On July 24, 2019, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will publish a final rule, making a number of significant changes to the current EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program. Effective Nov. 21, 2019, the new standard minimum investment level will increase from $1 million to $1.8 million. The rule also keeps the 50% minimum investment differential between a TEA and a non-TEA, thereby increasing the minimum investment amount in a TEA from $500,000 to $900,000. The final rule also provides that the minimum investment amounts will automatically adjust for inflation every five years. The new rule marks the first significant revision to the program since 1993.
Other major developments include:
- 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.
For more see: https://www.uscis.gov/eb-5
