I-924

In order to demonstrate continued eligibility for the Regional Center designation, the Regional Center must file Form I-924A (Supplement to Form I-924A) and supporting documentation between September 30th and December 29th of the fiscal year. Thus, all Regional Centers who were designated on or before September 30, 2014, will need to submit their Form I-924As between October 1, 2014, and December 29, 2014. Without properly and timely filing the Form I-924A, USCIS may issue a Notice of Intent to Terminate (NOIIT) the Regional Center’s designation.
Continue Reading Reminder to Complete Form I-924A

In February 2014, USCIS hosted a telephonic meeting with EB-5 stakeholders regarding the EB-5 program. During that call, USCIS estimated an average processing time of 12 months for I-924 applications. As of June 2014, the pendency period has increased, and we are now seeing a longer window of approximately 12-15 months. However, Mr. Nicholas Colucci, the new chief of the USCIS EB-5 Program Office, is optimistic and determined to grow the EB-5 office and employ several dozen additional economists and adjudicators to expedite the adjudication process. Notably, Regional Centers should keep a few notes in mind when filing their I-924 applications. Regional Centers should file a proper and comprehensive I-924 Application because it minimizes the chance of an RFE or NOID, thereby allowing for a quicker approval.
Continue Reading Processing Improvements in I-924 Adjudication

USCIS recently reported faster processing times of I-924 Applications for Regional Center Designation and the number of approved regional centers are currently at an all-time high, and both factors correlate to more I-924 Applications being submitted to and processed by USCIS than ever before. As a result, we have noticed certain trends that have developed demonstrating common issues that arise when submitting the I-924 Application for approval by USCIS. The following is an analysis of what we believe are the top five issues that arise, through the form of a Request for Evidence (RFE) sent back to the applicant from USCIS, when adjudicating the I-924 Application.
Continue Reading Top Five Issues in Analyzing I-924 Requests for Evidence

In a welcome bit of news for the EB-5 industry, USCIS released updated processing times dated as of April 30, 2014 which show USCIS is processing I-924 applications in approximately 4.4 months. Earlier this year, the processing of I-924 applications was moved to the new Immigrant Investor Program Office (IIPO) in Washington D.C. The new EB-5 Program Director Nicholas Colucci oversaw this transition and, during the February 2014 USCIS EB-5 Public Engagement, expressed optimism that the move to the IIPO and ramp-up of new staff at the IIPO would lead to shorter processing times. This new announcement by USCIS appears to be the fruits of that labor by Mr. Colucci and the IIPO and is significantly less than the most recent processing time reports, which pegged the I-924 application processing time at approximately 12 months.
Continue Reading I-924 Processing Times Reduced to 4 Months