USCIS announces new EB-5 Stakeholder Engagement in 2012

USCIS will host a stakeholder engagement, that can b attended in person or by teleconference, on October 16, 2012, between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM EST. The main focus of the engagement will be a general EB-5 discussion.

The location of the engagement is the Tomich Center - 111 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington DC 20259.


Stakeholders can submit agenda items until September 17, 2012 by email to the USCIS Public Engagement Division - public.engagement@uscis.dhs.gov


For more information, GO HERE

EB5 Visas Issued as of June 2012

Chief of Visa Control at the State Department, provided the FY2012 Employment-Based Fifth preference (EB-5) issuance totals for the top five countries (89%), for the period October through June. 4,813 EB-5Visas have been issued up to date with top 5 countries as follows: China, Korea, Taiwan, Venezuela, Iran. 77% EB-5 visas have been issued to Chinese nationals from the Mainland China. He expects that the FY2012 EB-5 visausage will be approximately 6,200. 

WARNING: New Telephone Immigration Scam

Read the warning below outlining the new scam that is taking place inside the EB-5 community.

(Source: Robert A. Kravitz, Esq. Law Offices of Kravitz & Guerra P.A., posted 7/20/2012)

 

The Law Offices of Kravitz & Guerra, PA has received reports of a new telephone scam potentially victimizing foreign national clients.

According to one of several such reports, the foreign national will receive a call purporting to be from a USCIS (Immigration Service) officer, who will have certain correct information about the individual, including the individual's name and address.

The caller will state that there is some discrepancy in USCIS records, and ask for confirmation of data, such as an I-94 number, an "A" number, or a visa control number. The caller will then tell the individual that there is a penalty or payment due for clearing up the discrepancy, and that the individual is to send a sum of money via Western Union, to an address the caller provides.

Be aware that you may be receiving such calls. If you do, you may wish to report them to appropriate law enforcement authorities, such as the FBI, and to the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection, whose Consumer Sentinel database is accessed by criminal and civil law enforcement authorities worldwide.

Please understand that USCIS rarely -- if ever -- calls "customers" directly. If you receive what you believe is a real call from a USCIS employee, politely ask them to call your Immigration Lawyer. If it is a scam, we will know. If not, we are always in the best position to answer any immigration-related question for you! 

Message from Robert A. Kravitz, Esq.

Law Offices of Kravitz & Guerra P.A.

About Robert A. Kravitz, Esq.,

USCIS Director Mayorkas Announces the Creation of a New EB5 Office

USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas has announced today the formation of a new office specifically designed to address and oversee issues related to the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa program. Below is his announcement:

To view announcement in .PDF form, go here - New EB-5 Program Office - Message from Director

Dear Stakeholder,

I am pleased to announce that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be creating a new office to oversee our administration of the EB-5 Immigrant Investor program.

The EB-5 program has spurred the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs and the injection of billions of dollars into the U.S. economy since Congress created the program in 1990. Interest in the EB-5 program has grown exponentially in recent years, both from domestic project developers seeking capital and foreign investors who have the capital that can fuel economic growth. USCIS has met this unprecedented growth and interest with a corresponding dedication of resources. USCIS has approved more than 3,100 Form I-526 petitions in Fiscal Year 2012 to date, more than triple the number approved in all of Fiscal Year 2009.

Since 2009, we have quadrupled the size of the EB-5 adjudications team and brought on board eight expert economists dedicated to the EB-5 program to ensure that EB-5 cases are handled expeditiously and with appropriate expertise. In the next month, two full-time attorneys with substantial transactional experience will enter on duty as new additions to the USCIS EB-5 program team. And by the end of July, a special Review Board consisting of two Supervisory Immigration Services Officers and one economist will review every pending application for regional center designation for which a denial has been recommended, with applicants receiving the opportunity to discuss their cases in-person before any final adverse decision is rendered.

By now creating a dedicated program office, we will build on these steps toward ensuring that this important and complex program is appropriately resourced and managed under a single leadership structure.  

I am also excited to announce that the new office will be led by a new Chief of Immigrant Investor Programs, and that an advertisement for this new leadership position will be posting today. Our new program chief will have significant experience in the business world and will assume responsibility for ensuring that the program is administered efficiently, with integrity, with predictability, and with an understanding of today’s business realities.

We understand that more work needs to be done to further improve our administration of the EB-5 program. We are committed to this work. USCIS welcomes and appreciates your input as we stand up our new EB-5 Program Office.

Thank you.
 
Alejandro N. Mayorkas
Director
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Stewart International Airport - Growth and Expansion

The Stewart International Airport is located approximately 60 miles (100km) north of New York City and less than 45 minutes from the Rock Hill Town Center site. The airport can give great support and travel accommodations for the Rock Hill Town Center visitors. The NY/NJ Port Authority has engaged in a 500 million dollar plan to overhaul the entire airport. 

The plan includes major renovations, the addition of a new terminal, and further expanding the cargo facilities.  FedEx maintains a large distribution center near the airport and the USDA has an inspection facility that processes the products of importers.  The Port Authority intends on utilizing the Stewart InternationalAirport as a relief airport for the three main New York area airports (Newark, LaGuardia, and JFK).  They estimate that they can currently handle five times its present passenger volume.  The Port Authority plans to invest approximately $500 million through 2016 to upgrade and expand the airport.

Check this short video for the Stewart International Airport - 

 

MORE INFORMATION: Rock Hill Regional Center Contact