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Posts Tagged ‘I-829 Petition’
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.
Immigration Attorney Anthony Korda Takes Final Step in his own EB-5 Process, Receives U.S. Citizenship
April 22, 2013 – For former British Barrister, Anthony Korda moving from England to the U.S. with his family via the EB-5 visa has been a five year journey. Mr. Korda’s EB-5 experience began as one of the first investors of the Jay Peak Ski Resort project in Vermont.
That journey concluded last Friday when Mr. Korda was sworn in, taking the oath of a U.S. Citizen. “Exclusive Visas salutes Antony Korda and congratulates him as a true EB-5 success story,” said Fred Burgess, President and co-founder of Exclusive Visas, a Weston, Florida-based EB-5 consultancy.
For Mr. Korda the EB-5 program was the answer to his vision of residing permanently in the U.S. – the same vision shared by all EB-5 petitioners. He invested $500,000 in the Vermont Ski Resort which used his investment to capitalize new infrastructure and as a result created the required 10 jobs.
Mr. Korda now permanently resides in Florida with his family where he practices immigration law and helps clients from all over the world find the best, safest American EB-5 projects to invest in. As an expert EB-5 consultant and an affiliated partner of Exclusive Visas, he has helped literally hundreds of immigrants over the past years receive their own EB-5 visas. And as an EB-5 petitioner himself Mr. Korda brings his unique perspective when addressing clients’ challenges associated with emigrating to the U.S. via the EB-5 visa.
“The EB-5 program has given us a new life and, yes, it’s given me a new business to go into,” Mr. Korda said. “And it’s an interesting one, too.”
The EB-5 visa is attractive for high net worth immigrants (willing to invest in a U.S. business) because it does not require having a close relative or a U.S. company willing to sponsor the immigrant, as required by conventional immigrant visas.
While the key features of EB-5 are easily stated the process can be arduous and confusing. The entire process is a vast combination of timelines, deadlines, tax returns, supporting documentation, and due diligence involving, immigration attorneys, the USCIS and the SEC. It is not a world anyone should attempt to navigate without an experienced expert at their side.
An Exclusive Visas Expert EB-5 Consultant will cut through the confusion for the investor by explaining how the program works generally and specifically for the candidate. Exclusive Visas brings together all the elements of the program, manages timelines, and gives the client the broadest likelihood of success.
From petitioning the USCIS to 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.
Don’t wait another day. Click here to contact an Exclusive Visas Eb-5 consultant now.
Senate unanimously passes 3 year reauthorization of the EB-5 Regional Center Program
On August 2nd, 2012, the US Senate unanimously voted for the reauthorization of the highly successful EB-5 Regional Center Program, and three other programs included in S.3245 – E-verify and the reauthorization of J-1 and Religious worker visas. (For a copy of S.3245, click here).
Although the bill as introduced proposed a permanent reauthorization of the program, the temporary renewal is seen with great enthusiasm by members of the EB-5 industry.
Congress has agreed in principle to a 3 year reauthorization of the EB-5 Regional Center Program. The House is in recess, and will be taking this matter via suspension of the rules (no floor debate) sometime in early September after the end of the recess.
IIUSA (The Association to Invest in the USA), a not-for-profit industry trade association of active EB-5 Regional Centers (“Regional Centers”), attorneys, financial advisers, economists, broker/dealers, consultants, and other EB-5 related service providers released a note to IIUSA’s members this morning that, with an enthusiastic tone, thanked members of the organization for their “continued grassroots efforts.” The note also asked IIUSA members to continue to contact their respective House Representatives while they were back in their local districts during the August recess to “express support for prompt action by the House when it reconvenes in September.” IIUSA estimates that since 2003, Regional Centers have invested well over $3.1 billion of foreign capital in the U.S. economy, creating well over 65,000 jobs for U.S. owrkers – all at no cost to the U.S. taxpayer.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently released statistics that show and exponential spike in applicaitons. During the 2011 fiscal year, USCIS received 3,805 applications for I-526. For 2012, USICS has already received 4,102 approvals, and the upward trend signals an increase in demand and interest for the EB-5 program.
The team at Exclusive Visas is excited about the opportunity to continue to work with families from all over de world in their quest to live the American Dream through the EB-5 Regional Center Pilot Program.
Exclusive Visas thoroughly researches Regional Center projects in the United States, and endorses only those projects that meet our rigorous standards. When you hire Exclusive Visas as your EB-5 Consultants, we hold your hand from the moment you begin considering which Regional Center program to invest in, until the day you receive your permanent green card. You will be assigned a personal concierge to liaise between you, your Immigration Attorney, and the Regional Center throughout the entire process.