10-year average of 82.80%. From this, we can see that U.S. investment immigration approvals are becoming increasingly stringent. Worldway Immigration reminds investors that projects that have already received exemplar approval or have had other investors' I-526 petitions approved should be the top priority for investors.
What is I-526 Exemplar Approval?
As the first hurdle in U.S. investment immigration, the I-526 petition is of vital importance to investors. Whether the I-526 petition is approved directly affects whether an investor can successfully obtain a conditional green card. If a project's full set of I-526 application documents has already received exemplar approval from the USCIS, it means the immigration authorities have pre-approved the project. As long as the investor's personal documents are in order, they can smoothly pass the I-526 approval process and obtain a conditional green card.
What benefits do projects with I-526 exemplar approval bring to investors?
1) Significantly reduced risk for conditional green cards: Since the immigration authorities have already approved the project, as long as the investor's personal documents are in order, they can smoothly pass the I-526 approval process and obtain a conditional green card;
2) Faster processing speed: According to policy, when the immigration authorities review subsequent I-526 and I-829 applications from investors, they only need to review the investor's personal application documents rather than re-reviewing project-related documents. This can, to a certain extent, accelerate the approval process.
3) Easily cope with U.S. immigration policy changes: U.S. investment immigration is likely to undergo policy changes on April 28, but projects that have already received exemplar approval from the immigration authorities may not be affected by these changes under existing regulations.
【Worldway Immigration Reminder】
2017 is destined to be a turbulent year for U.S. investment immigration, with warnings of policy changes and price hikes sounding loudly; rushing to invest is an urgent priority. Faced with EB-5 price hikes, shutdown proposals, the upcoming April 28 expiration of the current act, and the July 1 implementation of Chinese foreign exchange controls, investors interested in U.S. immigration should take action to lock in projects with exemplar approval as soon as possible and complete their investments.
By accurately gauging the trends in U.S. investment immigration policy changes, Worldway Immigration has carefully selected three high-quality projects that have already received exemplar approval from the immigration authorities, helping investors catch the last train before U.S. immigration price hikes. For details, please call: 400-138-2929