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Search Subject: March 2014 [Clear]
USCIS Processing Times
On the recent stakeholder call, USCIS acknowledged that its posted processing times are not accurate. USCIS said its “average” processing times are: I-526 – immigrant investor – 11 monthsI-829 – removal of conditional residency – 11 monthsCurrently, the USCIS website states processing times as: I-526 – immigrant investor – 9.9 monthsI-829 –...
Martin Lawler Speaking
Martin Lawler is a popular speaker at business, law and university conferences, as well as in the media. Here is a list of Martin’s recent speaking engagements: L.A. County Bar Association EB-5 Conference (lead off speaker and on 3 panels) – March 2014 KAZA 1290 AM, San Jose Vietnamese Radio – February...
Regional Center Regions
A regional center (RC) is granted a charter by USCIS to develop projects in a region – a territory. It can be small or large, such as a town up to a state. A region’s size may be expanded or contracted. Previously, this involved a protracted application. With the USCIS May...
Ho, Ho, Ho
USCIS issued four precedent decisions in 1998 intended to rein in the EB-5 program. One is Matter of Ho. Matter of Ho holds that an EB-5 project must be accompanied by a credible, detailed business plan. Ho says the plan should include: a description of the business, including products and services;...
Nicolas Colucci, New EB-5 Chief
Signaling a shift of focus toward increased enforcement, USCIS has appointed Nicolas Colucci as EB-5 chief. Colucci comes from an executive posting at of the Department of Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). FinCEN’s overall mission is to increase transparency in the US financial system to detect money laundering, terrorist financing...