The U.S. Senate passed by Unanimous Consent an amended version of H.R. 1044, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2019 that was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019.
The Senate-passed bill eliminates per-country quotas for all employment-based immigrant visa and adds additional requirements for H-1B visas. See the bill here.
On Jan. 29, 2020, USCIS announced that it would be making a significant change to the processing of I-526 Petitions, commonly referred to as EB-5 Petitions. USCIS previously had a policy to adjudicate EB-5 Petitions on a “first-in, first-out” basis. This meant that USCIS was to review and decide EB-5 Petitions based solely on the
On May 31, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus announced, “Following CHC Request, GAO Agrees to Open Investigation into Record-Breaking Immigration Case Backlog at USCIS,” in which Chairman Castro stated the following:
My colleagues in the Hispanic Caucus and I look forward to reviewing GAO’s findings. We must ensure that USCIS is meeting its Congressional
In a June 14, 2017 policy alert, USCIS updated its Policy Manual to provide further guidance regarding capital at risk requirements. Pursuant to the most recent Volume 6 of the Policy Manual, USCIS has confirmed and clarified that an EB-5 investor’s funds must sustain his or her investment “at risk” throughout the two-year conditional
Currently, the average processing time for an I-526 petition ranges from 20.5 to 27 months, as shown in the screenshot from USCIS website below. For cases filed with an receipt date of January 29, 2017 or earlier that remain pending with USCIS, the investors or the attorneys of record can submit an “outside normal processing
After 35 days of closure, with multiple House bills debated and passed, and Senate bills debated, President Trump called a press conference the afternoon of Jan. 25 relating to ending the government shutdown. Standing in the Rose Garden, the president announced a deal to reopen the government for three weeks and provide for ongoing fiscal
It is widely known that India has become a major EB-5 investor market in recent years, as EB-5 is becoming an increasingly popular option for Indian nationals who seek permanent residence in the United States; the fact that there has been a growing number of high-net-worth individuals in India clearly helps to stimulate this demand.
Greenberg Traurig’s EB-5 team thanks our clients, colleagues, and fellow EB-5 industry members for a successful 2018. We look forward to the new year ahead.
Happy Thanksgiving from Greenberg Traurig’s EB-5 team. We’re grateful for our wonderful clients, colleagues, and EB-5 industry friends! Wishing you all a fabulous holiday.