[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 9 (Friday, January 13, 2017)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 4738-4768]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-00447]



[[Page 4737]]

Vol. 82

Friday,

No. 9

January 13, 2017

Part VI





Department of Homeland Security





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8 CFR Parts 204 and 216





EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program Modernization; Proposed Rule

  Federal Register / Vol. 82 , No. 9 / Friday, January 13, 2017 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 4738]]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

8 CFR Parts 204 and 216

[CIS No. 2555-14; DHS Docket No. USCIS-2016-0006]
RIN 1615-AC07


EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program Modernization

AGENCY: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposes to amend 
its regulations governing the employment-based, fifth preference (EB-5) 
immigrant investor classification and associated regional centers to 
reflect statutory changes and modernize the EB-5 program. In general, 
under the EB-5 program, individuals are eligible to apply for lawful 
permanent residence in the United States if they make the necessary 
investment in a commercial enterprise in the United States and create 
or, in certain circumstances, preserve 10 permanent full-time jobs for 
qualified U.S. workers. This proposed rule would change the EB-5 
program regulations to reflect statutory changes and codify existing 
policies. It would also change certain aspects of the EB-5 program in 
need of reform.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before April 11, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by DHS Docket No. USCIS-
2016-0006, by any one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the Web site instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail: You may submit comments directly to U.S. Citizenship 
and Immigration Services (USCIS) by mail by sending correspondence to 
Samantha Deshommes, Acting Chief, Regulatory Coordination Division, 
Office of Policy and Strategy, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 
Services, Department of Homeland Security, 20 Massachusetts Avenue NW., 
Washington, DC 20529. To ensure proper handling, please reference DHS 
Docket No. USCIS-2016-0006 in your correspondence. This mailing address 
may be used for paper or CD-ROM submissions.
     Hand Delivery/Courier: You may submit comments directly to 
USCIS through hand delivery to Samantha Deshommes, Chief, Regulatory 
Coordination Division, Office of Policy and Strategy, U.S. Citizenship 
and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security, 20 
Massachusetts Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20529; Telephone 202-272-8377. 
To ensure proper handling, please reference DHS Docket No. USCIS-2016-
0006 in your correspondence.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lori MacKenzie, Division Chief, 
Operations Policy and Performance, Immigrant Investor Program Office, 
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland 
Security, 131 M Street NE., 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20529; Telephone 
202-357-9214.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

I. Public Participation
II. Executive Summary
    A. Purpose of the Regulatory Action
    B. Summary of Major Provisions
    (1) Priority Date Retention
    (2) Increases to the Investment Amounts
    (3) TEA Designations
    (4) Removal of Conditions
    (5) Miscellaneous Changes
    C. Legal Authority
    D. Costs and Benefits
III. Background
    A. The EB-5 Program
    B. The Regional Center Program
    C. EB-5 Immigrant Visa Process
IV. The Proposed Rule
    A. Priority Date Retention
    B. Increasing the Minimum Investment Amount
    C. Increasing the Minimum Investment Amount for High Employment 
Areas
    D. Increasing the Minimum Investment Amount for TEAs
    E. TEA Designation Process
    F. Technical Changes
    (1) Separate Filings for Derivatives
    (2) Interviews
    (3) Process for Issuing Permanent Resident Cards
    (4) Miscellaneous Other Changes
V. Statutory and Regulatory Requirements
    A. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995
    B. Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996
    C. Executive Orders 12866 and 13563
    (1) Summary
    (2) Background and Purpose of the Proposed Rule
    (3) Baseline Program Forecasts
    (4) Economic Impacts of the Major Rule Provisions
    D. Executive Order 13132
    E. Regulatory Flexibility Act
    F. Executive Order 12988
    G. National Environmental Policy Act
    H. Paperwork Reduction Act
Proposed Regulatory Amendments

List of Acronyms and Abbreviations Used

CFR Code of Federal Regulations
CPI Consumer Price Index
CPI-U Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers
DHS Department of Homeland Security
DOL Department of Labor
DOS Department of State
EB-5 Employment-Based Fifth Preference
GDP Gross Domestic Product
HSA Homeland Security Act
IEFA Immigration Examinations Fee Account
INA Immigration and Nationality Act
INS Immigration and Naturalization Service
IRFA Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis
JCE Job-Creating Entity
MSA Metropolitan Statistical Area
NCE New Commercial Enterprise
NOID--Notice of Intent to Deny
NOIT--Notice of Intent to Terminate
PRA--Paperwork Reduction Act
RFE--Request for Evidence
TEA--Targeted Employment Area
U.S.C.--United States Code
USCIS--United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
UR--Unemployment Rates
VPC--Volume Projections Committee

I. Public Participation

    DHS invites comments, data, and information from all interested 
parties, including regional centers, investors, advocacy groups, 
nongovernmental organizations, community-based organizations, and legal 
representatives who specialize in immigration law on any and all 
aspects of the proposed amendments. Comments must be submitted in 
English, or an English translation must be provided. Comments that will 
provide the most assistance to DHS will reference a specific portion of 
the proposed amendments; explain the reason for any recommended change; 
and include data, information, or authority that support such 
recommended change.
    In addition to its general call for comments, DHS is specifically 
seeking comments on the following proposals:
    A. Priority date retention for EB-5 petitioners;
    B. Increases to the minimum investment amount for targeted 
employment areas (TEAs) and non-TEAs;
    C. Revisions to the TEA designation process, including the 
elimination of state designation of high unemployment areas as a method 
of TEA designation;
    D. Revisions to the filing and interview process for removal of 
conditions on lawful permanent residence.
    DHS also invites comments on the economic analysis supporting this 
rule and the proposed form revisions.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the DHS Docket No. 
USCIS-2016-0006 for this rulemaking. Regardless of the method used for 
submitting comments or material, all submissions will be posted, 
without change, to the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov, and will include any personal

[[Page 4739]]

information you provide. Therefore, submitting this information makes 
it public. You may wish to consider limiting the amount of personal 
information that you provide in any voluntary public comment submission 
you make to DHS. DHS may withhold information provided in comments from 
public viewing that it determines may impact the privacy of an 
individual or is offensive. For additional information, please read the 
Privacy Act notice that is available via the link in the footer of 
http://www.regulations.gov.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov.

II. Executive Summary

A. Purpose of the Regulatory Action

    DHS proposes to update its regulations governing EB-5 immigrant 
investors and regional centers to reflect statutory changes and codify 
existing policies. DHS also proposes changes to areas of the EB-5 
program in need of reform.

B. Summary of Major Provisions

    DHS proposes the following major revisions to the EB-5 program 
regulations.
(1) Priority Date Retention
    DHS proposes to authorize certain EB-5 petitioners to retain the 
priority date \1\ of an approved EB-5 immigrant petition for use in 
connection with any subsequent EB-5 immigrant petition.\2\ Petitioners 
with approved immigrant petitions might need to file new petitions due 
to circumstances beyond their control (for instance, DHS might have 
terminated a regional center associated with the original petition), or 
might choose to do so for other reasons (for instance, a petitioner may 
seek to materially change aspects of his or her qualifying investment). 
DHS is proposing to generally allow EB-5 petitioners to retain the 
priority dates of previously approved petitions so as to avoid further 
delays on immigrant visa processing associated with the loss of 
priority dates. DHS believes that priority date retention may become 
increasingly important due to the strong possibility that the EB-5 visa 
category will remain oversubscribed for the foreseeable future.
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    \1\ An EB-5 immigrant petition's priority date is normally the 
date on which the petition was properly filed. In general, when 
demand exceeds supply for a particular visa category, an earlier 
priority date is more advantageous than a later one.
    \2\ The priority date retention proposal, like other proposals 
described in this Executive Summary, is subject to important 
conditions and limitations described in more detail elsewhere in 
this proposed rule.
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(2) Increases to the Investment Amounts
    DHS is proposing to increase the minimum investment amounts for all 
new EB-5 petitioners. The increase would ensure that program 
requirements reflect the present-day dollar value of the investment 
amounts established by Congress in 1990. Specifically, DHS proposes to 
initially increase the standard minimum investment amount, which also 
applies to high employment areas, from $1 million to $1.8 million. This 
change would represent an adjustment for inflation from 1990 to 2015 as 
measured by the unadjusted Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers 
(CPI-U),\3\ an economic indicator that tracks the prices of goods and 
services in the United States. For those investors seeking to invest in 
a new commercial enterprise that will be principally doing business in 
a targeted employment area (TEA), DHS proposes to increase the minimum 
investment amount from $500,000 to $1.35 million, which is 75 percent 
of the proposed standard minimum investment amount. In addition, DHS is 
proposing to make regular CPI-U-based adjustments in the standard 
minimum investment amount, and conforming adjustments to the TEA 
minimum investment amount, every 5 years, beginning 5 years from the 
effective date of these regulations.
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    \3\ See Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U Inflation Calculator, 
http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl.
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(3) TEA Designations
    DHS proposes to reform the TEA designation process to ensure 
consistency in TEA adjudications and ensure that designations more 
closely adhere to Congressional intent. First, DHS proposes to allow 
any city or town with high unemployment \4\ and a population of 20,000 
or more to qualify as a TEA. Currently, TEA designations are not 
available at the city or town level, unless a state designates the city 
or town as a TEA and provides evidence of such designation to a 
prospective EB-5 investor for submission with the Form I-526. See 8 CFR 
204.6(i). Second, DHS proposes to eliminate the ability of a state to 
designate certain geographic and political subdivisions as high-
unemployment areas; instead, DHS would make such designations directly, 
using standards described in more detail elsewhere in this proposed 
rule. DHS believes these changes would help address inconsistencies 
between and within states in designating high unemployment areas, and 
better ensure that the reduced investment threshold is reserved for 
areas experiencing significantly high levels of unemployment.
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    \4\ An area has ``high unemployment'' if it has an average 
unemployment rate of at least 150 percent of the national average 
rate.
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(4) Removal of Conditions
    DHS proposes to revise the regulations to clarify that derivative 
family members must file their own petitions to remove conditions on 
their permanent residence when they are not included in a petition to 
remove conditions filed by the principal investor. In addition, DHS is 
proposing to improve the adjudication process for removing conditions 
by providing flexibility in interview locations and to update the 
regulation to conform to the current process for issuing permanent 
resident cards.
(5) Miscellaneous Changes
    Lastly, DHS proposes to update the regulations to reflect 
miscellaneous statutory changes made since the regulation was first 
published in 1991, as well as to clarify definitions of key terms for 
the program. By aligning DHS regulations with statutory changes and 
defining key terms, this proposed rule will provide greater certainty 
regarding the eligibility criteria for investors and their family 
members.

