In a landmark event for the EB-5 industry, USCIS has issued one of the first approvals for a rural-project I-526E petition—in only 11 months.
Since multiple rural EB-5 projects have already received I-956F project approvals, and I-526E petition approvals are happening, it is clear that a rural EB-5 project investment is the fastest way to obtain a green card.
Under the current EB-5 rules, investors in rural projects qualify for priority processing of their I-526E petitions. As this 11-month approval time shows, priority processing can greatly accelerate the green card process.
Right now, priority processing is available only to rural investors, and the visa bulletin shows that all countries are "current”.
Investors in rural EB-5 projects may now be able to get their EB-5 Green Cards in a matter of months, not years. This allows them and their dependent family members to live and work anywhere in the United States.
On the other hand, the USCIS website reports that 80% of I-526E petitions are processed within 52 months for Indian investors, 81 months for Chinese investors, and 56.5 months for investors from other countries.
If you would like to avoid these years-long delays and get a U.S. Green Card in as little as 11 months, we invite you to look into rural EB-5 projects. For a detailed explanation of how priority processing works, read our recent article on the unique benefits of rural projects for Chinese and Indian investors.