On December 21, 2018, the United States Congress failed to pass federal appropriations bills causing a lapse in the federal budget. As a result, several federal departments are currently experiencing a shutdown. The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Regional Center Program is also renewed along with the federal budget and until an appropriations bill is passed, we expect the lapse in EB-5 congressional authorization to continue.
The good news is that USCIS continues to accept regional center-affiliated Forms I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur, and Forms I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status and the National Visa Center is continuing to accept DS-260 Immigrant Visa Electronic Applications while program adjudication and visa issuance are on hold but once the government shutdown ends we expect processing on pending/received applications to resume as usual.
Form I-829, Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status continue to be adjudicated and are not be affected by the expiration of the program nor lapse in federal funding.
We will continue to share updates as we get more information.
You can also visit www.USCIS.gov for further guidance if/when legislation is enacted to reauthorize, extend, or amend the regional center program.