C. Legal Authority

    The Secretary of Homeland Security's authority for the proposed 
regulatory amendments is found in various provisions of the Immigration 
and Nationality Act (INA), 8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq., as well as the 
Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related 
Agencies Appropriations Act, 1993, Public Law 102-395, 106 Stat. 1828; 
the 21st Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization 
Act, Public Law 107-273, 116 Stat. 1758; and the Homeland Security Act 
of 2002 (HSA), Public Law 107-296, 116 Stat. 2135, 6 U.S.C. 101 et seq. 
General authority for issuing the proposed rule is found in section 
103(a) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1103(a), which authorizes the Secretary to 
administer and enforce the immigration and nationality laws, including 
establishing such regulations as the Secretary deems necessary to carry 
out his authority; section 101(b)(1)(F) of the HSA, 6 U.S.C. 
111(b)(1)(F), which establishes that a primary mission of DHS is to 
ensure that the economic security of the United States is not 
diminished by the Department's efforts, activities, and programs; and 
section 102 of the HSA, 6 U.S.C. 112, which vests all of the

[[Page 4740]]

functions of DHS in the Secretary and authorizes the Secretary to issue 
regulations.
    The aforementioned authorities for the proposed regulatory 
amendments include:
     Section 203(b)(5) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(5), which 
makes visas available to immigrants investing in new commercial 
enterprises in the United States that will benefit the U.S. economy and 
create full-time employment for not fewer than 10 U.S. workers.
     Section 204(a)(1)(H) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1154(a)(1)(H), 
which requires individuals to file petitions with DHS when seeking 
classification under section 203(b)(5);
     Section 216A of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1186b, which places 
conditions on permanent residence obtained under section 203(b)(5) and 
authorizes the Secretary to remove such conditions for immigrant 
investors who have met the applicable investment requirements, 
sustained such investment, and otherwise conformed to the requirements 
of sections 203(b)(5) and 216A.
     Section 610 of Public Law 102-395, 8 U.S.C. 1153 note, as 
amended, which created the Immigrant Investor Pilot Program (the 
``Regional Center Program''), authorizing the designation of regional 
centers for the promotion of economic growth, and which authorizes the 
Secretary to set aside visas authorized under section 203(b)(5) of the 
INA for individuals who invest in regional centers.

D. Costs and Benefits

    This rule proposes changes to certain aspects of the EB-5 program 
that are in need of reform, and would also update the regulations to 
reflect statutory changes and codify existing policies. There are three 
major provisions proposed with several minor provisions and some 
miscellaneous technical changes. DHS has analyzed these provisions 
carefully and has determined that due to data limitations and the 
complexity of EB-5 investment structures, which typically involve 
multiple layers of investment, finance, development, and legal business 
entities, it is difficult to quantify and monetize the costs and 
benefits of the proposed provisions, with the exception of total 
estimated costs of approximately $91,000 \5\ annually for dependents 
who would file the Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions on 
Permanent Resident Status (Form I-829) separately from principal 
investors, and familiarization costs to review the rule, estimated at 
$501,154 annually.
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    \5\ The cost estimate is rounded from $90,762.
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    However, DHS does provide qualitative discussions on the potential 
costs and benefits of these proposed provisions. One of the main 
proposed provisions increases the standard minimum investment amount to 
$1.8 million and the minimum investment amount for TEAs to $1.35 
million in order to account for inflation since the inception of the 
program. DHS has no way to assess the potential reduction in 
investments either in terms of past activity or forecasted activity, 
and cannot therefore estimate any impacts concerning job creation, 
losses or other downstream economic impacts driven by the proposed 
investment amount increases. DHS provides a full qualitative analysis 
and discussion on the increase in investment amounts in the executive 
orders 12866 and 13563 section of this proposed rule. DHS believes 
these provisions would increase the integrity, effectiveness, and 
economic impact of the program positively, stimulating investment in 
areas where it is needed most and generating jobs.
    The costs and benefits summary of the proposed provisions is 
provided in Table 1, below. In addition, DHS has prepared an Initial 
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) under the Regulatory Flexibility 
Act (RFA) to discuss any potential impacts to small entities. As 
discussed further in the IRFA, DHS cannot estimate the exact impact to 
small entities. DHS, however, does expect some impact to regional 
centers and non-regional center projects, although it does not 
anticipate that this impact will be substantial or significant.

    Table 1--Summary of Changes and Impact of the Proposed Provisions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
         Current policy            Proposed change          Impact
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current DHS regulations do not   DHS proposes to     Benefits:
 permit investors to use the      allow an EB-5       Makes visa
 priority date of an approved     immigrant           allocation more
 EB-5 immigrant petition for a    petitioner to use   predictable for
 subsequently filed EB-5          the priority date   investors with
 immigrant petition.              of an approved EB-  less possibility
                                  5 immigrant         for large
                                  petition for a      fluctuations in
                                  subsequently        visa availability
                                  filed EB-5          dates due to
                                  immigrant           regional center
                                  petition for        termination.
                                  which the           Provides
                                  petitioner          greater certainty
                                  qualifies.          and stability
                                                      regarding the
                                                      timing of
                                                      eligibility for
                                                      investors pursuing
                                                      permanent
                                                      residence in the
                                                      U.S. and thus
                                                      lessens the burden
                                                      of unexpected
                                                      changes in the
                                                      underlying
                                                      investment.
                                                      Provides
                                                      more flexibility
                                                      to investors to
                                                      contribute into
                                                      more viable
                                                      investments,
                                                      potentially
                                                      reducing fraud and
                                                      improving
                                                      potential for job
                                                      creation.
                                                     Costs:
                                                      Not
                                                      identified.
The standard minimum investment  DHS proposes to     Benefits:
 amount has been $1 million       account for         Increases
 since 1990 and has not kept      inflation in the    in investment
 pace with inflation.             investment amount   amounts are
Further, the statute authorizes   since the           necessary to keep
 a reduction in the minimum       inception of the    pace with
 investment amount when such      program. DHS        inflation and real
 investment is made in a TEA by   proposes to raise   value of
 up to 50 percent of the          the minimum         investments;
 standard minimum investment      investment amount   Raising
 amount. Since 1991, DHS          to $1.8 million.    the investment
 regulations have set the TEA     DHS also proposes   amounts increases
 investment threshold at 50       to include a        the amount
 percent of the minimum           mechanism to        invested by each
 investment amount..              automatically       investor and
Similarly, DHS has not proposed   adjust the          potentially
 to increase the minimum          minimum             increases the
 investment amount for            investment amount   total amount
 investments made in a high       based on the        invested under
 employment area beyond the       unadjusted CPI-U    this program.
 standard amount..                every 5 years.      For
                                 DHS proposes to      regional centers,
                                  decrease the        the higher
                                  reduction for TEA   investment amounts
                                  investment          per investor would
                                  thresholds, and     mean that fewer
                                  set the TEA         investors would
                                  minimum             have to be
                                  investment at 75    recruited to pool
                                  percent of the      the requisite
                                  standard amount.    amount of capital
                                  Assuming the        for the project,
                                  standard            so that searching
                                  investment amount   and matching of
                                  is $1.8 million,    investors to
                                  investment in a     projects could be
                                  TEA would           less costly.
                                  initially          Costs:
                                  increase to $1.35   Some
                                  million..           investors may be
                                 DHS is not           unable or
                                  proposing to        unwilling to
                                  change the          invest at the
                                  equivalency         higher proposed
                                  between the         levels of
                                  standard minimum    investment.
                                  investment amount   There may
                                  and those made in   be fewer jobs
                                  high employment     created if fewer
                                  areas. As such,     investors invest
                                  DHS proposes that   at the proposed
                                  the minimum         higher investment
                                  investment          amounts.
                                  amounts in high     For
                                  employment areas    regional centers,
                                  would be $1.8       the higher amounts
                                  million, and        could reduce the
                                  follow the same     number of
                                  mechanism for       investors in the
                                  future              global pool and
                                  inflationary        result in fewer
                                  adjustments..       investors and thus
                                                      make search and
                                                      matching of
                                                      investors to
                                                      projects more
                                                      costly.
                                                      Potential
                                                      reduced numbers of
                                                      EB-5 investors
                                                      could prevent
                                                      projects from
                                                      moving forward due
                                                      to lack of
                                                      requisite capital.

[[Page 4741]]

