For EB-5 investors, the immigration journey often becomes most difficult after petitions are filed. While selecting a project, preparing source of funds documentation, and submitting applications all involve clear steps and guidance from experienced professionals, the waiting period that follows can feel opaque and unpredictable. Once a case enters USCIS adjudication, investors receive little information beyond a brief “case received” notice, followed by months of silence.
Recognizing this challenge, EB5AN has partnered with Lawfully, an independent immigration case-tracking platform, to provide EB-5 investors with secure, automated, and real-time access to their case status. The goal of the partnership is to reduce uncertainty during government processing by giving investors accurate information, timely updates, and greater visibility into how their cases are progressing.
To explain how this partnership works in practice, EB5AN hosted a webinar with Jake Hoyle, senior vice president at EB5AN, and Finn Reynolds from Lawfully, focusing on how real-time case tracking can support EB-5 investors during their immigration process.
Watch Select Webinar Highlights:
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Addressing a Longstanding Transparency Gap in EB-5
Lawfully’s Role During USCIS Adjudication
- Providing Context Through Data and Case Analytics
- Tracking Multiple EB-5 Petitions in a Single Platform
- Identifying Delays and Cases Outside Normal Processing Times
- Supporting Investors During a High-Stakes Waiting Period
A Step Toward a More Transparent EB-5 Experience
Addressing a Longstanding Transparency Gap in EB-5
The EB-5 process involves multiple participants, each with a distinct role. Project sponsors guide investors through the investment process and compliance requirements. Immigration attorneys handle filings, legal strategy, and communication with USCIS. But once petitions are submitted, cases move into a government system that offers limited transparency and few proactive updates.
As EB5AN’s Jake Hoyle explained during the webinar, many investors respond to this lack of information by repeatedly checking the USCIS online case status tool. Some investors enter their receipt numbers daily, or even multiple times a day, hoping to see movement on their petitions. While understandable, this process can be stressful and inefficient, particularly when changes are easy to miss or require immediate attention.
EB5AN’s decision to partner with Lawfully reflects a commitment to investor transparency. Participation in the platform is optional and free of charge for EB5AN investors. The aim is not to replace legal counsel or government systems, but to ensure investors have the most current and accurate information available while their cases are pending.
Lawfully’s Role During USCIS Adjudication
Lawfully was built to address what many immigrants experience as the most uncertain phase of the process: waiting for USCIS to act. Once a case is pending, updates from the government are infrequent and often require manual effort to retrieve. Important notices—such as requests for evidence, transfers between offices, or approvals—can arrive without warning and may be time-sensitive.
According to Lawfully’s Finn Reynolds, the platform reduces this friction by automatically monitoring USCIS case status systems. By entering one or more USCIS receipt numbers, investors receive notifications as soon as a case update occurs. These alerts can be delivered through the Lawfully app, by email, or through other notification channels, ensuring investors are promptly informed when something changes.
This automated approach removes the burden of constant manual checking and helps investors avoid missing critical updates that could affect the outcome or timing of their cases.
Providing Context Through Data and Case Analytics
Beyond real-time updates, one of Lawfully’s key features is its ability to provide broader context around case timelines. Because the platform tracks a large volume of immigration cases across different petition types, it can identify trends and patterns that individual investors cannot easily see on their own.
For EB-5 investors, this data-driven insight helps clarify what “normal” processing looks like for a given case type and stage. While USCIS publishes general processing time ranges, those ranges can be broad and difficult to interpret. Lawfully’s analytics help investors understand where their case fits within those ranges and what the next steps might look like.
Although these insights do not constitute legal advice, they offer valuable perspective for investors who are waiting and want a clearer understanding of how their case compares to others in the system.
Tracking Multiple EB-5 Petitions in a Single Platform
Many EB-5 investors are managing more than one immigration case at the same time. A principal investor may have an I-526E petition pending while also tracking an I-485 adjustment of status application. In addition, dependent family members often have related petitions that may move on different timelines.
USCIS does not always process these cases together. Some petitions may be adjudicated simultaneously, while others are handled by different offices or subject to different requirements. This can create confusion, particularly when updates arrive at different times or require action from both the investor and their attorney.
Lawfully allows investors to track multiple receipt numbers in one unified platform. This consolidated view makes it easier to see the status of all related cases at a glance and to understand how different petitions are progressing relative to one another. For families, this centralized tracking can be especially helpful when dependent cases follow different timelines than the principal investor’s petition.
Identifying Delays and Cases Outside Normal Processing Times
One of the more practical benefits highlighted during the webinar is Lawfully’s ability to identify when a case may fall outside normal processing times. Historically, monitoring this required manual tracking of USCIS processing data, which can be time-consuming and difficult to interpret without specialized knowledge.
With Lawfully, investors receive automatic notifications when their case appears to exceed typical processing timelines. In many instances, this awareness allows investors to consult with their immigration attorneys about potential next steps. Depending on the situation, attorneys may be able to submit inquiries or take other actions to help move a case forward.
During the webinar, both EB5AN and Lawfully emphasized that any action on a case should always be handled by qualified immigration counsel. The platform’s role is to provide timely, accurate information, not to offer legal advice, but that information can be instrumental in prompting informed discussions with attorneys.
Supporting Investors During a High-Stakes Waiting Period
The waiting period in the EB-5 process can be particularly stressful because of the high stakes involved. Investors are often making long-term plans for their families, careers, and businesses in the United States while their immigration status remains uncertain. Extended silence from USCIS can amplify anxiety and leave investors feeling disconnected from their cases.
By providing automated updates and greater visibility into case progress, the EB5AN–Lawfully partnership aims to make this waiting period more manageable. While no technology can eliminate USCIS delays or guarantee faster adjudications, access to accurate information can significantly reduce uncertainty and help investors feel more in control of the process.
A Step Toward a More Transparent EB-5 Experience
The partnership between EB5AN and Lawfully reflects a broader shift toward transparency and investor support in the EB-5 industry. As filing volumes increase and processing timelines continue to evolve, tools that improve communication and visibility are becoming increasingly important.
By offering investors free access to Lawfully’s automated case tracking and analytics, EB5AN is reinforcing its commitment to transparency and investor education. For EB-5 investors navigating one of the most opaque phases of the immigration process, this added layer of insight can make a meaningful difference by providing reassurance, clarity, and better preparation while waiting for USCIS decisions.
To learn more about EB5AN’s current EB-5 investment opportunities and the tools available to support investors throughout the process, book a free call with our expert team today.
