With the implementation of the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act in 2022, U.S. investment immigration has officially entered a "new policy era." Under this new policy framework, how are the approval rates for the I-526E personal applications, which investors are most concerned about, and the core project I-956F approvals? This not only relates to whether each applicant's immigration dream can be realized but also affects investment decisions and future planning. Let’s take a look with Worldway.
Under the new law, the volume of EB-5 applications, approval rates, and processing speeds
Recently, the AIIA (American Investment Immigration Alliance) obtained data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which includes applications, approvals, and rejections from investors from April 2022 to January 2025 after the new law was passed. This is a crucial set of data for investment immigration.
Submission Volume: Chinese Investors Remain in First Place
Under the new law, in terms of the total number of I-526 and I-526E submissions by country, China has the highest demand, with investors from China submitting the most I-526E applications, accounting for approximately 52%.
Approval Volume: Advantages of Rural Projects Stand Out
◆ Under the new law, a total of 1,126 rural projects have been approved, with 729 approvals from China, accounting for approximately 65%, while only 30 were rejected;
◆ A total of 351 approvals have been granted for high unemployment projects, with 79 approvals from China, accounting for approximately 22%, and 5 rejections.
Differentiated Processing Speeds: Rural Projects Enter "Accelerated Mode"
According to data analysis, in the EB-5 investment immigration processing process:
1. There is no significant difference in processing speeds among applicants from different countries.
2. However, the processing of high unemployment and rural projects shows a contrast:
◆ Most of the high unemployment applications submitted in the first batch in 2022 have been processed, but very few similar applications submitted in 2023 have been processed.
◆ In contrast, a considerable number of rural project applications submitted in 2023-2024 have already completed approval.
China's mainland rural and high unemployment I-526/I-526E monthly processing progress percentage
As of January 2025, comparison of the processing rates of I-526/E applications submitted by various countries
Taking the highly anticipated "Florida Lakeside Jewish Community" project as an example, as a hot-selling project with approvals for I-956F/I-526E/green card, continuous reports of clients receiving I-526E approvals have come in, with some clients even successfully obtaining I-526E approval in just 9 months. This also proves that choosing rural projects significantly shortens the waiting period for applicants.
This phenomenon resonates with the provisions of the EB-5 new law. The new law clearly grants "priority approval" to rural projects of regional centers, and from the current actual approval situation of I-526E by the immigration bureau, this policy is indeed being implemented.
Of course, the approval speed of rural projects is closely related to whether the project I-956F is approved. When a project receives I-956F approval from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, it means that the project is recognized by the immigration bureau, and thereafter, when the immigration bureau reviews the I-526E of the project investors, it only needs to review the personal documents and source of funds documents of the investors. In other words, investors who choose projects with I-956F approval will have a faster I-526E approval speed.
Current I-956F Approval Trends: Increased Difficulty and Risk Warnings
According to immigration bureau data, the rejection rate for I-956F applications reached 16% for the entire year of 2024, while the rejection rate soared to 26.8% in the first quarter of 2025.
From the data released by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, entering 2025, the number of I-956F approvals shows a significant downward trend. This trend also reflects that the risks of projects that have not been approved for I-956F have significantly increased.
If investors choose unapproved projects, once I-956F is rejected, all investors' I-526E applications will be rejected, and the immigration process will be forced to "reset"—reselecting projects, resubmitting applications, and queuing to lock in priority dates, the entire process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Therefore, it is recommended that investors prioritize projects that have received I-956F approval when selecting EB-5 projects.
Currently, the two popular EB-5 projects on the market—"Florida Lakeside Jewish Community" with approvals for I-956F/I-526E/green card and "Aspen Kodiak Apartments" which has received dual approvals for I-956F and I-526E—are high-quality EB-5 rural projects that have been rigorously screened and vetted by Worldway Group, providing you with a fast track to immigrate to the United States, helping you seize the opportunity and realize your American dream! Project quotas are limited, and seizing the opportunity cannot be delayed!
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* Investment involves risks; the above information is for reference only.*