 
                                                      An
                                                      increase in the
                                                      investment amount
                                                      could make foreign
                                                      investor visa
                                                      programs offered
                                                      by other countries
                                                      more attractive.
A TEA is defined by statute as   DHS proposes to     Benefits:
 a rural area or an area which    eliminate state     Rules out
 has experienced high             designation of      TEA configurations
 unemployment (of at least 150    high unemployment   that rely on a
 percent of the national          areas. DHS also     large number of
 average rate). Currently,        proposes to amend   census tracts
 investors demonstrate that       the manner in       indirectly linked
 their investments are in a       which investors     to the actual
 high unemployment area in two    can demonstrate     project tract by
 ways:                            that their          numerous degrees
(1) Providing evidence that the   investments are     of separation.
 Metropolitan Statistical Area    in a high           Potential
 (MSA), the specific county       unemployment area.  to better
 within the MSA, or the county   (1) In addition to   stimulate job
 in which a city or town with a   MSAs, specific      growth in areas
 population of 20,000 or more     counties within     where unemployment
 is located, in which the new     MSAs, and           rates are the
 commercial enterprise is         counties in which   highest.
 principally doing business,      a city or town     Costs:
 has experienced an average       with a population   The
 unemployment rate of at least    of 20,000 or more   proposed TEA
 150 percent of the national      is located, DHS     provision could
 average rate or                  proposes to add     cause some
(2) Submitting a letter from an   cities and towns    projects and
 authorized body of the           with a population   investments to not
 government of the state in       of 20,000 or more   qualify. DHS
 which the new commercial         to the types of     presents the
 enterprise is located, which     areas that can be   potential number
 certifies that the geographic    designated as a     of projects and
 or political subdivision of      high unemployment   investments that
 the metropolitan statistical     area..              could be affected
 area or of the city or town     (2) DHS is           in Table 5.
 with a population of 20,000 or   proposing that a
 more in which the enterprise     TEA may consist
 is principally doing business    of a census tract
 has been designated a high       or contiguous
 unemployment area.               census tracts in
                                  which the new
                                  commercial
                                  enterprise is
                                  principally doing
                                  business if the
                                  weighted average
                                  of the
                                  unemployment rate
                                  for the tract or
                                  tracts is at
                                  least 150 percent
                                  of the national
                                  average..
                                 (3) DHS is also
                                  proposing that a
                                  TEA may consist
                                  of an area
                                  comprised of the
                                  census tract(s)
                                  in which the new
                                  commercial
                                  enterprise is
                                  principally doing
                                  business,
                                  including any and
                                  all adjacent
                                  tracts, if the
                                  weighted average
                                  of the
                                  unemployment rate
                                  for all included
                                  tracts is at
                                  least 150 percent
                                  of the national
                                  average..
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current technical issues:        DHS is proposing    Conditions of
 The current regulation   the following       Filing:
 does not clearly define the      technical          Benefits:
 process by which derivatives     changes:            Adds
 may file a Form I-829 petition   Clarify     clarity and
 when they are not included on    the filing          eliminates
 the principal's petition.        process for         confusion for the
 Interviews for Form I-   derivatives who     process of
 829 petitions are generally      are filing a Form   derivatives who
 scheduled at the location of     I-829 petition      file separately
 the new commercial enterprise.   separately from     from the principal
 The current              the immigrant       immigrant
 regulations require an           investor..          investor.
 immigrant investor and his or    Provide    Costs:
 her derivatives to report to a   flexibility in      Total cost
 district office for processing   determining the     to applicants
 of their permanent resident      interview           filing separately
 cards.                           location related    would be $90,762
                                  to the Form I-829   annually.
                                  petition..         Conditions of
                                  Amend the   Interview:
                                  regulation by      Benefits:
                                  which the           Interviews
                                  immigrant           may be scheduled
                                  investor obtains    at the USCIS
                                  the new permanent   office having
                                  resident card       jurisdiction over
                                  after the           either the
                                  approval of his     immigrant
                                  or her Form I-829   investor's
                                  petition because    commercial
                                  DHS captures        enterprise, the
                                  biometric data at   immigrant
                                  the time the        investor's
                                  immigrant           residence, or the
                                  investor and        location where the
                                  derivatives         Form I-829
                                  appear at an ASC    petition is being
                                  for                 adjudicated, thus
                                  fingerprinting..    making the
                                                      interview program
                                                      more effective and
                                                      reducing burdens
                                                      on the immigrant
                                                      investor.
                                                      Some
                                                      applicants may
                                                      have cost savings
                                                      from lower travel
                                                      costs.
                                                     Costs:
                                                      Not
                                                      estimated.
                                                     Investors obtaining
                                                      a permanent
                                                      resident card:
                                                     Benefits:
                                                      Cost and
                                                      time savings for
                                                      applicants for
                                                      biometrics data.
                                                     Costs:
                                                      Not
                                                      estimated.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current miscellaneous items:     DHS is proposing    These provisions
 8 CFR 204.6(j)(2)(iii)   the following       are technical
 refers to the former U.S.        miscellaneous       changes and will
 Customs Service.                 changes:            have no impact on
 Public Law 107-273       DHS is      investors or the
 eliminated the requirement       updating            government.
 that alien entrepreneurs         references at 8     Therefore, the
 establish a new commercial       CFR                 benefits and costs
 enterprise from both INA Sec.    204.6(j)(2)(iii)    for these changes
  203(b)(5) and INA Sec.          from U.S. Customs   were not
 216A.                            Service to U.S.     estimated.
 8 CFR 204.6(j)(5) and    Customs and
 8 CFR 204.6(j)(5)(iii)           Border
 reference ``management'';        Protection..
 Current regulation at    Removing
 8 CFR 204.6(j)(5) has the        references to
 phrase ``as opposed to           requirements that
 maintain a purely passive role   alien
 in regard to the investment'';   entrepreneurs
 Public Law 107-273       establish a new
 allows limited partnerships to   commercial
 serve as new commercial          enterprise in 8
 enterprises;                     CFR 204.6 and
 Current regulation       216.6..
 references the former            Removing
 Associate Commissioner for       references to
 Examinations.                    ``management'' at
 8 CFR 204.6(k)           8 CFR 204.6(j)(5)
 requires USCIS to specify in     and 8 CFR
 its Form I-526 decision          204.6(j)(5)(iii);.
 whether the new commercial       Removing
 enterprise is principally        the phrase ``as
 doing business in a targeted     opposed to
 employment area.                 maintain a purely
 Sections 204.6 and       passive role in
 216.6 use the term               regard to the
 ``entrepreneur'' and             investment'' from
 ``deportation.'' These           8 CFR
 sections also refer to Forms I-  204.6(j)(5);.
 526 and I-829.                   Clarifies
                                  that any type of
                                  entity can serve
                                  as a new
                                  commercial
                                  enterprise;.
                                  Replacing
                                  the reference to
                                  the former
                                  Associate
                                  Commission for
                                  Examinations with
                                  a reference to
                                  the USCIS AAO..
                                  Amending
                                  8 CFR 204.6(k) to
                                  specify how USCIS
                                  will issue a
                                  decision..
                                  Revising
                                  sections 204.6
                                  and 216.6 to use
                                  the term
                                  ``investor''
                                  instead of
                                  ``entrepreneur''
                                  and to use the
                                  term ``removal''
                                  instead of
                                  ``deportation.''.
Miscellaneous Cost:              Applicants would    Familiarization
 Familiarization cost     need to read and    costs to read and
 of the rule.                     review the rule     review the rule
                                  to become           are estimated at
                                  familiar with the   $501,154 annually.
                                  proposed
                                  provisions.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

III. Background

A. The EB-5 Program

    As part of the Immigration Act of 1990, Public Law 101-649, 104 
Stat. 4978, Congress established the EB-5 immigrant visa classification 
to incentivize employment creation in the United States. Under the EB-5 
program, lawful permanent resident (LPR) status is available to foreign 
nationals who invest at least $1 million in a new commercial enterprise 
(NCE) that will create at least 10 full-time jobs in the United States. 
See INA section 203(b)(5), 8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(5). A foreign

[[Page 4742]]

national may also invest $1 million if the investment is in a high 
employment area or $500,000 if the investment is in a TEA, defined to 
include certain rural areas and areas of high unemployment. Id.; 8 CFR 
204.6(f). The INA allots 9,940 immigrant visas each fiscal year for 
foreign nationals seeking to enter the United States under the EB-5 
classification.\6\ See INA section 201(d), 8 U.S.C. 1151(d); INA 
section 203(b)(5), 8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(5). Not less than 3,000 of these 
visas must be reserved for foreign nationals investing in TEAs. See INA 
section 203(b)(5)(B), 8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(5)(B).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \6\ An immigrant investor, his or her spouse, and children (if 
any) will each use a separate visa number.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

B. The Regional Center Program

    Enacted in 1992, section 610 of the Departments of Commerce, 
Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations 
Act, 1993, Public Law 102-395, 106 Stat. 1828, established a pilot 
program that requires the allocation of a limited number of EB-5 
immigrant visas to individuals who invest through DHS-designated 
regional centers.\7\ The Regional Center Program was initially designed 
as a pilot program set to expire after 5 years, but Congress has 
continued to extend the program to the present day.\8\ The Regional 
Center Program was last extended in December 2016.\9\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \7\ Current law requires that DHS annually set aside 3,000 EB-5 
immigrant visas for regional center investors. Section 116 of Public 
Law 105-119, 111 Stat. 2440 (Nov. 26, 1997). If this full annual 
allocation is not used, remaining visas may be allocated to foreign 
nationals who do not invest in regional centers.
    \8\ See Section 116 of Public Law 105-119, 111 Stat. 2440, 2467 
(Nov. 26, 1997); Section 1 of Public Law 112-176, 126 Stat. 1325, 
1325 (Sept. 28, 2012); Section 575 of Public Law 114-113, 129 Stat. 
2242, 2526 (Dec. 18, 2015).
    \9\ See Public Law 114-254 (Dec. 10, 2016).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Under the Regional Center Program, foreign nationals base their EB-
5 petitions on investments in new commercial enterprises located within 
``regional centers.'' DHS regulations define a regional center as an 
economic unit, public or private, that promotes economic growth, 
regional productivity, job creation, and increased domestic capital 
investment. See 8 CFR 204.6(e). While all EB-5 petitioners go through 
the same petition process, those petitioners participating in the 
Regional Center Program may meet statutory job creation requirements 
based on economic projections of either direct or indirect job 
creation, rather than only on jobs directly created by the new 
commercial enterprise. See 8 CFR 204.6(m)(3). In addition, Congress 
authorized the Secretary to give priority to EB-5 petitions filed 
through the Regional Center Program. See section 601(d) of Public Law 
102-395, 106 Stat. 1828, as amended by Public Law 112-176, Sec. 1, 126 
Stat. 1326 (Sept. 28, 2012).
    Requests for regional center designation must be filed with USCIS 
on the Application for Regional Center Under the Immigrant Investor 
Program (Form I-924). See 8 CFR 204.6(m)(3)-(4). Once designated, 
regional centers must provide USCIS with updated information to 
demonstrate continued eligibility for the designation by submitting an 
Annual Certification of Regional Center (Form I-924A) on an annual 
basis or as otherwise requested by USCIS. See 8 CFR 204.6(m)(6)(i)(B). 
USCIS may seek to terminate a regional center's participation in the 
program if the regional center no longer qualifies for the designation, 
the regional center fails to submit the required information or pay the 
associated fee, or USCIS determines that the regional center is no 
longer promoting economic growth. See 8 CFR 204.6(m)(6)(i). As of 
November 1, 2016, there were 864 designated regional centers.\10\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \10\ USCIS, Immigrant Investor Regional Centers, https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/permanent-workers/employment-based-immigration-fifth-preference-eb-5/immigrant-investor-regional-centers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

