The EB‑5 Immigrant Investor Programme has achieved a significant milestone: between October 2024 and March 2025, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) processed 2,531 Form I‑829 petitions, approving 2,380 and denying just 151, which results in an extraordinary 94 percent approval rate. The median processing time for these petitions also dropped to 8.2 months, marking a welcome improvement after notorious delays in previous years.
Form I‑829 represents the final hurdle in the EB‑5 path, as it removes the conditional green card and grants the investor full permanent residency. This spike in approvals and speed signals that investors who have followed well-structured investment pathways and met their job-creation obligations are being rewarded with a smoother process.
Backlogs Declining and Efficiency Rising
The number of pending I‑829 cases has notably decreased, with fewer than 7,000 cases still awaiting adjudication by 31 March 2025. This improved efficiency is a marked shift from just a few years earlier, when processing times regularly exceeded 20 months, and approval rates lingered in the mid- to high-80s. The difference now is in both speed and reliability.
How Reform Legislation Helped
A key driver behind this improvement is the EB‑5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA). This legislation introduced stricter compliance measures, clearer adjudication standards, and incentives for rural or infrastructure-related EB‑5 ventures. Collectively, these reforms appear to have boosted transparency and confidence in the programme.
What These Trends Mean for Investors
For families, wealth managers, or migration advisers tracking EB‑5 as a route to U.S. residency, these figures are a welcome sign of stability and predictability. The reduced timeline coupled with the high approval rate makes EB‑5 more attractive again as part of a diversified global mobility strategy.
Investor interest may also be driven by broader economic concerns. In markets such as India, China and Vietnam, factors like currency devaluation, stricter capital controls and geopolitical uncertainty are increasing demand for EB‑5 appeals as a safeguard for capital preservation and access to global education or healthcare systems.
What Comes Next
These improvements reflect not only healthier programme mechanics but also growing trust among investors. If current trends hold, we could be witnessing the beginning of a more secure and efficient era for EB‑5—one in which it becomes a more highly recommended option in structured, migration‑by‑investment planning.
The critical question ahead is whether this enhanced performance will remain consistent and how it may influence investor sentiment moving forward.
