Secure Your EB-5 Green Card Before the September 30, 2026 Grandfathering Deadline—Part 4: Choosing an EB-5 Regional Center

The September 30, 2026, deadline is approaching quickly for foreign nationals who want to secure U.S. Green Cards through the EB-5 program. Investors who file Form I-526E on or before that date can preserve their eligibility under the current EB-5 rules through the program’s grandfathering protections. For many families, filing before the deadline could mean the difference between receiving fast USCIS approvals in only months—or facing future uncertainty, higher investment thresholds, visa backlogs, or other long delays.

Of course, EB-5 applicants want to carefully research their options before making an investment. A successful EB-5 petition depends on informed decision-making at every stage of the case. Investors must choose the right legal team, prepare a thorough source-of-funds package, evaluate regional centers, and select a project positioned for both immigration and financial success.

Weaknesses in any one of these areas can create unnecessary delays, RFEs, or long-term risk for the investor and family members included in the petition.

To help EB-5 investors secure their immigration goals through EB-5 before the September 30 deadline, EB5AN has prepared a series of articles explaining the key steps to filing the I-526E petition on time—and without sacrificing the quality of their investments.

EB5AN is also offering free consultations to foreign nationals interested in obtaining U.S. Green Cards through EB-5.

This article is Part 4 of our five-part series on how EB-5 investors can prepare a strong and timely I-526E filing. The series covers the following steps:

• Part 1: Hiring an Immigration Attorney for Your I-526E Filing
• Part 2: Preparing the I-526E Source-of-Funds Package
• Part 3: Preparing the I-526E Source-of-Funds Package, Continued
• Part 4: Choosing an EB-5 Regional Center
• Part 5: Choosing an EB-5 Project for Immigration and Financial Success

In Part 3, we took a deeper look at source-of-funds documentation and discussed best practices for preparing a complete and well-supported financial record for USCIS review. This post turns to the next major component of the EB-5 process: choosing the right EB-5 regional center.

The regional center an investor chooses can play a major role in both the immigration and financial outcome of the EB-5 investment. Regional centers sponsor EB-5 projects, oversee compliance with USCIS requirements, coordinate the flow of EB-5 capital, and manage many of the operational and reporting responsibilities tied to the investment. A strong regional center may help reduce immigration risk by sponsoring well-structured, compliant projects supported by credible documentation and experienced management teams. At the same time, the quality and track record of the regional center can also affect the investor’s ability to recover invested capital at the end of the investment period.

Not all regional centers offer the same level of quality. Some have extensive experience managing EB-5 projects and navigating USCIS compliance requirements. Others may have limited operational history, weak documentation practices, or little experience handling the increasingly strict standards now applied under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022. For investors hoping to secure U.S. Green Cards before the September 30, 2026, deadline, choosing the right regional center is crucial.

In this post, we take a closer look at the role of EB-5 regional centers, the questions investors should ask during the due diligence process, and the factors that may help identify a strong regional center for a successful EB-5 journey.

Schedule a Free Consultation with EB5AN

Why Choosing a Strong Regional Center is Crucial

Best Practices for Choosing an EB-5 Regional Center

• Review the Regional Center’s Management Team and Track Record
• Evaluate Compliance, I-956F Approvals, and Investor Communication
• Due Diligence Checklist: Questions to Ask a Regional Center Before Investing

EB5AN’s Proven Track Record Across the EB-5 Program

• Industry-Leading Form I-956F Approval Record
• 800+ I-526E Approvals Under the RIA
• Strong Job Creation Across EB5AN Projects

A Regional Center Built Around Transparency and Long-Term Results

Why Choosing a Strong Regional Center is Crucial

For most EB-5 investors, the regional center will play a central role in nearly every stage of the immigration and investment process. The regional center helps structure the investment offering, coordinates the flow of EB-5 capital, oversees compliance with USCIS requirements, tracks job creation, and supports the documentation needed for investors’ immigration petitions.

