Washington, D.C. – June 14, 2019:

The latest Visa Bulletin, published by the U.S. Department of State (DOS) earlier this month, confirms industry predictions of a waiting list for Indian-born EB-5 investors. Starting in July 2019, EB-5 visas will be available only to those Indian-born investors who filed their petitions before 05/01/2017. This cut-off date creates a waiting list of approximately two years, which is significantly shorter than the waiting list currently facing mainland Chinese-born investors, which currently stretches back to 10/01/2014.

In the footnotes to the Visa Bulletin, the DOS warned of a likely retrogression in August, with the Indian and Vietnamese cut-off dates jumping back even earlier, to match China’s waiting list of almost 5 years. However, DOS expects this to be a temporary measure, and when the new fiscal year begins in October, the Indian waiting list will return to approximately summer or fall 2017, and Vietnam will return to fall or winter 2016.

I.A. Donoso & Associates, LLC, is a law firm based in Washington, D.C., and is recognized as a leading immigration law firm with recognized expertise in visas for EB-5 investors, professionals and academics.