USCIS Processing Times for EB-5 reaches 16.2 Months

USCIS Processing Times: EB-5

USCIS processing times for the EB-5 immigration program are getting longer as the website shows 16.2 months to get through an I-526 petition. EB-5 regional centers use the USCIS website as a guideline. EB-5 petitioners should expect long waits to have received review from USCIS adjudicators. The USCIS EB-5 processing times can be found here.

 

I-526 Processing Times:

Processing times for EB-5 I-526 petitions have reached 16.2 months as of December 2015. The news was posted on February 11, 2016. This is worrisome because it seems that the backlog at USCIS is becoming even more serious. The massively delayed adjudications really make it difficult for investors to have faith in the program as they see increased risk from being exposed for a greater amount of time to either political, development or market risks.

I-829 Processing Times:

I-829 processing times have received a similar estimate of 16 months. This is less bothersome as the investor has already received their temporary residency and is allowed to be in the United States. Investors should brace for a major backlog in I-829 processing as the “I-526 bubble” that occured in September of 2015 will surely show up later at the I-829 stage.

 

Are USCIS Processing Times Reliable?

USCIS processing times seem to be a bit unpredictable as some regional centers claim they have received approvals in as little as 3 months whereas other petitions have gone over 2 years and still have not received the good blessing of USCIS.

 

What do I do if USCIS has not responded?

If an Investors I-526 petition goes beyond the said date (16.2 months as of December 2015), the Petitioners attorney on record may inquire to USCIS directly by checking their case online. If the inquiring party is not the petitions attorney of record, they should expect to get a negative response as USCIS will not entertain any inquiry from a 3rd party source.

Here is the processing times as of December 2015:

USCIS Processing Times from December 2015 but posted in February.
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