An EB-5 regional center is a USCIS-approved entity that sponsors EB-5 investment projects within a designated geographic area. When investors participate in a regional center project, their capital is typically pooled together through a new commercial enterprise, or NCE. This is an investment fund set up by the regional center. The capital is then deployed into a larger development project designed to create qualifying jobs. This structure allows regional centers to sponsor projects at a scale that would often be difficult to achieve through smaller individual investments.

One of the main reasons most EB-5 investors choose regional center projects is the more flexible job creation methodology. To qualify for permanent residence through EB-5, investors must ultimately show that their investment created at least 10 qualifying U.S. jobs. Regional center projects can generally count not only direct jobs, but also indirect and induced jobs supported by the project’s economic activity. This broader job creation framework can make it easier for projects to satisfy USCIS requirements and can provide investors with a larger job creation cushion.

That flexibility is especially important because job creation is one of the key factors that determines whether an investor will ultimately receive permanent Green Cards through Form I-829 approval. A project that fails to create enough qualifying jobs can place the investor’s immigration process at risk. Strong regional centers therefore spend substantial time structuring projects, preparing economic analyses, monitoring construction and operations, and tracking job creation throughout the life of the investment.

Regional centers also help coordinate larger and more sophisticated projects by pooling capital from multiple EB-5 investors. In many cases, this allows EB-5 projects to work with experienced developers, institutional financing partners, third-party economists, and professional management teams. Larger projects may also have more diversified capital stacks and stronger operational support, which can improve project execution and financial stability.

Beyond the project itself, the regional center is also responsible for many ongoing compliance and reporting obligations. Regional centers must monitor how EB-5 funds are used, coordinate with developers, maintain project records, and prepare information needed for USCIS filings. Under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022, regional centers are subject to additional oversight, disclosure, and reporting requirements designed to improve transparency and investor protections. USCIS now requires more detailed reporting regarding project structure, fund administration, management personnel, and compliance practices.

As a result, the quality and experience of the regional center can directly affect both immigration and financial outcomes for investors. A strong regional center should have systems in place to monitor projects carefully, maintain compliance with changing USCIS requirements, communicate regularly with investors, and respond effectively when challenges arise. By contrast, weak management, poor oversight, or compliance failures at the regional center level can create unnecessary immigration risk and financial uncertainty.

For that reason, choosing a regional center is a key factor in securing your U.S. Green Cards through the EB-5 program.

Best Practices for Choosing an EB-5 Regional Center

Review the Regional Center’s Management Team and Track Record

Many EB-5 investors focus heavily on the project itself. They review the location, the developer, the construction plans, and the market opportunity. Those factors are important, but the regional center managing the offering deserves just as much attention during the due diligence process.

The regional center oversees the investment structure, monitors the project, tracks job creation, communicates with USCIS, and coordinates many of the compliance responsibilities tied to the investment. If mistakes occur at the regional center level, the consequences can affect both the investor’s immigration process and the safety of the invested capital.

For that reason, one of the most important parts of EB-5 due diligence is evaluating the regional center’s track record.

A regional center that has successfully sponsored multiple projects, guided investors through I-526E and I-829 approvals, and repaid prior investors has already demonstrated experience operating within the EB-5 framework.

By contrast, a regional center with limited experience, poor communication practices, compliance issues, or unfinished projects may create avoidable immigration and financial risk.

One of the best places to begin this evaluation is with the regional center’s management team. Investors should review who the principals are, what their professional backgrounds look like, and how much experience they have managing EB-5 investments. Their prior education, real estate experience, finance experience, and EB-5 experience should align with the responsibilities they are handling today.

Investors should also ask how many EB-5 projects the principals have worked on, how many investors they have managed, and what the outcomes of those projects were. A management team that has successfully handled large amounts of capital and multiple projects over many years is generally in a stronger position than a newly formed regional center with little operational history.

At the same time, investors should pay attention to how openly the regional center answers questions about its history. A strong regional center should be comfortable discussing both successful projects and projects that faced challenges. Every long-standing regional center may eventually encounter delays, restructuring issues, financing complications, or market disruptions. What matters is how the regional center responded, how it communicated with investors, and whether it ultimately protected investors’ immigration interests.

