Congress approved the Omnibus Appropriations legislation on Feb. 14, 2019. On Feb. 15, the president signed the legislation into law and announced additional executive actions to further address needs the Administration has identified at the southern border. Now, all 12 Appropriations bills for this fiscal year are complete and extended through Sept. 30, 2019, and… Continue Reading
Category Archives: EB-5
Subscribe to EB-5 RSS FeedCongress Prepares Action to Avoid Government Shutdown and Fund Vital Programs Such as EB-5
Posted in EB-5, Government ShutdownLate on Feb. 13, 2019, House and Senate Conferees on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations announced an agreement on DHS Appropriations for FY 2019 and the remaining six other outstanding FY 2019 Appropriations measures. The measure, HJ Res 31, or “the Omnibus,” is over 1,000 pages and deals with many areas of government, ranging… Continue Reading
Congress Passes Continuing Resolution Opening Government and Vital Programs such as EB-5 and E-Verify
Posted in Conrad 30 Waiver Program, Continuing Resolution (CR), E-Verify, EB-5As a continuation of an earlier posting, the U.S. Senate initiated a process by voice vote opening the US Government through February 15, H.J. Res 28, and providing for House and Senate consideration of Department of Homeland Security Appropriations, H. J. Res 31. These actions will provide funding for all remaining Appropriations bills subject to… Continue Reading
UPDATE: Government Lapse of Appropriations and Shutdown Status
Posted in Department of Homeland Security, EB-5, Government Shutdown, Legislation, President Trump's Administration, shutdown, UncategorizedAfter 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 negotiations:… Continue Reading
February 2019 Visa Bulletin Updates
Posted in EB-3, EB-5, EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, Visa, Visa BulletinThe Department of State (DOS) February 2019 Visa Bulletin shows considerably more movement in employment-based categories than in January. The EB-1 category will advance two months in all countries, with China and India advancing to Feb. 8, 2017, and all other countries moving forward to Dec. 1, 2017. The EB-2 category will remain current for all… Continue Reading
Three Greenberg Traurig Attorneys Recognized in EB-5 Investors Magazine
Posted in Awards & Recognitions, EB-5Three attorneys with global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP are listed in EB-5 Investors Magazine’s, “Top 25 Immigration Attorneys in the EB-5 Industry.” Laura Foote Reiff is included as one of the EB-5 attorneys in specialized fields, for her legislative work. Kate Kalmykov and Jennifer Hermansky are both recognized among the top 25 immigration attorneys…. Continue Reading
Current Trends on Indian EB-5 Investor Market
Posted in EB-5, I-526, Immigrant Investor, Immigrant Visa, Immigration, U.S. State Department, Uncategorized, USCISIt 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…. Continue Reading
URGENT UPDATE for Scheduled EB-5-Based Green Card Interviews
Posted in Department of State, EB-5, EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, EB-5 Program, Government Shutdown, shutdown, USCISAs we alerted previously, the U.S. federal government shut down at the end of the day on Dec. 21, 2018. Because the EB-5 regional program was not extended, government agencies such as USCIS and the U.S. State Department will no longer be able to approve adjustment of status (green card) applications and immigrant visas based on… Continue Reading
New Congress Formed; House Passes Package of Legislation to Open Government and Re-Start Critical Programs Such as EB-5
Posted in Department of Homeland Security, EB-5, Government ShutdownOn Jan. 3, 2019, the 115th Congress gaveled to a close, and the newly composed 116th Congress, with the House under control of a Democrat majority and the Senate continuing under Republican control, convened. Appropriations legislation was among the first considered, with the House passing a bill that would open government by extending six… Continue Reading
UPDATE: EB-5 Visa Processing During the Government Shutdown
Posted in EB-5, EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, Eb-5 Regional Center, I-526, Immigrant Investor, USCISAs an update to our blog on Dec. 24, USCIS has since clarified that while the EB-5 Regional Center Program expired at the end of the day on Dec. 21, 2018, due to a lapse in congressional authorization to continue the program, USCIS will continue to receive regional center-affiliated Forms I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien… Continue Reading
EB-5 Processing During the Government Shutdown
Posted in Department of State, EB-5, EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, EB-5 Legislation, EB-5 Program, Government Shutdown, I-526, I-829, Immigrant Investor, Immigrant Visa, Immigration, Immigration Law, NOID, RFE, shutdown, USCISThe U.S. federal government shut down at the end of the day on Dec. 21, 2018, and the president did not sign into law the extension of the EB-5 program passed by the Senate. Until the shutdown ends, and the Regional Center EB-5 program extension is signed into law, no new I-526 petitions can be… Continue Reading
Senate Passes Continuing Resolution Funding Government; Bill Goes to House
Posted in Conrad 30 Waiver Program, Continuing Resolution (CR), E-Verify, EB-5, ImmigrationThe U.S. Senate filed Continuing Resolution, Senate amendment to H.R. 695 – Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2018 [Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2019, legislation on Dec. 19 to extend government programs and operations through Feb. 8, 2019 and to prevent a partial government shutdown on Dec. 21. From the Senate Appropriations Committee press release… Continue Reading
January 2019 Visa Bulletin Updates
Posted in EB-3, EB-5, EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, Visa, Visa BulletinThe Department of State (DOS) January 2019 Visa Bulletin has resulted in mixed bag of retrogression for some and advancement for others. The EB-1 category moved forward approximately 3 months across the board. EB-3 China and India are both now at Dec. 15, 2016. The EB-2 category showed minor improvement for China to Aug. 1, 2015,… Continue Reading
President Signs Extension of Government Funding and Programs, such as EB-5 and other critical immigration programs, through Dec 21, 2018
Posted in Continuing Resolution (CR), EB-5, ImmigrationAs an update to this reporting- House Introduces Two-Week Continuing Resolution to Extend Vital Programs such as EB-5, on Dec. 6, the House passed H.J. Res 143 – FY 2019 Continuing Resolution Through December 21, 2018, by unanimous consent. The measure proceeded to the Senate and was approved by unanimous consent approximately one-hour after passing… Continue Reading
U.S. District Court for District of Columbia Issues Important Decision in Favor of EB-5 Investors
Posted in EB-5, EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, EB-5 Investment, EB-5 Legislation, EB-5 Program, GT Alert, I-526, Immigrant Investor, Immigrant Visa, Immigration, Immigration Law, USCIS, VisaIn the matter of Huashan Zhang, et al. v. United States Citizenship and Immigration Service, et al. (United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Nov. 30, 2018), plaintiffs challenged the decisions of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) to deny their EB-5 immigrant investor visa petitions based upon USCIS’ erroneous interpretation… Continue Reading
House Introduces Two-Week Continuing Resolution to Extend Vital Programs such as EB-5
Posted in Conrad 30 Waiver Program, Continuing Resolution (CR), E-Verify, EB-5, ImmigrationHouse Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) introduced H.J. Res 143 – FY 2019 Continuing Resolution Through December 21, 2018 on Dec. 3 to extend government programs not yet authorized for the fiscal year until Dec. 21, 2018. Programs extended under the filed Continuing Resolution include seven appropriation bills that are set to expire on Dec…. Continue Reading
We Have Been Nominated for The Expert Institute’s Best Legal Blog Contest – Vote Today!
