U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced new provisions regarding EB-5 regional center audits in accordance with the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022. Each designated regional center will be audited at least once every five years, and audits will review documentation required to be maintained by the regional center and the flow of immigrant investor capital into capital investment projects. Audits aim to enhance the integrity of the EB-5 program by verifying information in regional center applications, annual certifications, and associated investor petitions. During ..read more

Earlier this month, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it would be publishing a “Months of Inventory” data point on its Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Investor (Legacy), processing times page. “Months of Inventory” is a data point that USCIS will calculate by dividing the pending pre-EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act (RIA) Form I-526 inventory by the average number of pre-RIA Form I-526 completions per month during the last six months. According to USCIS, it is adding this information because it demonstrates a more accurate picture of case progression for the ..read more

Please join GT Shareholder Kate Kalmykov and EB5AN for a four-city tour in the following cities: GT Miami – Thursday, April 25, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET GT Los Angeles – Tuesday, April 30, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. PT GT New York – Thursday, May 9, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET GT Atlanta – Tuesday, May 14, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET During each session, attorneys and regional center executives will discuss the status of the EB-5 program nearly two years after the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA). Panelists will share key insights for EB-5 developers and sponsors looking t ..read more

On March 8, 2024, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) published the April 2024 Visa Bulletin. The April 2024 Visa Bulletin reflects no advances in final action dates for India and China. Specifically, the priority dates are as follows: EB-5 Unreserved categories (Pre-RIA):  C5, T5, I5 and R5 (cases filed prior to the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 enacted on March 15, 2022): China: remains December 15, 2015; India: remains December 1, 2020; and All Other Countries, including Mexico and Philippines remain current. EB-5 Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure remain ..read more

Please join Greenberg Traurig Shareholder Kate Kalmykov, James Sozomenou, Metropolitan Commercial Bank, and Connor Irish, PRXY CO, for the next lunch-and-learn. The program will discuss: What is the role of an Escrow Bank in EB-5 Understanding the duties of an EB-5 Fund Administrator under the RIA Positive effects on a project’s capital raise How to get set up Location: The lunch-and-learn program will take place in-person at Greenberg Traurig’s NYC office in One Vanderbilt on Thursday, April 11 from 12 – 2:00 p.m. ET. RSVP: To RSVP for ..read more

With the 2024 Summer Olympics approaching, visa applicants may see longer wait times for appointments at U.S. embassies and consulates in Paris and across Europe. The Summer Olympics are set to take place in Paris, France from July 26 to Aug. 11, 2024. The Paralympics will take place from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8. Drawing more than 15,000 athletes and upwards of 300,000 spectators, these events may result in significantly longer wait times for visa appointments at the U.S. embassy in Paris, as well as at other nearby embassies and consulates. The U.S. State Department provides up-to-date information ..read more

Global Immigration & Compliance Practice Co-Chair Kate Kalmykov will participate in a webinar with the Columbia University Journalism School Feb. 13, 2024. During the event, Kate will speak with employers about the merits, processes, and costs involved with hiring international students and sponsoring foreign nationals as full-time staff, informing them about the different visas they may encounter and the options available to extend visas for international students once they are hired. The post Kate Kalmykov to Present Webinar with Columbia Journalism School appeared fi ..read more

The U.S. State Department has published the March 2024 Visa Bulletin. For EB-5 cases, the Chart A priority dates for the new “set aside” visa categories of rural areas, high unemployment areas, and infrastructure projects available under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act (RIA) remain current for all countries. For pre-RIA I-526 Petition cases in the unreserved EB-5 category, a visa backlog under Chart A of the Visa Bulletin continues for those investors born in mainland China (with a priority date of Dec. 15, 2015) and India (with a priority date of Dec. 1, 2020).  Importantly, the State ..read more

The post Happy Lunar New Year from GT’s Immigration & Compliance Practice! appeared first on EB-5 Insights ..read more

On Jan. 30, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a final rule regarding the H-1B cap electronic registration process for fiscal year (FY) 2025. The announcement also included the initial registration period dates for the FY 2025 cap and the launch of an online filing option for H-1B petitioners. The new rule, effective March 4, 2024, is intended to “strengthen the integrity of and reduce the potential for fraud in the H-1B registration process.” The final rule creates a beneficiary-specific H-1B cap registration selection process. Under this new process, H-1B cap r ..read more