In recent years, USCIS’ EB-5 Immigrant Investor visa program, which
enables foreign nationals who invest a certain amount of capital in U.S.
businesses to obtain visas and a path to residency in the U.S., has
seen exponential growth. In FY2012, the federal agency approved over
3,100 Form I-526 petitions, a more than three-fold increase over the
number approved three years prior.
Since 2009, USCIS has quadrupled the size of its EB-5 adjudications
teams, and has hired expert economists dedicated to the investor
program. In the coming months, USCIS plans on multiple additional
staffing and resource upgrades, as part of its new special Review Board.
Two full-time attorneys with transactional experience will be brought
on. At the end of July, a new review board, made up of two supervisory
immigration services officers and one economist, will review all pending
applications for regional center designation for which denials have
been recommended. Applicants will be given the opportunity to discuss
their cases in-person before any final decision is made.
A new dedicated program office will be led by a new Chief of Immigrant
Investor Programs, who will be responsible for ensuring the efficient
administration of the program with a focus on business reality.
