US Department of State: Announcement on Resumption of Processing of EB-5 Visas Associated with the Regional Center Program

On April 12, 2022, the Department of State published the following announcement:

Announcement on Resumption of Processing of EB-5 Visas Associated with the Regional Center Program

“On March 15, 2022, President Biden signed a law that made changes to the EB-5 program, authorized a new EB-5 Immigrant Investor Regional Center Program, and directed that certain “grandfathered” immigration benefits be processed. The Department has resumed processing visas associated with the Regional Center Program based on approved USCIS Forms I-526 (Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur), including those filed on or before the expiration of the previous regional center program on June 30, 2021. Further, pursuant to the new legislation, processing of visas associated with the new Regional Center Program may begin 60 days after enactment of the law.”

In short, the Department of State has resumed processing visas for approved I-526 petitions filed under the previous regional center program authorization (those applications filed before June 30, 2021). For I-526 petitions filed under the new Regional Center Program authorization, the Department of State  will begin processing new I-526 petitions 60 days after the signing of the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022, or May 15, 2022.