EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program Updates and Remarks

May 3rd, 2017
Posted By
Heather Sivaraman

The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) (AILA Doc. No. 17011306) compiled remarks from a recent stakeholder engagement for the EB-5 program. Remarks came from Immigrant Investor Program Office Chief Nicholas Colucci as well as Deputy Chief Julia Harrison.

Highlights from Remarks by IPO Chief Nicholas Colucci

The program has created a division of adjudicators and economists to focus on the I-829 adjudications and customer service inquiries. The number of I-829 adjudications is expected to increase significantly with the division fully staffed and trained. The Compliance Unit has also grown to keep pace with regional centers. The Unit will expand into a division of three branches; one team will focus on I-924A review, one team will focus on Notices of Intent to Terminate and Notices of Terminations for regional centers, and one team will oversee the audit program. Additionally, webpages are increasingly being translated into Chinese. Lastly, additional outreach meetings will be held continually around the country.

Highlights from Talking Points by IPO Deputy Chief Julia Harrison

The new Form I-829/Customer Service Division will allow other teams to focus exclusively on Form I-526. This allows both teams to gain expertise and efficiency by focusing on one form.

There is no current timeframe for the ELIS program, but the IPO is in the early stages of exploring and working on system improvements. Currently, systems are only deployed internally.

Julia Harrison also provided a "top 10" tips for submitting EB-5 related forms. These are listed below.

  1. First, if you have decided that the program is not for you, submit a written withdrawal.
  2. Provide complete translations of all foreign language documents.
  3. Submit clear and legible copies of the evidence. Do not use small print.
  4. Provide page numbers on each document.
  5. Submit a table of contents or an index of the evidence with corresponding tabs for each piece of evidence.
  6. Submit a cover letter that includes a summary or roadmap of the evidence provided.
  7. Avoid submitting bound documents, and single-sided documents are preferred.
  8. Highlight changes in a way that is readily noticeable, such as yellow highlighting.
  9. If filing a Form I-924 based on a hypothetical project, or an actual project without a Form I-526, organizational or transactional documents for the new enterprise are not necessary.
  10. Lastly, identify "dual" filings.
Categories: Immigration News