On July 14, 2016, USCIS released updated processing times for the Immigrant Investor Program Office (IPO).

The updated processing times are as follow:

  • Form I-526 Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur:  16.6 months
  • Form I-829 Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions:  20.1 months
  • Form I-924 Application for Regional Center:  9.9 months
  • Processing times for I-829 petitions have increased due to more petitions being submitted as a result of investors reaching the end of their two year conditional permanent residency status.  We also note that while the IPO states the processing times for Form I-924s are 9.9 months, practitioners are reporting that it is taking longer than that timeframe.

Applicants with pending I-526 petitions can check the status of the case online; applicants can also email USCIS.ImmigrantInvestorProgram@uscis.dhs.gov for updates on cases pending beyond the above-mentioned processing times.

We note that the processing times may vary from case to case, and are dependent upon workload and number of petitions pending with the IPO.  GT will continue to closely monitor these times.