C. EB-5 Immigrant Visa Process

    A foreign national seeking LPR status under the EB-5 immigrant visa 
classification must go through a multi-step process. The individual 
must first file an Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur (Form I-
526, or ``EB-5 petition'') with USCIS. The petition must be supported 
by evidence that the foreign national's lawfully obtained investment 
capital is invested (i.e., placed at risk), or is actively in the 
process of being invested, in a new commercial enterprise in the United 
States that will create full-time positions for not fewer than 10 
qualifying employees. See 8 CFR 204.6(j).
    If USCIS approves the EB-5 petition, the petitioner must take 
additional steps to obtain LPR status. In general, the petitioner may 
either apply for an immigrant visa through a Department of State 
consular post abroad \11\ or, if the petitioner is already in the 
United States and is otherwise eligible to adjust status, the 
petitioner may seek adjustment of status by filing an Application to 
Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (Form I-485) with 
USCIS.\12\ Congress has imposed limits on the availability of such 
immigrant visas, including by capping the annual number of visas 
available in the EB-5 category and by separately limiting the 
percentage of immigrant visas that may be issued on an annual basis to 
individuals born in any one country.\13\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \11\ See INA sections 203, 221 and 222; 8 U.S.C. 1153, 1201, and 
1202.
    \12\ See INA section 245, 8 U.S.C. 1255.
    \13\ See INA sections 201, 202 and 203; 8 U.S.C. 1151, 1152 and 
1153.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    To request an immigrant visa while abroad, an EB-5 petitioner must 
apply at a U.S. consular post. See INA sections 203(e) and (g), 221 and 
222, 8 U.S.C. 1153(e) and (g), 1201 and 1202; see also 22 CFR part 42, 
subparts F and G. The petitioner must generally wait to receive a visa 
application packet from the DOS National Visa Center to commence the 
visa application process. After receiving this packet, the petitioner 
must collect required information and file the immigrant visa 
application with DOS. As noted above, the wait for a visa depends on 
the demand for immigrant visas in the EB-5 category and the 
petitioner's country of birth.\14\ Generally, DOS authorizes the 
issuance of a visa and schedules the petitioner for an immigrant visa 
interview for the month in which the priority date will be current. If 
the petitioner's immigrant visa application is ultimately approved, he 
or she is issued an immigrant visa and, on the date of admission to the 
United States, obtains LPR status on a conditional basis. See INA 
sections 211, 216A and 221; 8 U.S.C. 1181, 1186b and 1201.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \14\ When demand for a visa exceeds the number of visas 
available for that category and country, the demand for that 
particular preference category and country of birth is deemed 
oversubscribed. The Department of State (DOS) publishes a Visa 
Bulletin that determines when a visa may be authorized for issuance. 
See U.S. Dep't of State, Bureau of Consular Aff., Visa Bulletin, 
available at https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/law-and-policy/bulletin.html. Specifically, an individual cannot be issued 
an immigrant visa unless the individual's ``priority date,'' i.e., 
the date USCIS received the properly filed Form I-526, is earlier 
than the ``final action date'' indicated in the ``date for filing 
application'' chart in the current Visa Bulletin for the relevant 
category and country of birth. See 8 CFR 204.6(d) (defining the 
``priority date'' for EB-5 petitioners).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Alternatively, an EB-5 petitioner who is in the United States in 
lawful nonimmigrant status generally may seek LPR status by filing with 
USCIS an Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status 
(Form I-485, or ``application for adjustment of status''). See INA 
section 245, 8 U.S.C. 1255; 8 CFR part 245. Before filing such an 
application, however, the EB-5 petitioner must wait until an immigrant 
visa is ``immediately available.'' See INA section 245(a), 8 U.S.C. 
1255(a); 8 CFR 245.2(a)(2)(i)(A). Generally, an immigrant visa is 
considered

[[Page 4743]]

``immediately available'' if the petitioner's priority date under the 
EB-5 category is earlier than the relevant date indicated in the 
monthly DOS Visa Bulletin.\15\ See 8 CFR 245.1(g)(1).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \15\ More specifically, an individual generally may file an 
application for adjustment of status with USCIS only if his or her 
priority date is earlier than the cut-off date for the relevant 
category and country of birth in the ``final action dates'' chart in 
the relevant Visa Bulletin. However, when USCIS determines that 
there are more immigrant visas available for the fiscal year than 
there are known applicants for such visas, USCIS will state on its 
Web site that, during that month, applicants may instead use the 
``dates for filing visa applications'' chart in the Visa Bulletin 
for purposes of determining whether they may file applications for 
adjustment of status with USCIS. DOS, moreover, may not issue a visa 
and USCIS may not grant adjustment of status unless the individual's 
priority date is earlier than the corresponding cut-off date in the 
``final action date'' chart listed in the Visa Bulletin.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Whether obtained pursuant to issuance of an immigrant visa or 
adjustment of status, LPR status based on an EB-5 petition is granted 
on a conditional basis. See INA section 216A(a)(1), 8 U.S.C. 
1186b(a)(1). Within the 90-day period preceding the second anniversary 
of the date the immigrant investor obtains conditional permanent 
resident status, the immigrant investor is required to file with USCIS 
a Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident 
Status (Form I-829). See INA section 216A(c) and (d), 8 U.S.C. 1186b(c) 
and (d); 8 CFR 216.6(a)(1). Failure to timely file Form I-829 results 
in automatic termination of the immigrant investor's conditional 
permanent resident status and the initiation of removal proceedings. 
See INA section 216A(c), 8 U.S.C. 1186b(c); 8 CFR 216.6(a)(5). In 
support of the petition to remove conditions, the investor must show, 
among other things, that he or she established the commercial 
enterprise, that he or she invested or was actively involved in the 
process of investing the requisite capital, that he or she sustained 
those actions for the period of residence in the United States, and 
that job creation requirements were met or will be met within a 
reasonable time. See 8 CFR 216.6(a)(4). If approved, the conditions on 
the investor's permanent residence are removed as of the second 
anniversary of the date the investor obtained conditional permanent 
resident status. See 8 CFR 216.6(d)(1).

IV. The Proposed Rule

    DHS has not comprehensively revised the EB-5 program regulations 
since they were published in 1993, see 58 FR 44606 (1993), but has 
issued policy guidance to conform agency practice to intervening 
changes in the governing statutes. In addition to proposing changes to 
portions of the EB-5 program that are in need of reform, this proposed 
rule would codify and clarify certain policies. For example, the 
current regulation requires that the interview for the petition to 
remove conditions take place at the USCIS office located in the same 
location as the new commercial enterprise, although there is no 
requirement that the EB-5 immigrant petitioner reside in that vicinity. 
See 8 CFR 216.6(b)(2). In some instances, DHS has been allowing the 
interview to take place at a variety of different locations, including 
the USCIS office closest to the immigrant petitioner's residence, as 
DHS recognizes the burden of conducting an interview in a location that 
is a considerable distance from an immigrant petitioner's residence. 
DHS is proposing conforming revisions to the regulations in order to 
reflect this practice. See proposed 8 CFR 216.6(b)(2).

A. Priority Date Retention

    DHS proposes to allow an EB-5 immigrant petitioner to use the 
priority date of an approved EB-5 immigrant petition for any 
subsequently filed EB-5 immigrant petition for which the petitioner 
qualifies. See proposed 8 CFR 204.6(d). This provision would not apply 
where DHS revoked the original petition's approval based on fraud, 
willful misrepresentation of a material fact, or a determination that 
DHS approved the petition based on a material error. Id. Similarly, 
priority date retention would not be available once the investor uses 
the priority date to obtain conditional LPR status based upon the 
approved petition (e.g., when such an investor fails to remove the 
conditional basis of that status and thus loses his or her LPR status). 
Should DHS seek to revoke the approval of an immigrant petition, DHS 
would provide notice of the revocation detailing the reasons for 
revocation.\16\ If the revocation is not based on fraud, a willful 
misrepresentation of a material fact, or material DHS error, the 
investor would be able to utilize the priority date of that petition 
should he or she seek to file another immigrant petition under the EB-5 
program. See proposed 8 CFR 204.6(d). An investor seeking to use a 
retained priority date should provide a copy of the original immigrant 
petition's approval notice indicating the earlier priority date when 
filing the new EB-5 immigrant petition. Under this proposal, denied 
petitions would not establish a priority date, and a priority date 
would not be transferable to another investor. See proposed 8 CFR 
204.6(d).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \16\ See 8 CFR 205.2.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The current regulation does not permit investors to use the 
priority date of an approved EB-5 immigrant petition for a subsequently 
filed EB-5 immigrant petition. See 8 CFR 204.6(d). DHS has generally 
allowed beneficiaries in the employment-based first, second, and third 
preference categories to retain the priority date of their previously 
approved immigrant petitions unless DHS revokes petition approval. See 
8 CFR 204.5(e). DHS recently issued a final rule that will expand the 
ability of beneficiaries in these preference categories to retain their 
priority dates even when their petitions have been revoked, so long as 
the approval was not revoked based on fraud, willful misrepresentation 
of a material fact, material error, or the revocation or invalidation 
of the labor certification associated with the petition.\17\ See 8 CFR 
204.5(e)(2). DHS's proposal in this regulation to allow priority date 
retention for those in the EB-5 category would bring the EB-5 priority 
date retention policy into harmony with those other employment-based 
preference categories. See proposed 8 CFR 204.6(d).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \17\ See Retention of EB-1, EB-2, and EB-3 Immigrant Workers and 
Program Improvements Affecting High-Skilled Nonimmigrant Workers, 81 
FR 82398, 82485 (Nov. 18, 2016).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DHS is proposing to allow priority date retention in order to: (1) 
Address situations in which petitioners may become ineligible through 
circumstances beyond their control (e.g., the termination of a regional 
center) as they wait for their EB-5 visa priority date to become 
current; and (2) provide investors with greater flexibility to deal 
with changes to business conditions. For example, investors involved 
with an underperforming or failing investment project would be able to 
move their investment funds to a new, more promising investment project 
without losing their place in the visa queue.
    Providing EB-5 investors with the opportunity to retain their 
priority dates is increasingly important as the demand for EB-5 visas 
outpaces the statutorily limited supply of such visas, which lengthens 
wait times for visa numbers. Since the severe economic recession 
between 2007 and 2009,\18\ the EB-5 program has experienced a dramatic 
increase in participation. Prior to 2008, the EB-5 program received an 
average of fewer than 600 EB-5 immigrant petitions per year. In the 
following years, the EB-5 program has received an

