U.S. Citizenship ||abc|| Immigration Services (USCIS) has released the latest processing numbers. As expected, with new regulations looming, I-526 filings surged. Processing was still slow, and denial rates were still very high at just more than half the number of those approved (356 approvals vs. 190 denials). Conversely, I-829 filings showed a much more positive picture with low denials rates.We can see from the latest numbers that I-526 processing is still slow — hopefully, at least partly due to the program changes that were to come. And because of such changes on the horizon, I-526 filings were predictably high. The approval vs. denial ratio was not quite as high as the previous quarter, but much higher than the first two quarters by a significant margin.
2019 I-526 processing stats
Quarter / Petitions received / Petitions approved / Petitions denied1 / 1,808 / 2,175 / 3982 / 580 / 795 / 1803 / 615 / 333 / 2464 / 1,191 / 356 / 190I-829 processing paints a more positive story for investors. Processing numbers don’t show the huge decline that I-526 numbers do. And denial rates have actually trended down, again in contrast to I-526 numbers. Once an investor gets an EB5 Green Card, his or her chances of removing conditions appear very high.
2019 I-829 processing stats
Quarter / Petitions received / Petitions approved / Petitions denied1 / 797 / 443 / 312 / 921 / 270 / 153 / 1,171 / 574 / 394 / 867 / 349 / 12See the USCIS page for I-526 statsSee the USCIS page for I-829 stats
