好消息,美国eb-5投资移民可能没想象那么慢

近些年由于中国EB5投资人一直很多,排期现象已经很严重,按照现在申请人数和审批速度看美国EB5投资移民排期可能需要5-6年,美国EB5项目也早有提价的想法。

EB-5会议传递出了好的趋势,美国EB-5投资移民可能没想象那么慢。某些变化可能对美国投资移民申请人有利。

4月25日,USCIS(美国移民局)在华盛顿,举行了EB-5会议。议题主要包括4个方面:

  • 最低投资金额;
  • TEA(目标就业区)的认定程序;
  • 区域中心的认定程序,包括范本认证程序以及区域中心地理区域认定;
  • 非直接就业创造计算方法。

会议透露的重要信息:

一、 2016 财年第二季度(2016.1.1-2016.3.31)的统计数据。

收件数:

  • I-526:849件;
  • I-829:886件;
  • I-924:40件;

审批数:

  • I-526:4141件;
  • I-829:1255件;
  • I-924:135件;

I-526 收件数第二季度大幅下滑,审批数回复正常季度数据,甚至比起往年都大幅下降。:

二、 I-829 面试

今年,将开始I-829审批环节的面试,将从虚拟面试开始,被面试者可以让顾问/区域中心代表/区域中心顾问陪同。

三、 区域中心现场审计

今年,将开始实施对于区域中心的审计计划,进行对于直接投资项目和区域中心项目的现场审计。

四、 EB-5 办公室增加人手

当前,该办公室有126人,预计年底会增加到171人。

五、 9.30 政策

EB-5 办公室将紧密同国会协作,并会准备“预案手册”,分两种情况:

  • 如果区域中心计划暂停,但是国会有明显意图重新授权;
  • 国会明确其关停区域中心计划;

有投资者说,投资者选择美国,大概因为两个因素:

  1. 投资金额低;
  2. 快速。

不过现在因为排期的原因,快速这个优势已经不存在。我不认为在解决好第二个问题之前就去涨价,这样所有的优势都不存在了。所以,应该先解决排期问题,再谈涨价。

美国方面表示会尽量多的帮助中国投资人解决实际问题,通过放宽配额解决排期问题比较困难,但是会考虑间接的方式来缓解一些排期的问题。比如取消国别限制,解决F1学生等排期期间不能回国等问题。能够期待的是,未来中国投资人尤其是已经在美国的投资人,排期过程应该不再仅仅是干等。同时,即便区域中心计划有什么问题,已经申请的投资人,都应该受到现有法案的保护。

以上内容参考自下面内容。

4/25/2016 Listening Session
Today’s EB-5 stakeholder meeting with USCIS was indeed a listening session — a venue for stakeholder opinions and not for tips and answers from USCIS. In case you’re a lawmaker or regulator and interested in reviewing insightful comments from the public, here is my recording. For the rest of us, who are mainly just curious about what USCIS has to say, here are a few tidbits that came out in the meeting:

  • USCIS will be initiating an IDEA community campaign to collect additional input on EB-5 regulation/policy changes. When that goes live, I’ll post a notice here.
  • I-829 interviews will begin this year, at first virtually, and interviewees may bring counsel, Regional Center representatives, and Regional Center counsel.
  • An audit program for regional centers is being implemented this year, and site visits are being expanded for direct and regional center projects.
  • IPO is up to 126 staff and on track to have 171 employees by year end.
  • IPO did not give any hints about the anticipated content of or timeline for revised regulations or new policy.
  • IPO will work closely with Congress up to the next deadline for regional center program reauthorization (September 30, 2016), and just in case will prepare “what if” guidance for two sunset scenarios: if the Regional Center program lapses but Congress apparently intends to reauthorize it, or if Congress indicates its desire to end the program.
  • IPO Chief Nicolas Colucci reported some preliminary processing data. Q2 2016 receipts: 849 (I-526), 886 (I-829), 40 (I-924). Completions from October 2015 to March 2016 (Q1-Q2 2016): 4,141 (I-526), 1,255 (I-829), 135 (I-924). The big story in these numbers is I-526 receipts, as illustrated in the following figure.

EB5 I-526 申请费涨了:

  • Form I-924A (to be titled “Annual Certification of Regional Center”): new $3,035 fee
  • Form I-924 application for regional center designation or amendment: increase from $6,230 to $17,795
  • Form I-526 immigrant petition: increase from $1,500 to $3,675
  • Form I-829 petition to remove conditions: no change (still $3,750)