If the regional center avoids direct questions, refuses to discuss prior problems, or gives vague explanations about its track record, investors should treat that as a warning sign.

Speaking directly with the regional center principals can also be extremely valuable. Many investors spend substantial time reviewing marketing materials but never actually speak with the people managing the investment structure. A direct conversation may provide a much clearer sense of how the regional center operates.

During those conversations, investors should ask how the regional center evaluates projects and developers, how it monitors project progress, and how it handles investor reporting. Investors should also ask for examples of previous projects, including projects that performed well and projects that encountered difficulties. The principals should be able to explain not only the strengths of the current offering, but also the lessons learned from prior experiences.

The regional center’s overall project history is another critical area of due diligence. Investors should ask how many EB-5 projects the regional center has sponsored, what industries those projects involved, and whether those projects were completed successfully. Investors should also ask how many projects remain active, how many investors have been repaid, and whether any projects experienced loan defaults, major delays, or restructuring events.

Immigration approval history is equally important. Investors should ask how many I-526 or I-526E approvals the regional center’s investors have received. These approval statistics provide insight into the regional center’s ability to structure compliant projects, document job creation properly, and guide investors through the full immigration process.

Regional centers should also be willing to provide documentation supporting their track record. A well-established regional center should be able to provide project lists, approval statistics, repayment history, and examples of completed projects. Investors should not rely solely on verbal assurances when evaluating a regional center that may be responsible for overseeing hundreds of thousands of dollars in invested capital and a family’s immigration future.

The relationship between the regional center and the project developer also deserves close review. If the regional center has already worked successfully with the same developer on prior EB-5 projects, that prior collaboration may reduce certain operational risks. A regional center that already understands the developer’s construction practices, reporting habits, financing structure, and management style may be better positioned to monitor the project effectively.

On the other hand, if the regional center and developer have never worked together before, investors should ask how the regional center evaluated the developer and what due diligence was performed before agreeing to sponsor the project.

Evaluate Compliance, I-956F Approvals, and Investor Communication

Compliance history is another major factor investors should evaluate carefully. Regional centers are responsible for complying with USCIS reporting and documentation requirements, and failures in this area can create substantial immigration risk.

Investors should ask whether the regional center has ever had projects denied by USCIS for compliance-related reasons or whether it has faced sanctions or other regulatory problems. Investors should also ask whether the regional center, NCE, JCE, or any related parties have been subject to USCIS notices of intent to terminate, sanctions, debarment, or other material compliance actions. A strong regional center should maintain clear compliance procedures and should stay current with changing EB-5 policies and regulations.

This has become even more important under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022, which significantly increased USCIS oversight of regional centers. The current EB-5 framework places greater emphasis on transparency, reporting, fund administration, and project documentation. Regional centers must now provide more detailed information to USCIS and maintain stronger internal compliance systems than before.

One of the most important indicators of compliance under the current system is the regional center’s history of Form I-956F approvals. Regional centers must submit a Form I-956F for each EB-5 project they sponsor, and that filing contains detailed information regarding the project structure, business plan, job creation methodology, offering documents, and other compliance materials.

Because USCIS generally reviews the project’s I-956F before approving investor I-526E petitions, investors should ask whether the regional center has successfully obtained I-956F approvals on prior projects. A strong history of I-956F approvals may indicate that the regional center understands current USCIS standards and knows how to prepare compliant project documentation.

Transparency and investor communication are also important signs of a professionally managed regional center. Before investing, investors should ask how often updates are provided, what information those updates include, and whether sample reports from prior projects are available for review.

A strong regional center should have an organized process for investor reporting and should provide understandable updates regarding construction progress, financial performance, and job creation status. Investors should also expect prompt responses to reasonable follow-up questions.

Communication during the due diligence phase often reflects how the regional center will communicate after investment. If obtaining basic information becomes difficult before funds are invested, investors should not expect communication to improve later.

