Filing fees for key EB-5 petitions are to be reduced; a new I-527 form has been introduced for affected investors.
Hyderabad: The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has proposed to change the filing fee for investor-based immigration programmes, commonly known as the EB-5 visa.
According to the newly-proposed rules by USCIS and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the filing fee for multiple EB-5’s forms will be reduced, and the introduction of a new amendment.
For form I-526E, which is the immigration petition by a regional centre investor, the fee will go down from $11,160 to $9,625. However, form I-526E will now have a new tech fee addition of $95.
Additionally, the fee for form I-829, which is a petition to remove conditions on permanent residency, will go down from $9,525 to $7,860.
The proposal is also looking at increasing the annual fee for investors from $1,000 to $1,085. USCIS has declared that the increase in fee here is for compliance and monitoring of the funds.
Additionally, a new form known as I-527 is being introduced by USCIS for EB-5 investors whose regional centers have been terminated or debarred. The form is designed for existing EB-5 investors who filed their original I-526 form before March 15 of 2022.
All of the proposals are currently with the US Federal Register, and both USCIS and DHS will receive feedback and recommendations from the public for a span of 60 days before the rules are finalised.