[[Page 4744]]

average of over 5,500 petitions per year. And between FY 2014 and FY 
2015 alone, the program received over 25,000 petitions.\19\ As a 
result, demand for EB-5 visas by investors has now outpaced the annual 
supply, resulting in visa backlogs for certain petitioners and their 
family members. Individuals affected by those backlogs frequently wait 
for one year or more before they can obtain conditional permanent 
residence.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \18\ The Nat'l Bureau of Econ. Research, U.S. Business Cycle 
Expansions and Contractions, available at http://www.nber.org/cycles.html.
    \19\ Statistics provided by USCIS Immigrant Investor Program 
Office.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The EB-5 program began to experience oversubscription (i.e., demand 
that outpaced the supply in visa numbers) for the first time during FY 
2014. At that time, DOS announced that EB-5 visas were no longer 
available for the remainder of the fiscal year for individuals born in 
China.\20\ Since then, the program has continued to experience annual 
demand from individuals born in China that has outpaced the supply in 
visas, resulting in increasingly long backlogs every year for those 
individuals.\21\ This trend is anticipated to continue and likely 
worsen for the foreseeable future, especially considering that 
individuals born in China currently file about 80 percent of the EB-5 
immigrant visas granted on an annual basis.\22\ Indeed, given the 
20,000 EB-5 petitions currently pending with USCIS, DHS estimates that 
there are currently 16,000 EB-5 petitions pending for individuals born 
in China.\23\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \20\ DOS issued a statement in August 2014 indicating the EB-5 
preference category was unavailable for Chinese nationals through 
the end of FY2014. See Nataliya Rymer, U.S. Department of State 
Announces EB-5 Visas for China Unavailable Until October 1, 2014, 
Nat'l L. Rev., Aug. 23, 2014, http://www.natlawreview.com/article/us-department-state-announces-eb-5-visas-china-unavailable-until-october-1-2014.
    \21\ While the demand has exceeded supply for investors from 
China, the demand has not exceeded supply for investors from any 
other countries as of December 2016.
    \22\ Dep't of State, Visa Statistics, Report of the Visa Office, 
available at https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/law-and-policy/statistics.html.
    \23\ USCIS, Number of I-526 Immigrant Petitions by Alien 
Entrepreneurs by Fiscal Year, Quarter, and Case Status 2008-2016, 
(May 25, 2016) available at https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/Reports%20and%20Studies/Immigration%20Forms%20Data/Employment-based/I526_performancedata_fy2016_qtr2.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Although Congress sets visa numbers, DHS recognizes that having to 
wait for a visa can create difficulties for individuals seeking to 
invest in the United States. There are also consequences for investors 
who invest through a regional center that is subsequently terminated 
through no fault of the investor. When a regional center is terminated, 
EB-5 immigrant petitions filed through that regional center are 
generally also denied or revoked depending on the procedural status of 
the petition. The filers of such petitions may have met all 
requirements to participate in the EB-5 program, but absent priority 
date retention they will lose their place in the immigrant visa queue. 
Currently, an investor in this situation who wants to continue with the 
EB-5 immigrant visa process must start the process all over again by 
investing in a new commercial enterprise and going to the end of the 
EB-5 visa queue. Allowing priority date retention would allow such an 
investor to retain his or her place in the queue, thereby alleviating 
the harsh consequences of regional center terminations and other 
material changes that occur unexpectedly and through no fault of the 
investor.
    Finally, priority date retention would also benefit other investors 
with approved EB-5 immigrant petitions who, while waiting for their 
priority dates to become current, learn that they have invested in 
severely delayed projects that are likely not to succeed. Under current 
regulations, such investors cannot reinvest their investment funds 
without losing their place in the immigrant visa queue. Under the 
proposed rule, such investors would be able to reinvest in new projects 
while retaining their previously established priority dates. By 
allowing priority date retention, DHS is thus eliminating an external 
incentive that currently distorts market forces and increases financial 
risk for investors.
    DHS welcomes public comment on the proposal to allow investors in 
certain circumstances to retain their priority dates. DHS also welcomes 
comment on the proposed standards that may be considered when 
determining whether or not to allow for priority date retention, 
including alternative suggestions to those standards.

B. Increasing the Minimum Investment Amount

    In 1990, Congress set the minimum investment amount for the program 
at $1 million and authorized the Attorney General (now the Secretary of 
Homeland Security) to increase the minimum investment amount, in 
consultation with the Secretaries of State and Labor. INA section 
203(b)(5)(C)(i), 8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(5)(C)(i). Neither the former INS nor 
DHS has exercised its authority to increase the minimum investment 
amount. As a result, over the past 25 years inflation has eroded the 
present-day value of the minimum investment required to participate in 
the EB-5 program.\24\ After consulting with the Departments of State 
and Labor, DHS proposes to account for inflation by increasing the 
minimum investment amount consistent with increases in the CPI-U during 
the intervening period, for a new minimum investment amount of $1.8 
million.\25\ As discussed below, DHS also proposes to include a 
mechanism for future adjustments every 5 years, based on the CPI-U.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \24\ DHS also notes that prior to the passage of IMMACT, the 
former INS provided a written response to Senator Simon regarding 
the ``creation of a subcategory for immigrant investors'' and stated 
that the ``minimum investment amount would be set in terms of the 
value of the dollar at the time of enactment and would be adjusted 
periodically based on some criteria such as the Consumer Price 
Index.'' A Bill to Amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to 
Effect Changes in the Numerical Limitation and Preference System for 
the Admission of Immigrants: Hearing on S. 1611 Before the S. 
Subcomm. on Immigr. & Refugee Aff. of the S. Comm. on the Judiciary, 
100th Cong. 90 (1987) (statement of Mark W. Everson, Deputy Comm'r 
of the Immigr. and Naturalization Serv.).
    \25\ DHS may conduct further consultations following receipt of 
public comment and prior to issuing a final rule. The $1.8 million 
figure is rounded down to the nearest hundred thousand from 
approximately $1,813,443, based on an inflation factor of 1.813443 
between 1990 and 2015. The actual increase in prices is obtained as 
((CPI-U2015/CPI-U1990)-1). Using a base period 
of 1982-84, the CPI-U increased from 130.7 in 1990 to 237.017 in 
2015, for an actual increase in price of approximately 81.34 
percent. DHS rounded the figure down for ease of agency 
administration and the convenience of all stakeholders. The CPI-U 
data is publicly available at http://www.bls.gov/data/#prices.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DHS believes that it is appropriate to adjust the minimum 
investment amount upward based on inflation, without regard for the 
amount of capital that would likely be required to fulfill the 
statutory requirement to create 10 jobs. As a preliminary matter, DHS 
notes that Congress did not provide for adjustments in the investment 
threshold to be related in any way to the EB-5 job creation 
requirements. Indeed, based on the controlling statutory authorities, 
Congress itself does not appear to have tied the statutory investment 
thresholds to the job creation requirement. For example, when Congress 
first created the EB-5 category, Congress established a single job 
creation standard (i.e., the direct creation of at least 10 jobs) but 
authorized three different levels of qualifying investments:
    (1) The standard minimum investment amount of $1 million;
    (2) The reduced minimum investment amount of no less than 50 
percent of the standard for investments in targeted employment areas; 
and
    (3) A higher minimum investment amount of up to three times the 
standard amount for investments in high employment areas.


[[Page 4745]]


As noted, Congress originally provided for up to three different 
qualifying investment amounts but did not vary the job creation 
requirements to correspond to the level of investment. Congress also 
did not tie investment levels to job creation criteria when it 
established the regional center program. For regional center 
investments, Congress used the same three investment levels as the 
original program but varied the job creation requirement by including 
both direct and indirect job creation. Based on the plain language of 
INA section 203(b)(5)(C)(i) and the regional center legislation, 
Congress does not appear to have intended to tie the minimum investment 
amounts to the number of jobs to be created.

    DHS considered a number of different measures upon which to base 
the proposed adjustment and future adjustments. Among these, DHS is 
proposing to rely on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which ``is a 
measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban 
consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services.'' \26\ 
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics at the Department of Labor 
(DOL), the CPI is--
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \26\ Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index: 
Frequently Asked Questions, available at http://www.bls.gov/cpi/cpifaq.htm; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index: 
Addendum to Frequently Asked Questions, available at http://www.bls.gov/cpi/cpiadd.htm#2_1.

the most widely used measure of inflation . . . . It provides 
information about price changes in the Nation's economy to 
government, business, labor, and private citizens and is used by 
them as a guide to making economic decisions. . . . The CPI and its 
components are used to adjust other economic series for price 
changes and to translate these series into inflation-free 
dollars.\27\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \27\ Id.

The specific CPI index that DHS proposes to rely on is the unadjusted 
All Items CPI-U. The CPI-U is the ``broadest and most comprehensive 
CPI,'' and using unadjusted data is more appropriate for this purpose, 
because seasonally adjusted CPI data is subject to revision for up to 
five years after their original release, making such data difficult to 
use for escalation purposes.\28\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \28\ See id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DHS also considered other indices used by the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics to measure different aspects of inflation.\29\ One of these 
is the Producer Price Indexes, which ``measure changes in the selling 
prices received by domestic producers of goods and services.'' \30\ 
Although the Producer Price Indexes could also provide an appropriate 
measure for adjusting the standard minimum investment amount, DHS 
believes the CPI-U is a better measure because it is more widely relied 
upon.\31\ The BLS also produces a number of other business cost 
statistics that measure labor costs or the costs of goods and 
services,\32\ but DHS chose not to propose these as measures as they 
are more narrowly focused on different and discrete aspects of economic 
activity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \29\ Bureau of Labor Statistics, Overview of BLS Statistics on 
Inflation and Prices, available at http://www.bls.gov/bls/inflation.htm.
    \30\ Bureau of Labor Statistics, Producer Price Indexes: 
Frequently Asked Questions, available at http://www.bls.gov/ppi/ppifaq.htm.
    \31\ Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index: Addendum 
to Frequently Asked Questions, available at http://www.bls.gov/cpi/cpiadd.htm. For additional comparison of CPI and PPI, see Bureau of 
Labor Statistics, Comparing the Producer Price Index for Personal 
Consumption with the U.S. All Items CPI for All Urban Consumers, 
available at https://www.bls.gov/cpi/cpiadd.htm.
    \32\ Bureau of Labor Statistics, Overview of BLS Statistics on 
Business Costs, available at http://www.bls.gov/bls/business.htm.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Because the EB-5 program is focused on investment, DHS also 
considered adjusting the standard minimum investment amount based on 
changes in the overall value of a specific stock index, such as the Dow 
Jones Industrial Average or the Standard and Poor's 500 Stock Index. 
But these indexes are based on trades in the secondary market that are 
tied to the value of existing companies strictly for investment 
purposes. By comparison, investment in the EB-5 program is related to 
job creation, which in turn results from an adequately capitalized 
enterprise (as determined by the costs of goods or services required to 
do business). DHS believes the CPI-U is a more appropriate indicator of 
the costs of goods and services necessary for an EB-5 enterprise to be 
adequately capitalized for the purpose of job creation.
    DHS believes that increasing the standard minimum investment amount 
to account for inflation since creation of the EB-5 program would both 
modernize the program and ensure a level of capital investment in the 
United States that more closely adheres to congressional intent. DHS 
also believes that this change will benefit the U.S. economy by 
increasing the amount of foreign investment in the United States. This 
conclusion is supported by the fact that the EB-5 program has recently 
suffered from oversubscription at current investment levels; that 
investors' economic resources have likely increased since the program's 
creation by at least the rate of inflation; and that even with the 
proposed increases, the EB-5 program would remain extremely competitive 
with other countries' investor visa programs, which typically require 
higher investment thresholds.\33\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \33\ The United Kingdom's Tier 1 Investor visa requires a 
minimum investment of [pound]2,000,000 (approximately $2.5 million 
USD), and offers permanent residence to those who have invested at 
least [pound]5 million (approximately $6.3 million USD). Tier 1 
(Investor) Visa, Gov.UK, https://www.gov.uk/tier-1-investor/overview. Australia's Significant and Premium Investment Visa 
Programs require AU $5 million (approximately $3.7 million USD) and 
AU $15 million (approximately $11.2 million USD), respectively; its 
``investor stream'' visa program requires an AU $1.5 million 
(approximately $1.1 million USD) investment and a host of other 
requirements. Business Innovation and Investment Visa, Australian 
Government, http://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/188-. Canada's 
Immigrant Investor Venture Capital Pilot Program requires a minimum 
investment of CDN $2 million (approximately $1.5 million USD) and a 
net worth of CDN $10 million (approximately $7.6 million USD) or 
more. Immigrant Investor Venture Capital Pilot Program, Government 
of Canada, http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/business/iivc/eligibility.asp. New Zealand's Investor 1 Resident Visa requires a 
NZ $10 million (approximately $7.2 million USD) investment, and its 
Investor 2 Resident Visa requires a NZ $2.5 million (approximately 
$1.8 million USD) investment. Investor Visas, New Zealand Now, 
https://www.newzealandnow.govt.nz/move-to-nz/new-zealand-visa/visas-to-invest/investor-visa. Currency exchange calculations are as of 
December 2016.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In addition to raising the standard minimum investment amount 
effective as of the date specified in the final rule, DHS proposes that 
the minimum investment amount be adjusted every 5 years based on the 
CPI-U. See proposed 8 CFR 204.6(f)(1). DHS proposes that each such 
future adjustment will be in effect for a 5-year period beginning on 
October 1 of the year of the adjustment. Id. DHS believes it is 
important to include a periodic inflation-adjustment mechanism in the 
regulations to avoid a recurrence of the current situation, where the 
minimum investment amount remains unchanged for a lengthy period and is 
eroded by inflation. DHS also proposes to adjust the investment 
threshold every 5 years, rather than on an annual basis, as a way of 
balancing the need to counteract inflation with the need to provide 
predictability and reliability to stakeholders. Such predictability is 
especially helpful for investors and project developers who need to 
prepare for the infusion of pooled EB-5 capital into new commercial 
enterprises. DHS estimates that more than 96 percent of all EB-5 
immigrant petitions filed are based on pooled investments involving 
more than one EB-5 investor in the same new commercial enterprise. In 
addition, a 5-year adjustment period would be straightforward for the 
agency to administer in adjudicating multiple petitions based on 
investments in the