Posted in Awards & Recognitions, EB-5, Firm News, The Expert Institute’s Best Legal Blog CompetitionWe are extremely excited to announce that we have been nominated to participate in The Expert Institute’s Best Legal Blog Competition. From a field of hundreds of potential nominees, EB-5 Insights has received enough nominations to join one of the largest competitions for legal blog writing online today. Now that the blogs have been nominated and… Continue Reading
Updates on EB-5 Visa Retrogression
Posted in China, Department of State, EB-5, EB-5 Business Plan, EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, EB-5 Investment, I-526, Immigrant Investor, Immigrant Visa, Immigration, Immigration Law, USCIS, VietnameseAt a recent EB-5 industry forum, Mr. Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Department of State (DOS) Immigrant Visa Control & Reporting Division, provided key insights on what the latest data suggests regarding the future availability of visas in the EB-5 category. Top EB-5 Visa Users in FY2018: China, Vietnam, and India In terms of EB-5… Continue Reading
December 2018 Visa Bulletin Updates
Posted in Department of State, EB-3, EB-5, Immigration, Visa BulletinThe Department of State (DOS) December 2018 Visa Bulletin shows some movement in employment-based categories. The EB-1 category will advance three months in all countries, with China and India advancing to Sept. 1, 2016, and all other countries will move forward to July 21, 2016. The EB-2 category remained current for all countries except China, advancing… Continue Reading
USCIS Updates Policy Manual Regarding Impermissible Debt Arrangements
Posted in EB-5, EB-5 Business Plan, EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, EB-5 Investment, EB-5 Legislation, EB-5 Program, UncategorizedOn Oct. 30, 2018, USCIS issued an update to the USCIS Policy Manual clarifying the types of agreements that constitute an impermissible debt arrangement. USCIS revised Part G, Volume 6, Chapter 2, Section A.2. to reflect various scenarios where an operating agreement of a new commercial enterprise will or will not constitute an impermissible redemption… Continue Reading
November 2018 Visa Bulletin Updates
Posted in China, EB-3, EB-5, EB-5 Program, USCIS, Visa, Visa BulletinThe Department of State (DOS) November 2018 Visa Bulletin shows movement in employment-based categories. The EB-1 category remained retrogressed for November 2018. Although it is likely that there will be some forward movement in December 2018 for EB-1 India, it will probably NOT return to “current” this calendar year. The EB-2 India category will likely move… Continue Reading
OMB Publishes Fall 2018 Unified Agenda with EB-5 Regulatory Updates
Posted in Department of Homeland Security, EB-5, EB-5 Business Plan, EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, EB-5 Investment, EB-5 Legislation, EB-5 Processing Times, EB-5 Program, EB-5 Project, Immigration, Immigration Law, Investment, Proposed Rule, Uncategorized, USCIS, USCIS Public EngagementToday, OMB published the bi-annual Unified Regulatory Agenda. This important transparency tool reflects agency rulemaking updates and plans for the immediate future. The updates are broad and encompass all areas of rulemaking. The dates provided by the agency are best thinking at the time and are subject to change. For purposes of this blog, we focus on EB-5… Continue Reading
President Trump Signs Continuing Resolution into Law
Posted in Continuing Resolution (CR), EB-5, HR 6157The President today signed H.R. 6157, a bill making Appropriations for Defense and Labor Health and Human Services & Education with a continuing resolution for other government programs not reauthorized by Oct 1. The continuing resolution prevents a government shutdown and extends vital programs, such as the EB-5 immigrant investor program, among others until Dec. 7…. Continue Reading
Important Development for Vietnamese and Chinese EB-5 Investors in October 2018
Posted in China, Department of State, EB-5, EB-5 Legislation, EB-5 Processing Times, EB-5 Program, Green Cards, I-526, Immigrant Green Card, Immigrant Investor, Immigration, Immigration Law, State Department, USCIS, Vietnamese, VisaThis coming October, USCIS is allowing a number of foreign nationals to apply for adjustment of status earlier than they would otherwise be eligible. Specifically, USCIS has announced that it will allow individuals with immigrant petitions in employment-based categories to apply for adjustment of status based on the cutoff dates in the “Dates for Filing” Chart… Continue Reading