USCIS releases EB-5 visa case processing times report

Dated March 31, 2017, USCIS released processing times for EB-5 visa related petitions today (May 23). The news is bleak and reflects slower processing even as the agency hires new employees and trains them. The Immigrant Investor Program Office has provided no comment on the slow pace of EB-5 petition processing. The report is below:

I-526 petitions for alien entrepreneurs are being processed as of Sept. 20, 2015

I-829 petitions for alien entrepreneurs to remove conditions are being processed as of Oct. 12, 2014

I-924 applications for regional center designation are being processed as of Sept. 16, 2015

I was once told by a former employee of the Ombudsman's Office at the Department of Homeland Security that visa case processing (no matter which visa program one specifies) slows as more employees are hired and trained for that visa program.  That sounds counter-intuitive, but it is true.