[[Page 4746]]

same new commercial enterprise and business plan, filed over a period 
of several years.
    Finally, DHS proposes that each investor will be required to 
contribute the minimum investment amount that is designated at the time 
the initial petition is filed. See proposed 8 CFR 204.6(f)(1). EB-5 
investors may qualify for the program based either on having made their 
investment prior to petition filing or by being in the process of 
investing at the time of filing. However, all EB-5 investors must 
demonstrate a present commitment of the full minimum amount of required 
investment at the time the petition is filed. DHS believes that tying 
the required minimum investment amount to the amount designated at the 
time of filing provides clarity for stakeholders and simplifies the 
adjudication process for the agency.
    DHS seeks public comment on all aspects of this proposal, including 
the proposed increase of the standard minimum investment amount to $1.8 
million, the proposed 5-year inflation-adjustment periods, the proposed 
use of the CPI-U as the basis for the initial increase and the periodic 
adjustments, the proposal to round future adjustments down to the 
nearest 100,000, and the proposed requirement that the minimum 
investment amount be set at the time of filing the EB-5 immigrant 
petition. DHS recognizes that under this proposal, the required minimum 
investment amount would increase significantly, in relative and 
absolute terms, to account for a quarter century of inflation. DHS is 
seeking comment on whether it should increase the standard minimum 
investment amount as proposed under this rule, or whether a different 
methodology or different investment amount would be more appropriate. 
DHS also seeks comment on whether it should implement any such increase 
incrementally or by another method that reduces impacts on 
stakeholders. DHS notes, however, that incremental increases may result 
in a lack of clarity for stakeholders and may pose operational burdens 
on adjudicators.

C. Increasing the Minimum Investment Amount for High Employment Areas

    Congress also provided DHS with the authority to set the qualifying 
investment amount for high employment areas to an amount greater than--
but not three times greater than--the standard minimum investment 
amount. See INA section 203(b)(5)(C)(iii), 8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(5)(C)(iii). 
At the outset of the program, the former INS did not wish to increase 
the investment for these areas beyond $1 million. See 56 FR 60897, 
60903. Because the standard minimum investment amount has applied to 
such areas since the program's inception, DHS has not tracked which 
projects have been set in high employment areas. DHS thus does not have 
sufficient information at this time to determine whether to increase 
the investment threshold for such areas. DHS recently adjusted its 
forms to capture this information, which, once collected and analyzed, 
may help the Department determine whether to adjust the minimum 
investment amount for high employment areas. For now, however, DHS is 
not proposing an increase beyond the standard minimum investment 
amount, and therefore proposes applying the standard investment 
threshold in high employment areas. See proposed 8 CFR 204.6(f)(3). DHS 
also proposes that the minimum investment amount for high employment 
areas be adjusted consistent with adjustments to the standard 
investment threshold--i.e., every five years based on increases in the 
CPI-U and rounded down to the nearest 100,000.
    DHS seeks public comment on all aspects of this proposal, including 
the continuing application of the standard investment threshold to high 
employment areas, which would increase the threshold to $1.8 million, 
the proposed 5-year inflation-adjustment periods, the proposed use of 
the CPI-U as the basis for the periodic adjustments, and the proposal 
to round future adjustments down to the nearest 100,000.

D. Increasing the Minimum Investment Amount for TEAs

    In 1990, Congress set the minimum investment amount for the program 
at $1 million and authorized DHS to set a different amount for 
investments made in TEAs (i.e., rural areas and areas of high 
unemployment). See INA section 203(b)(5)(C)(ii), 8 U.S.C. 
1153(b)(5)(C)(ii). Specifically, Congress authorized DHS to reduce the 
minimum investment amount in a TEA by up to 50 percent of the standard 
minimum investment amount. Id. The former INS subsequently issued 
regulations in 1991 setting the TEA investment threshold at 50 percent 
of the minimum investment amount, or $500,000.\34\ See 8 CFR 
204.6(f)(2).
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    \34\ In the final rule published in 1991, the former INS noted 
that 82 commenters called for the maximum percentage reduction 
because they believed that ``lowering the investment capital 
requirement would promote the purpose of the Act to stimulate 
investment in rural and high unemployment areas.'' 56 FR 60897 (Nov. 
29, 1991). ``They further felt that viable businesses could be 
maintained with the lower investment amount.'' Id.
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    In establishing two tiers of investment, and setting aside 3,000 
visas for those investing in rural areas and areas subject to high 
unemployment, Congress sought to incentivize investment in such 
areas.\35\ But although some in Congress expected that most investors 
would invest at the higher amount,\36\ experience shows that such 
investments have become relatively rare. An agency analysis of 
petitions filed in 2015 indicates that approximately 97 percent of all 
investments by EB-5 petitioners are made in TEAs and thus at the 
reduced amount of $500,000. In other words, while Congress expressed 
concern about investments in TEAs and thus set aside approximately 30 
percent of visas at a reduced investment amount for such purpose, 
investments in TEAs have effectively become the settled norm. As 
investments in TEAs have dominated the program in recent years, the de 
facto standard threshold has become $500,000, thus undermining 
congressional aims to also encourage investments at the standard 
minimum investment amount of $1 million.
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    \35\ See 135 Cong. Rec. S7858-02 (July 13, 1989) (statement of 
Sen. Boschwitz) (stating that the amendment's purpose was to 
``attract significant investments to rural America.''); 136 Cong. 
Rec. S17106-01 (Oct. 26, 1990) (statement of Sen. Simon) (``We are 
mindful of the need to target investments to rural America and areas 
with particularly high unemployment--areas that can use the job 
creation the most . . . America's urban core and rural areas have 
special job creation needs.'').
    \36\ See 136 Cong. Rec. S17106-01 (Oct. 26, 1990) (statement of 
Sen. Simon) (``The general rule-and the vast majority of the 
investor immigrants will fit in this category-is that the investor 
must invest $1 million and create 10 U.S. jobs.'').
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    Accordingly, DHS has determined that the large differential between 
the standard and reduced investment amounts has failed to strike the 
balance that Congress appears to have intended by creating a multi-
leveled investment framework in the EB-5 program. Moreover, based on 
its 25-year history implementing the program, DHS believes that the 
differential--and the sizable monetary incentive it presents--has the 
potential of distorting general market forces and the business 
decisions that follow from such forces to an unintended degree. To 
strike a better balance between investments at the standard and reduced 
thresholds, and to reduce the degree to which the differential between 
the thresholds affects investment decisions, DHS is proposing to reduce 
the difference between the two investment thresholds. Specifically, DHS 
is proposing to set the

[[Page 4747]]

minimum amount for investments in TEAs at 75 percent of the standard 
amount (i.e., change the percentage reduction for investments in TEAs 
from 50 percent of the standard amount to 25 percent of the standard 
amount). See proposed 8 CFR 204.6(f)(2). Because DHS has proposed to 
set the standard investment amount at $1.8 million, the effect of this 
change is to set the TEA investment amount at $1.35 million (i.e., 75% 
of $1.8 million).
    DHS considered changing the percentage reduction for TEA 
investments to various degrees but settled on a 25 percent reduction 
for several reasons. First, DHS believes that reducing the TEA 
investment discount by half will significantly reduce the potential for 
unintended distortions in investment decisions. Second, DHS notes that 
a 25 percent reduction represents a midway point between the two 
extremes allowed by Congress--applying the maximum 50 percent reduction 
and applying no reduction at all. Because DHS is seeking to reduce the 
investment imbalance caused by the 50 percent differential on the one 
hand, while continuing to effectuate the congressional intent of 
incentivizing investments in rural and high unemployment areas on the 
other, DHS believes that proposing the midway point between the two 
possible extremes for public comment is appropriate. Third, DHS 
determined that due to other proposed changes to the standard minimum 
investment amount in this rulemaking, the impact of a 25 percent 
reduction for TEA investments would initially be softened by the fact 
that the difference between the standard amount and the TEA investment 
amount, in terms of dollars, would remain roughly the same (changing 
from $500,000 to $450,000). Thus, at least for the first 5 years after 
the change proposed in this section, investors who choose to invest in 
TEAs will be able to invest at approximately the same savings in terms 
of real dollars as they do under the current regulations.
    Finally, in addition to proposing to raise the minimum investment 
amount for TEAs, DHS proposes to adjust this amount every five years 
consistent with other parts of this proposed rule. See proposed 8 CFR 
204.6(f)(2). Specifically, DHS proposes to keep the investment 
threshold for TEAs at 75 percent of the standard investment threshold. 
Id. As with the standard investment threshold, adjustments to the TEA 
investment threshold would be in effect for a 5-year period beginning 
on October 1 of the year of the adjustment. Id.
    DHS welcomes public comment on all aspects of this proposal, 
including the proposed minimum investment amount for TEAs as well as 
the proposal for adjusting the amount every five years. DHS also 
welcomes comment on the specific percentage reduction for TEA 
investments relative to the standard investment threshold, including 
alternative suggestions on the percentage to be considered.

