EB-5 State of Play: Remain Seated with Seatbelts Fastened By Carolyn Lee I have always said you need a strong stomach for EB-5. Even those blessed with bellies of steel are reaching for their bedside Pepto these past weeks. Stocking up seems the best advice for the near future and here’s why. Backdrop. [...]
EB-5 REGIONAL CENTER ALERT April 12, 2022 USCIS ANNOUNCES THAT EXISTING REGIONAL CENTERS MUST SEEK RE-DESIGNATION UNDER EB-5 RIA USCIS posted on its website that “regional centers previously designated . . . are no longer authorized.” USCIS further advised: “The EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 requires that all entities seeking [...]
The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa - New Process and Benefits for Investors Under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 ("RIA") By Carolyn Lee The EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (“RIA”), enacted on March 15, 2022, brought a wave of changes to the EB-5 visa program. This memo explains the [...]
Congress Passes 5-Year EB-5 Program Reauthorization By Carolyn Lee Seven years in the making, the U.S. Congress passed the 2022 appropriations bill (the “Omnibus” or “Omni”) containing the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022. The new EB-5 law extends the EB-5 regional center program for 5 years to September 30, 2027. [...]
DHS Drops Behring Appeal By Carolyn Lee One of 2021’s biggest questions was resolved with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s motion to dismiss its appeal in the Behring litigation. DHS filed the motion on January 5, 2022, effectively withdrawing its appeal of the June 2021 court order voiding the EB-5 Modernization Regulations. [...]
LIKE Act: A New Start-Up Visa Bill On July 26, 2021, the Let Immigrants Kickstart Employment Act (“LIKE Act”) was introduced to Congress to establish a new class of nonimmigrant visas for entrepreneurs and essential employees affiliated with start-up entities. The proposed LIKE Act seeks to amend section 101(a)(15) of the Immigration and [...]
EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2021 Introduced March 18, 2021 Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), a senior member and former chairman of the Judiciary Committee, today introduced the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2021 (the Integrity Act). The Integrity Act brings a [...]
Carolyn Lee Quoted in Law360 re: 3 Ways COVID-19 Is Reshaping The EB-5 Landscape See the article on Law360 here. Carolyn Lee Quotes: "There are certainly a number of indicators that show that there are players who are looking for opportunities even in this difficult and challenging environment."
Assembled below are answers to COVID-19 related questions for the EB-5 community. I hope you find these to be helpful. What is COVID-19? COVID-19 is an abbreviation for “coronavirus disease 2019.” According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control (“CDC”), COVID-19 has caused a pandemic of respiratory disease spreading from person-to-person caused by a novel [...]
Carolyn Lee Quoted in Bloomberg Law re: USCIS EB-5 Process Change See the article on Bloomberg Law news here. Carolyn Lee quotes: “This is a measure, presumably, to increase efficiency, address fairness and issues in visa allocation,” said Lee, who heads the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s National EB-5 Committee. But there’s “tremendous operational opacity” in [...]