Due Diligence Checklist: Questions to Ask a Regional Center Before Investing

As investors compare regional centers, it can be helpful to maintain a simple due diligence checklist. Investors should consider the following questions:

• Who manages the regional center, and what is their EB-5 experience?
• How many EB-5 projects has the regional center sponsored?
• How many investors have received I-526 or I-526E approvals through the regional center’s projects?
• Has the regional center successfully repaid prior EB-5 investors?
• Have any projects experienced serious delays, defaults, restructurings, or repayment issues?
• Has the regional center had any USCIS compliance problems or project denials?
• Has the regional center secured I-956F approvals for prior projects?
• How often does the regional center communicate with investors?
• Can the regional center provide written documentation of its track record?

Investors should also ask whether the regional center can provide a full history of both successful and troubled projects. No regional center can eliminate all risk, but experienced regional centers should be willing to discuss past challenges openly and explain how those situations were handled.

Ultimately, a strong regional center should be able to demonstrate consistent performance across several areas at once: immigration approvals, job creation, project oversight, compliance management, investor communication, and capital repayment. Investors should look for regional centers that provide clear information, maintain transparent reporting practices, and have a demonstrated history of managing EB-5 projects successfully over time.

For investors preparing to file before the September 30, 2026, deadline, this due diligence process should begin as early as possible. Selecting the right regional center can help reduce immigration risk, improve project oversight, and place investors in a stronger position to pursue both successful Green Card approvals and the eventual return of invested capital.

EB5AN’s Proven Track Record Across the EB-5 Program

When evaluating a regional center, investors should look beyond marketing materials and focus on measurable results. A regional center’s history of project approvals, investor approvals, job creation, developer partnerships, and project execution can provide valuable insight into how it is likely to perform in the future.

EB5AN has spent more than a decade building a track record centered on transparency, compliance, and long-term project performance. Since Sam Silverman and Mike Schoenfeld founded EB5AN in 2013, they have remained actively involved in the EB-5 industry, helping oversee projects across multiple markets and investment structures while maintaining a consistent focus on investor outcomes.

Over that time, EB5AN has successfully managed more than 40 EB-5 funds representing over $7 billion in project development. Across these transactions, EB5AN has built a strong track record of project immigration approvals and project execution. This consistency reflects years of careful project selection, structured oversight, and active monitoring throughout each project’s lifecycle.

More than 3,000 families from over 70 countries have invested through EB5AN-sponsored regional centers. Many are already living in the United States as permanent residents.

The principals behind EB5AN also bring substantial finance and transaction experience to the EB-5 process. Before founding the firm, they advised Fortune 500 companies on investment and growth strategy and worked on major IPOs, securities offerings, and private equity transactions. That background continues to shape how EB5AN evaluates developers, structures offerings, and manages project risk.

Industry-Leading Form I-956F Approval Record

One of the clearest ways to evaluate a regional center under the current EB-5 framework is to examine its Form I-956F approval history.

Form I-956F is the project application USCIS uses to review the structure and compliance of an EB-5 offering. The filing includes the project business plan, job creation methodology, offering documents, capital structure, and other core project materials. When USCIS grants Form I-956F approval, it confirms that the project satisfies EB-5 program requirements.

EB5AN has received an industry-leading 31 Form I-956F approvals from USCIS for the projects it manages. EB5AN has also maintained a 100% approval rate on all Form I-956F petitions filed for its managed projects.

These approvals span multiple projects, markets, and investment structures. The approvals include senior loan, loan, equity, and preferred equity offerings across multiple geographic markets.

This breadth matters because it demonstrates repeatable execution across different project types and business models. A regional center with only one successful project may not yet have a fully tested process. By contrast, repeated approvals across numerous projects can provide stronger evidence that the regional center understands how to prepare compliant offerings under current USCIS standards.

EB5AN’s approval timelines have also been strong. Some Form I-956F approvals were granted in under three months, and the fastest approval was received in just 1.6 months.

