Geographic Designations

Q: Can a qualifying census tract with unemployment 150% of the national rate be certified as a TEA?

A: Yes, but designation will depend on the quality and timeliness of the data used to support the 150% of the national average rate of unemployment claim. Acceptable data sources for purposes of calculating unemployment include Local Area Unemployment Statistics produced by a government agency, U.S. Census Bureau data, and data from the American Community Survey.

Taken directly from USCIS EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program Quarterly Stakeholder Engagement on May 1, 2012.