The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has published a final rule on July 24 that makes a number of significant changes to its EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, marking the first significant revision of the program’s regulations since 1993.
New developments under the final rule include:
- Raising the minimum investment amounts;
Revising the standards for certain targeted employment area (TEA) designations;
Giving the agency responsibility for directly managing TEA designations;
Clarifying USCIS procedures for the removal of conditions on permanent residence; and
Allowing EB-5 petitioners to retain their priority date under certain circumstances.
The final rule will become effective on Nov. 21, 2019.