E. TEA Designation Process

    As discussed in the previous section, Congress created the two-tier 
investment system in order to incentivize investments in targeted 
employment areas, defined in the statute as ``a rural area or an area 
which has experienced high unemployment (of at least 150 percent of the 
national average rate).'' 8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(5)(B)(ii). In subsequent 
regulations published in 1991, the former INS allowed investors to 
demonstrate that their investment was in a high unemployment area in 
one of two ways: (1) By providing evidence that the metropolitan 
statistical area, the specific county within a metropolitan statistical 
area, or the county in which a city or town with a population of 20,000 
or more is located, in which the new commercial enterprise is 
principally doing business has experienced an average unemployment rate 
of at least 150 percent of the national average rate; or (2) by 
submitting a letter from an authorized body of the government of the 
state in which the new commercial enterprise is located which certifies 
that the geographic or political subdivision of the metropolitan 
statistical area or of the city or town with a population of 20,000 or 
more in which the enterprise is principally doing business has been 
designated a high unemployment area. 8 CFR 204.6(j)(6)(ii). When the 
INS promulgated this provision, it permitted states to designate 
smaller TEAs--areas within an MSA or within a city or town with a 
population of 20,000 or more--because the agency believed that due to 
the nature of the data involved, states should have an opportunity to 
participate in TEA determinations.\37\
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    \37\ 56 FR 60897 (Oct. 26, 1990) (``With respect to geographic 
and political subdivisions of this size, however, the Service 
believes that the enterprise of assembling and evaluating the data 
necessary to select targeted areas, and particularly the enterprise 
of defining the boundaries of such areas, should not be conducted 
exclusively at the Federal level without providing some opportunity 
for participation from state or local government.'').
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    Reliance on states' TEA designations has resulted in the 
application of inconsistent rules by different states. Some of these 
rules understandably may be motivated primarily by the desire to 
promote economic development in the relevant state, rather than by the 
desire to fulfill congressional intent with respect to the EB-5 
program.\38\ As mentioned previously, at least 97 percent of all EB-5 
petitions filed in 2015 involved investments at the lower investment 
threshold for projects in TEAs. In addition, the deference to state 
determinations provided by current regulations has resulted in the 
acceptance of some TEAs that consist of areas of relative economic 
prosperity linked to areas with lower employment, and some TEAs that 
have been criticized as ``gerrymandered.'' \39\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \38\ Is the Investor Visa Program an Underperforming Asset?: 
Hearing Before the H. Comm. on the Judiciary, 114th Cong. 62 (2016) 
(statement of Matt Gordon, Chief Exec. Officer, E3 Inv. Group) 
((``Generally, States quickly learned to be as permissive as 
possible in an attempt to attract ever greater amounts of EB-5 
capital.''); see also The Distortion of EB-5 Targeted Employment 
Areas: Time to End the Abuse: Hearing Before the S. Comm. on the 
Judiciary, 114th Cong. 12 (2016) (statement of Gary Friedland, 
Scholar-in-Residence, N.Y. Univ., Stern School of Bus.) (``USCIS' 
continued delegation to the states of the TEA authority without 
guidelines results in the application of inconsistent rules by the 
various states. More important, each state has the obvious self-
interest to promote economic development within its own borders. 
Delegation presents an opportunity for the states to establish 
lenient rules to enable project locations to qualify as a TEA. 
Compounding the problem, often the state agency that is charged with 
making the TEA determination is the same agency that promotes local 
economic development. As a consequence, virtually every EB-5 project 
location qualifies as a TEA.'').
    \39\ See, e.g., Eliot Brown, Swanky New York Condo Project 
Exploits Aid Program, Wall St. Journal, Oct. 13, 2015, http://www.wsj.com/articles/posh-tower-proposed-for-struggling-new-york-neighborhood-central-park-south-1444728781.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    For these reasons, DHS proposes to eliminate state designation of 
high unemployment areas. This change would help ensure consistency 
across TEA designations. DHS would itself determine which areas qualify 
as TEAs, by applying standards proposed in this rule to the evidence 
presented by investors and regional centers. DHS alternatively 
considered continuing to allow states to make TEA designations while 
providing a clearer basis for DHS to scrutinize and overturn such 
designations. DHS, however, currently prefers to avoid such an approach 
because of the administrative burden it presents. DHS believes it would 
be more difficult to evaluate the individualized determinations of the 
various states than to implement and administer a nationwide standard 
on its own.
    The proposed new standards for designating TEAs are as follows. 
First, the term ``targeted employment area'' would be defined, 
consistent with statutory authority, to mean an area which, at the time 
of investment, is a rural area or is designated as an area

[[Page 4748]]

which has experienced unemployment of at least 150 percent of the 
national average rate. See proposed 8 CFR 204.6(e). DHS is also 
proposing to amend the definition of a ``rural area'' to mean any area 
other than an area within a metropolitan statistical area (as 
designated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)) or within the 
outer boundary of any city or town having a population of 20,000 or 
more based on the most recent decennial census of the United States. 
See proposed 8 CFR 204.6(e). This definition clarifies, consistent with 
statute, that qualification as a rural area is based on data from the 
most recent decennial census of the United States.
    DHS is also proposing new guidelines for the designation of a TEA. 
As in the current system, investors may continue to provide evidence 
that the new commercial enterprise is principally doing business in (1) 
an MSA, (2) a specific county within an MSA, or (3) a county with a 
city or town with a population of 20,000 or more, that has experienced 
an average unemployment rate of at least 150 percent of the national 
average rate. See proposed 8 CFR 204.6(j)(6)(ii)(A). To this list, DHS 
proposes to add cities and towns with a population of 20,000 or more. 
Id. Because cities and towns fall between counties and MSAs on the one 
hand, and geographic or political subdivisions within counties and MSAs 
on the other, DHS believes it is appropriate to include them as an area 
that could independently qualify as a TEA if the average unemployment 
rate for the city or town is at least 150 percent of the national 
average.
    In addition to including cities and towns, DHS proposes new rules 
for determining when a geographic or political subdivision could 
qualify as a TEA--determinations that states currently make on a case-
by-case basis. DHS proposes that a TEA may consist of a census tract or 
contiguous census tracts in which the new commercial enterprise is 
principally doing business \40\ (the ``project tract(s)'') if the 
weighted average of the unemployment rate \41\ for the tract or tracts 
is at least 150 percent above the national average. See proposed 8 CFR 
204.6(i). Moreover, if the project tract(s) do not independently 
qualify under this analysis, a TEA may also be designated if the 
project tract(s) and any or all additional tracts that are directly 
adjacent to the project tract(s) comprise an area in which the weighted 
average of the unemployment rate for all of the included tracts is at 
least 150 percent of the national average. Id. DHS proposes that 
petitioners submit a description of the boundaries of the geographic or 
political subdivision and the unemployment statistics in the area for 
which designation is sought as set forth in proposed 8 CFR 204.6(i), 
and the method or methods by which the unemployment statistics were 
obtained. See proposed 8 CFR 204.6(j)(6)(ii)(B).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \40\ According to USCIS policy in effect at the time of issuance 
of this proposed rulemaking:
    A new commercial enterprise is principally doing business in the 
location where it regularly, systematically, and continuously 
provides goods or services that support job creation. If the new 
commercial enterprise provides such goods or services in more than 
one location, it will be principally doing business in the location 
most significantly related to the job creation.
    Factors considered in determining where a new commercial 
enterprise is principally doing business include, but are not 
limited to, the location of:
     Any jobs directly created by the new commercial 
enterprise;
     Any expenditure of capital related to the creation of 
jobs;
     The new commercial enterprise's day-to-day operation; 
and
     The new commercial enterprise's assets used in the 
creation of jobs.
    USCIS Policy Manual, 6 USCIS-PM G (Nov. 30, 2016).
    \41\ In order to determine if a project qualifies for TEA 
designation USCIS would first determine the weighted unemployment 
rate for each census tract in the TEA area. To determine the 
weighted unemployment rate of a census tract, USCIS would divide the 
labor force (civilians ages 16 and older who are employed or 
employed, plus active duty military) of each census tract by the 
labor force of the entire TEA area. USCIS would then multiply this 
figure by the unemployment rate of that specific census tract. The 
resulting figure is the weighted unemployment rate for each 
individual census tract. The total weighted unemployment rate is the 
sum of the weighted unemployment rates for each census tract in the 
TEA area. If the total weighted unemployment rate is 150% above the 
national unemployment rate then the project would qualify for TEA 
designation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The figure below illustrates how to apply the proposed 
limitations.\42\ The areas on the map outlined with a thin solid line 
represent census tracts. The tract outlined in a solid bold line near 
the center, just south of the waterway, represents the project tract in 
which the new commercial enterprise (represented by the pointer) is 
principally doing business. The broader area outlined in a dashed bold 
line contains all of the tracts that are adjacent to the project tract. 
Under the proposed limits, the tract outlined in a solid bold line may 
independently qualify as a TEA. If it does not, an area consisting of 
that tract and any or all of the additional tracts outlined in the 
dashed bold line could qualify as a TEA. Qualification is determined by 
looking to the weighted average unemployment rate of the entire area 
proposed.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \42\ For ease of reference, a color-coded version of this figure 
is available in the docket for this rulemaking.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP13JA17.002


[[Page 4749]]


