August 2019 EB-5 Visa Bulletin

Take a look at the updated EB-5 final action dates for multiple countries in the upcoming August 2019 EB-5 Visa Bulletin.

EB-5 investors from Vietnam and India will see changes to their final action dates in the August EB-5 Visa Bulletin.

In the July 2019 EB-5 Visa Bulletin, Vietnam’s final action date October 1, 2016, and India’s was May 1, 2017. The August 2019 EB-5 Visa Bulletin now shows that both countries are now subject to the same final action date as Mainland China: October 15, 2014. (Final action dates are the same here for Regional Center and Non-Regional Center.) No other countries have entered retrogression; they all remain “C” or current.

Mainland China’s dates for filing advances roughly two weeks in the August 2019 Visa Bulletin to November 15, 2014. All other countries’ dates for filing remain current.

What could change?

India and Vietnam will likely see advancement in their final action dates in October 2019 when the 2020 fiscal year begins and they receive their per country visa allotment.

The number of I-526 Petitions received in 2nd quarter 2019 was the lowest amount USCIS has received in 9 years. USCIS only received 580 petitions. If Indian nationals are being scared off from applying for EB-5 due to the visa backlog and wait times, this could make it good time to apply and lock in your EB-5 priority date.

Another reason to apply now is because the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program Modernization regulation is in its final stage and one of the changes it could make is to the EB-5 minimum investment amount. The targeted employment area (TEA) minimum investment amount could increase from $500,000 to $1.35 million and the non-TEA could increase from $1 million to $1.8 million. Apply for EB-5 before the regulation goes into effect to avoid the higher minimum investment amounts.

Are you from a country that is currently facing a visa backlog? Is your spouse from a different country? Apply using your spouse’s country of origin to avoid the visa backlog in your country. Note that this only works between spouses and not parent and child.

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