Until recently, EB-5 investors (and their families) had to wait several years before being approved for their initial U.S. Green Cards through Form I-526E.
But under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act (the RIA), EB-5 investors in rural EB-5 projects are seeing much faster I-526E processing times.
This enables EB-5 investors to live, work, and study in the United States as permanent residents months or years sooner than before.
Multiple investors in rural projects have received I-526E approvals in just a few months.
These fast processing times for Form I-526E are possible because the RIA grants priority processing to EB-5 investors in rural EB-5 projects.
EB5AN’s own rural projects have seen multiple fast I-526E approvals.
The fastest I-526E approval so far took only about 9.5 months for an investor in EB5AN’s Twin Lakes rural project.
Faster I-526E processing is not the only benefit for EB-5 investors under the RIA.
EB-5 investors who already live in the United States can also quickly get an employment authorization document (EAD) and advance parole (AP) travel document.
An EB-5 investor in our Twin Lakes rural project was approved for an EAD and an AP in only 33 days.
EB-5 investors in rural projects now have access to unprecedented immigration benefits. EB5AN is excited to help more EB-5 investors start to live and work in the United States—perhaps sooner than they expected.
In this post, we explain how faster processing can benefit you and your family after making an EB-5 investment. Then, we go over the process of getting a U.S. Green Card after Form I-526E is approved.
Quickly Gain U.S. Green Cards Through a Rural EB-5 Project
Getting U.S. Green Cards After Form I-526E Approval
Twin Lakes Georgia and Kindred Resort at Keystone: Fast I-526E Approvals, EADs, and APs
Learn More About the Immigration Benefits of Rural EB-5 Projects
Quickly Gain U.S. Green Cards Through a Rural EB-5 Project
As mentioned above, investors in rural EB-5 projects now receive priority petition processing under the RIA—they can get I-526E approvals in a matter of months instead of years.
Once you receive I-526E approval from USCIS, you and your dependent family members will be eligible for your initial U.S. Green Cards. It typically takes a few additional months for your Green Cards to be issued after I-526E approval.
At first, these Green Cards will be valid for two years.
At the end of the two-year period, you will submit Form I-829 to remove the conditions on your Green Card and become permanent residents of the United States.
Even though it is only initially valid for two years, your initial U.S. Green Cards can be renewed until your I-829 petition is processed.
This means that you can essentially enjoy the benefits of being a permanent resident of the United States as soon as you receive your initial U.S. Green Cards.
Instead of having to wait for multiple years for I-526E approval, you can now achieve this goal in only a few months.
Live, Work, and Travel Freely with an EAD and an AP
For EB-5 investors who already live in the United States under a non-immigrant visa, getting an EAD and an AP can grant them many of the benefits of a U.S. Green Card.
An EAD allows you to live and work anywhere in the United States with few restrictions while your I-526E petition is processed. And an AP allows you to travel internationally in and out of the United States.
With the right to work and travel freely through an EAD and an AP, you will enjoy the core benefits of a U.S. Green Card—and you can qualify for these benefits only days after submitting Form I-526E.
If you hold a non-immigrant U.S. visa, you may qualify for a fast EAD and AP. Qualifying visas include the H-1B, E-2, F-1, or TN categories.
You can submit Form I-526E along with an I-485 petition to adjust your immigration status. At the same time, you can also submit your applications for an EAD and an AP.
For a full explanation of how to quickly apply for an EAD and an AP, please see our detailed guide on EB-5 concurrent filing.
Let’s now consider how you can get a U.S. Green Card after receiving approval for Form I-526E.
Getting U.S. Green Cards After Form I-526E Approval
Once your I-526E petition is approved, USCIS will notify you through Form I-797C, Notice of Action.
The steps you’ll take next depend on whether you live outside the United States or already live in the country on a non-immigrant U.S. visa.
If you live outside the United States, the National Visa Center (NVC) will process your request for U.S. visas and schedule an interview at your country’s consulate. This process can take several months.
If you already hold a non-immigrant U.S. visa, USCIS will process your I-485 petition to adjust your immigration status. The processing period for Form I-485 can also take several months. Most likely, you will not be required to have an interview with USCIS to adjust your status.
Under the RIA, EB-5 investors in rural projects can qualify for set-aside (also known as “reserved” visas. Set-aside visas allow investors from countries with an EB-5 visa backlog to avoid months or years of additional wait times.
Once Form I-526E is approved, you may have to notify USCIS or the NVC whether you would like to receive a U.S. visa from the set-aside category or from the unreserved category.
Twin Lakes Georgia and Kindred Resort at Keystone: Fast I-526E Approvals, EADs, and APs
EB5AN is currently offering two institutional-quality rural EB-5 projects: Twin Lakes Georgia and Kindred Resort at Keystone.
EB5AN’s investors in both rural projects have received fast USCIS approvals.
Multiple investors in prior phases of the Twin Lakes project have received Form I-526E approvals—several in less than 12 months.
One investor in Twin Lakes was approved for Form I-526E in approximately 9.5 months.
And several Twin Lakes investors have received fast EADS and APs as well—in as little as 33 days.
Similarly, an investor in the Kindred Resort project received an EAD and AP in only 53 days.
Additional Safety Features in EB5AN’s Rural EB-5 Projects
USCIS has already approved the I-956F petitions for both Twin Lakes and Kindred Resort. An I-956F approval indicates that a project is fully compliant with USCIS’s policies for the EB-5 program.
A project’s I-956F approval increases EB-5 investors’ chances of a fast approval of Form I-526E—sometimes speeding up I-526E approvals by a year or more.
Both Twin Lakes and Kindred Resort have already created thousands of qualifying jobs for their EB-5 investors. Job creation is the main requirement to receive permanent U.S. Green Cards through the EB-5 program.
In addition, investors in both projects are protected by a job creation guaranty and an I-526E approval refund guaranty.
With a job creation guaranty, the developer entity pledges to use the EB-5 funding exclusively to create qualifying jobs for its EB-5 investors.
And if their I-526E petition is denied for any reason, investors will qualify for a faster repayment through the I-526E approval refund guaranty.
Learn More About the Immigration Benefits of Rural EB-5 Projects
Under the RIA, EB-5 investors in rural EB-5 projects have access to unprecedented immigration benefits.
We encourage you to explore investing in a rural EB-5 project, especially if you would like to gain approval for U.S. Green Cards or an EAD and AP as soon as possible.
To determine whether a rural EB-5 project is the best immigration option for you and your family, schedule a free consultation with EB5AN.
