EB-5 Adjudications Expected to Move to DC; Guidance Memo Not Yet Released

On December 3, 2012, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas noted on a stakeholder conference call that within four to six months, EB-5 responsibilities will be moved to Washington, DC, under a new EB-5 Program Office. The chief of the new office will report to the USCIS Deputy Director. According to unofficial reports on the call, Director Mayorkas said a goal is to move toward a more dynamic, direct e-mail relationship between adjudicators and the public, and to move away from the current “request for evidence” model.

In response to a query, Director Mayorkas said the agency is still working on the long-awaited overarching EB-5 guidance memorandum.

USCIS has not yet released a summary or transcript of the call.