For investors, these approvals can have practical immigration benefits. Once a project has already received Form I-956F approval, USCIS generally does not need to revisit the project’s compliance when reviewing an investor’s Form I-526E petition. Instead, USCIS can focus primarily on the investor’s personal eligibility and source-of-funds documentation.

This streamlined review process can help reduce immigration uncertainty and support faster I-526E adjudications. In fact, investors in EB5AN-sponsored projects have received I-526E approvals in less than three months.

800+ I-526E Approvals Under the RIA

A regional center’s success under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 is especially important because the RIA introduced stricter compliance standards, increased oversight, and more detailed filing requirements.

Since the RIA became law in 2022, more than 800 investors in EB5AN-sponsored projects have received Form I-526E approval. This approval volume under the current regulatory framework demonstrates that EB5AN’s projects continue to satisfy USCIS’s evolving standards for project documentation and compliance.

Nearly all recent rural I-526E approvals in EB5AN projects have been received in less than one year, with some processed in as little as three months.

These timelines have been supported in part by the RIA’s rural priority processing provisions. USCIS has approved substantially more rural petitions than urban petitions during this period, and EB5AN’s emphasis on rural projects has helped position investors to benefit from these faster processing trends.

Behind every approved Form I-526E petition is an investor and family moving closer to permanent residence in the United States. Once approved, investors and eligible family members may move forward with conditional permanent resident status and gain the ability to live, work, and study in the United States with far greater flexibility and stability.

For many families, this also means reducing dependence on temporary visa categories such as H-1B visas, which can involve uncertainty, renewal limitations, and changing employment restrictions.

Strong Job Creation Across EB5AN Projects

Job creation remains one of the most important components of the EB-5 program because it directly affects an investor’s ability to obtain permanent Green Cards through Form I-829 approval.

Each EB-5 investor must ultimately show that the investment created at least 10 qualifying U.S. jobs. Regional center projects rely heavily on accurate economic analysis, disciplined project execution, and ongoing monitoring to ensure that sufficient jobs are created over time.

Across EB5AN projects filed since the RIA that have already received I-526E approvals, development activity has already created more than 16,000 qualifying EB-5 jobs. This job creation currently supports the immigration requirements of over 1,316 investors across these projects, with additional job creation expected as construction activity continues.

For projects still under development, total qualifying jobs are expected to increase further as more construction spending occurs and additional project phases are completed.

These figures are important because strong job creation helps reduce immigration risk for investors. Projects with larger job cushions are generally better positioned to support successful Form I-829 approvals and avoid the risks associated with job creation shortfalls.

Strong job creation also reflects disciplined project selection. Regional centers must evaluate whether projects have realistic budgets, credible timelines, experienced developers, and sufficient economic activity to support the required jobs before agreeing to sponsor them.

A Regional Center Built Around Transparency and Long-Term Results

For EB-5 investors, numbers matter—but consistency matters even more.

A regional center should be able to demonstrate that it can guide projects from initial filing through construction, job creation, investor petition approvals, and eventual capital repayment. It should also be able to show that those results have been achieved repeatedly across multiple projects and under changing USCIS policies.

EB5AN’s record reflects that kind of long-term consistency. Its 31 Form I-956F approvals, 800+ I-526E approvals under the RIA, 16,000+ qualifying jobs created, and history of successfully funded and executed projects demonstrate an established ability to manage EB-5 projects across every major stage of the process.

Combined with its emphasis on transparency, investor communication, and disciplined project selection, this record positions EB5AN as a regional center with substantial experience operating under the modern EB-5 framework.

Choosing the right regional center is one of the most important decisions an EB-5 investor will make before filing Form I-526E.

For investors planning to file before the September 30, 2026, deadline, this decision should be made carefully and early, with the guidance of experienced professionals who understand both the immigration and financial risks involved. To discuss your EB-5 options and prepare a strong filing before the deadline, schedule a free consultation with EB5AN. And stay tuned for the next part of this series, where we will explain best practices for choosing an EB-5 project for immigration and financial success.