After a record-breaking 35 days government shutdown, the EB-5 Regional Center Program re-opened for business on 28 January 2019, initially for three weeks, enabling the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to immediately resume the processing of applications. The 2018/19 US federal budget was finally passed on 15th February 2019, meaning the EB-5 program has been extended until 30 September 2019.

For all investors looking to invest and obtain their green card in the US, the opportunity to apply for the Regional Center program has arisen again.

Regarding any changes to the continuing program, there are currently no official reforms that have been announced; therefore the process of the application remains the same. However, there can be an expected change in the future, even though the newly-elected congress leader has conveyed a more optimistic view upon the program in itself.

Providing that the extension date is 30 September 2019, we can be expecting a final action date in the foreseeable future. EB-5 Non-Regional Center Program are all ‘current’ at the moment, with the exceptions of Mainland China (action date 08/09/2014) and Vietnam (action date 05/07/2016), due to the cap on the influx of applications. As for the Regional Center Program, it is currently still written as unauthorised, however applications are open and the date is yet to be confirmed.