The latest EB-5 news 2020: USCIS to reopen domestic offices for in-person services, the June EB-5 visa bulletin, and an upcoming webinar with the Visa Control and Reporting Division Chief, Charles Oppenheim.
USCIS To Resume Public Services
While USCIS has continued to process EB-5 petitions and perform other duties, they closed their domestic offices to the public on March 18th due to try to slow the spread of Covid-19. USCIS now plans to reopen domestic field offices and resume in-person services (with new guidelines in place) on Thursday, June 4th.
USCIS made the following announcement on their website,
“U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is preparing some domestic offices to reopen and resume non-emergency public services on or after June 4. On March 18, USCIS temporarily suspended routine in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices and application support centers (ASCs) to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). USCIS is following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines to protect our workforce and the public. For the latest information on the status of individual offices.
“While certain offices are temporarily closed, USCIS continues to provide limited emergency in-person services. Please call the USCIS Contact Center for assistance with emergency services.
“As services begin to reopen, offices will reduce the number of appointments and interviews to ensure social distancing, allow time for cleaning, and reduce waiting room occupancy. Appointment notices will contain information on safety precautions that visitors to USCIS facilities must follow.
“If you are feeling sick, please do not go to your appointment. Follow the instructions on your appointment notice to reschedule your appointment for when you are healthy. There is no penalty for rescheduling your appointment if you are sick.”
The June 2020 EB-5 Visa Bulletin
The final action dates for Mainland China, India, and Vietnam continue to advance. India, in particular, has advanced rapidly. Its cutoff date is now January 1, 2020, and will likely be “C” or current this summer.
In June 2020, USCIS has indicated that it will use the final action dates for filing an adjustment of status applications.
Charles Oppenheim Webinar
On June 16, the Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, Charles Oppenheim, at the U.S. Department of State will hold a webinar with IIUSA to answer questions about the EB-5 visa numbers allocation.
They plan to discuss factors that contributed to super-fast final action date advancements as well as answer the question: What will happen if not all of the visa numbers are used because of Coronavirus?