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EB-5 News Archive for the ‘US Immigration News’ Category
The transition of EB-5 adjudications from California to Washington is in high gear with the new facility housing the EB-5 Adjudication unit in Washington D.C. now open for business.
Adjudications of I-924s and EB-5 projects will be handled by newly hired economists – in opposition to the lower skilled USCIS adjudicators that current perform adjudications.
USCIS is actively recruiting qualified economists to serve as adjudicators with many economists having already been hired. Its goal is to speed up the process by not only centralizing the center’s location but also by adding highly qualified economists to (hopefully) adjudicate petitions more expertly and efficiently.
The DC unit is staffed by high level (GS15) government economists. It will first handle adjudications of I-924s, then I 526s and finally I-829s. The new DC unit and the California Service Center EB-5 adjudicators will work closely until the eventual phase-out of the California center when all applications will be handled exclusively by the EB-5 unit in Washington.
The new unit is headed by Dan Renaud, Acting EB-5 Program Chief, and Robert Cox, the Acting EB-5 Deputy Chief.
EB-5 stakeholders are optimistically cautious of the USCIS move. The new economists are generally higher level than those previously hired into the EB-5 program and should make the program function more efficiently. Unfortunately, new hires mean training and mastering the EB-5 learning curve, which is expected – at least in the short term – to slow the process.
“This really is good news for EB-5 investors. At the end of the transition period there should be a significant increase in efficiency and expertise in adjudicating petitions. This should result in faster turn-around times on I-924s, I-526s, and I-829s,” and – we hope – fewer RFIs.” said Joe Sloboda, Vice President and co-founder of Exclusive Visas, a Florida-based EB-5 consultancy.
Click here to contact an Exclusive Visas EB-5 Expert to discuss exactly what USCIS’ latest move means to you
Exclusive Visas brings together all the elements of the program, manages timelines, and gives the client the broadest likelihood of success. An Exclusive Visas Expert EB-5 Consultant will cut through the confusion by providing trustworthy information on how the program works generally and specifically. From petitioning the USCIS to assisting the client in choosing a credible project to invest in, Exclusive Visas will see to it that the investor has all the information necessary to give them peace-of-mind while making the best of the EB-5 opportunity.
Contact Exclusive Visas Today for more Information on the EB-5 Program
On Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 12:30 p.m. (Eastern) the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) invites all stake holders and interested persons in EB-5 to participate in a conversation regarding USCIS ELIS and the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program.
According to USCIS, Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur, will be the first of the EB-5 forms available for e-filing in the USCIS Electronic Immigration System(ELIS).
Many concerns regarding multiple investors submitting duplicate documents with Form I-526 were expressed at the March 2013 stake holder’s meeting. USCIS plans to address these concerns by adding a document library to USCIS ELIS later in the year. The document library will allow Form I-526 petitioners to share documents related to a new commercial enterprise that were previously submitted with an approved I-924, Application for Regional Center, rather than submitting these same documents with the Form I-526.
Accordingly, USCIS officials will give an overview of the concept for the document library, solicit feedback regarding access to the document library, uploading and storing documents, and Regional Center and Investor expectations.
The engagement may be attended in person or by teleconference. Those wishing to attend in person should note that attendance is limited to the first 25 registrants. Those attending via teleconference will be in listen-only mode.
To Join the Session in Person please email the Public Engagement Division no later than May 22, 2013. Please include your full name organization, if any, in the body of the email and reference ELIS EB-5 in the subject line. Attendees must bring government-issued photo identification and plan to arrive at least 15 minutes early to complete the security process.
To Join the Session by Phone please visit the event’s registration page. All registrations must be received no later than May 22, 2013.
On the day of the session, please call in 10 to15 minutes before the start time.
Toll-Free Call-in Number: 1-800-857-0174 – Passcode: ELIS
Any questions regarding the registration process should be directed to the Public Engagement Division.