    The proposed new TEA designation rules would rely on the census 
tract as the building block for the geographic or political subdivision 
for multiple reasons. First, census tracts offer uniformity. Although 
census tracts vary in size, they are generally drawn to define a 
residential population of between 1,200 and 8,000 people, with an 
optimum size of 4,000 people per census tract according to the U.S. 
Census Bureau.\43\ No census tract can extend beyond county lines, 
meaning the largest census tract would, at most, cover a single 
county.\44\ Second, data at the census tract level is more readily 
publicly available, and is updated annually based on data collected 
through the Census Bureau's ``American Community Survey'' (ACS).\45\ 
Third, census tract numbering is generally stable and would only change 
at the time of the next available census (generally every 10 years). 
Fourth, as local planning agencies can request changes to census tract 
configurations, the use of census tracts still provides localities with 
some input into the overall process. However, DHS believes this input 
is sufficiently limited to avoid concerns regarding political influence 
on TEA designations, because census tracts typically only change when 
populations change to the point that a tract is split or two tracts are 
merged.\46\ DHS also surveyed agencies in several locations to obtain 
information regarding how they have approached the TEA designation 
process, namely: the states of Illinois, New York, and California, and 
the city of Dallas, Texas. Every state or local agency consulted by DHS 
relied on census tract level unemployment data in the TEA designation 
process.\47\
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    \43\ U.S. Census Bureau, Census Tracts, available at https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/webatlas/tracts.html.
    \44\ U.S. Census Bureau, Geographic Terms and Concepts--Census 
Tract, available at https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/gtc/gtc_ct.html (Note: Tribal census tracts are unique and can cross 
state and county boundaries).
    \45\ U.S. Census Bureau, Am. Cmty. Survey, available at http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/programs.xhtml?program=acs.
    \46\ U.S. Census Bureau, Geography: Census Tracts, available at 
https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/webatlas/tracts.html.
    \47\ We note that only one state, California, set parameters on 
the use of census tracts, limiting the tracts to 12 contiguous 
tracts encompassing the investment project location.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In addition to utilizing the census tract as the most appropriate 
and reliable building block for EB-5 program purposes, DHS believes it 
is appropriate for a TEA to consist of both the project tract(s) and 
the census tracts adjacent to the project tracts as such an area--
including the tracts immediately surrounding the project tract(s)--is 
likely to experience the employment-creation impact of the investment. 
DHS considered extending the cluster to census tracts beyond those 
directly adjacent to the project tract(s), but determined that doing so 
in some cases would include areas that are too far from the site of the 
proposed project.\48\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \48\ See Stuart S. Rosenthal and William C. Strange, Evidence on 
the Nature and Sources of Agglomeration Economies, Aug. 24, 2003, 
available at http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTLED/Resources/339650-1105473440091/WillAndStuart.pdf (``More recently still, 
Rosenthal and Strange (2003) provide a micro-level analysis of the 
geographic scope of agglomeration economies. The environment of an 
establishment is measured by constructing rings around the centroid 
of the establishment's zip code. Rings of 1 mile, 5 miles, 10 miles, 
and 15 miles are included. For each of the six industries studied . 
. . new arrivals are more likely to be attracted to zip codes as 
employment in the own industry within one mile increases. Employment 
in the own industry just five miles away, however, has a much 
smaller effect, as does employment further out in the ten and 
fifteen mile rings.''); see also John C. Ham, Charles Swenson, 
Ay[scedil]e [Idot]mrohoro[gbreve]lu, and Heonjae Song, Government 
Programs Can Improve Local Labor Markets: Evidence from State 
Enterprise Zones, Federal Empowerment Zones and Federal Enterprise 
Communities, 95 J. Pub. Econ. 779, 779-97 (2011) (``Federal and 
state governments spend well over a billion dollars a year on 
programs that encourage employment development in disadvantaged 
labor markets through the use of subsidies and tax credits . . . . 
We find that all three programs have positive, statistically 
significant, impacts on local labor markets in terms of the 
unemployment rate, the poverty rate, the fraction with wage and 
salary income, and employment.'').
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DHS considered other options presented by stakeholders \49\ and 
during congressional hearings \50\ to determine the parameters for a 
TEA. One option DHS considered was limiting the geographic or political 
subdivision to the project tract(s). This option would be easy to put 
in practice for both stakeholders and the agency, but was considered 
too restrictive in that it would exclude immediately adjacent areas 
that would be impacted by the investment. Another option DHS considered 
was limiting the geographic or political subdivision to an area 
containing up to, but no more than, 12 contiguous census tracts, an 
option currently used by the state of California in its TEA designation 
process.\51\ However, DHS is not confident that this option is 
necessarily appropriate for nationwide application, as the limitation 
to 12 census tracts may be justifiable for reasons specific to 
California but may not be apt on a national scale.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \49\ On April 25, 2016, DHS held an EB-5 Listening Session, in 
which it solicited and received feedback from stakeholders on 
several issues, including the TEA process. Stakeholders expressed 
concerns about a lack of consistency in state TEA designations (``I 
think we all know that every single state in this union has a 
different way of doing targeted employment areas''), the 
inefficiency of state TEA designation (``I think that the current 
process is very inefficient . . . the states are reviewing . . . 
federal data and the states don't provide any benefit.''), and the 
natural incentive for states to approve TEAs (``The other thing is 
that . . . there's an incentive to lower the hurdle for their 
state.''). DHS further solicited feedback on the same issues through 
its Idea Community Web site, an online portal available to the 
general public. See USCIS Idea Community, https://www.uscis.gov/outreach/uscis-idea-community; Remarks, EB-5 Immigrant Investor 
Program Stakeholder Engagement (July 28, 2016), available at https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Outreach/Notes%20from%20Previous%20Engagements/PED_EB5NatStakeholderEng072816_MackenzieRemarks.pdf. DHS received 
various suggestions for changing the TEA process, including the 
consideration of commuting patterns and greater scrutiny of the 
state designation process by DHS.
    \50\ See The Distortion of EB-5 Targeted Employment Areas: Time 
to End the Abuse: Hearing Before the S. Comm. on the Judiciary, 
114th Cong. (2016) (statement of Gary Friedland, Scholar-in-
Residence, N.Y. Univ., Stern School of Bus.).
    \51\ See Cal. Governor's Office of Bus. and Econ. Dev., EB-5 
Investor Visa Program, available at http://business.ca.gov/International/EB5Program.aspx.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DHS also considered options based on a ``commuter pattern'' 
analysis, which focuses on defining a TEA as encompassing the area in 
which workers may live and be commuting from, rather than just where 
the investment is made and where the new commercial enterprise is 
principally doing business. The ``commuter pattern'' proposal was 
deemed too operationally burdensome to implement as it posed challenges 
in establishing standards to determine the relevant commuting area that 
would fairly account for variances across the country.\52\ In addition, 
DHS could not identify a commuting-pattern standard that would 
appropriately limit the geographic scope of a TEA designation

[[Page 4750]]

consistent with the statute and the policy goals of this proposed 
regulation.
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    \52\ DHS reviewed a proposed commuter pattern analysis 
incorporating the data table, Federal Highway Administration, CTPP 
2006-2010 Census Tract Flows, available at (http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/census_issues/ctpp/data_products/2006-2010_tract_flows/) 
(last updated Mar. 25, 2014). DHS found the required steps to 
properly manipulate the Census Transportation Planning Product 
(CTPP) database might prove overly burdensome for petitioners with 
insufficient economic and statistical analysis backgrounds. Further, 
upon contacting the agency responsible to manage the CTPP data 
table, DHS was informed that the 2006-2010 CTPP data is unlikely to 
be updated prior to FY2018 to incorporate proposed changes to the 
data table. U.S. Census is currently reviewing the CTPP proposed 
changes. As an alternate methodology for TEA commuter pattern 
analysis, DHS reviewed data from the U.S. Census tool, On the Map, 
http://onthemap.ces.census.gov/, which is tied to the U.S. Census 
Bureau's American Community Survey. Although the interface appeared 
to be more user-friendly overall, using this data would be 
operationally burdensome, potentially requiring hours of review to 
obtain the appropriate unemployment rates for the commuting area.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DHS believes the proposed guidelines limiting TEAs to MSAs, 
counties, cities, or project tracts (including any and all adjacent 
tracts) would remove the possibility of gerrymandering and better 
ensure that the reduced investment threshold is reserved for areas 
experiencing significantly higher levels of unemployment. DHS seeks 
public comment on all aspects of this proposal, including on the 
feasibility and appropriateness of each of the potential alternatives 
to the census tract model discussed above, as well as any other 
alternatives that commenters wish to propose. With respect to all such 
alternatives, DHS would particularly benefit from comments that set 
forth a clear and easily administrable methodology.

F. Technical Changes

    DHS is also proposing a number of other technical changes. These 
changes would variously: (1) Clarify the filing process for derivatives 
who are filing the Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions on 
Permanent Resident Status (Form I-829) separately from the immigrant 
investor; (2) enhance flexibility in determining the interview location 
related to the Form I-829 adjudication; and (3) update the regulation 
to conform to the current process for issuing permanent resident cards 
after the removal of conditions on status. DHS is also proposing 
miscellaneous other changes. The proposed changes are described in more 
detail below.
(1) Separate Filings for Derivatives
    The proposed rule would clarify the process by which an immigrant 
investor's spouse and children file separate Form I-829 petitions when 
they are not included in the Form I-829 filed by the immigrant 
investor. Generally, an immigrant investor's derivatives should be 
included in the principal immigrant investor's Form I-829 petition. See 
8 CFR 216.6(a)(1). However, there are situations in which derivatives 
may not be included on the principal immigrant investor's Form I-829 
petition, such as when the immigrant investor dies during the 
conditional residence period, or when the immigrant investor decides 
not to continue his or her conditional permanent resident status. In 
such circumstances, if the immigrant investor would have otherwise been 
eligible to have his or her conditions on status removed, then the 
derivatives would remain eligible to remove the conditions on their 
status even if the immigrant investor cannot or will not file a Form I-
829 petition.\53\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \53\ See INA section 204(l), 8 U.S.C. 1154(l) (providing that 
upon the death of the principal beneficiary, surviving relative 
petitions and ``related applications'' must be adjudicated 
notwithstanding the death of the principal beneficiary).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The current regulation does not clearly define the process by which 
derivatives may file a Form I-829 petition when they are not included 
on the principal's petition, including whether each derivative in such 
cases should file his or her own separate Form I-829 petition or 
whether the derivatives should jointly file on the same petition. The 
proposed regulations specify that where the dependent family members 
cannot be included in the Form I-829 petition filed by the principal 
investor because that principal is deceased, all dependents of the 
deceased investor may be included on a single Form I-829 petition. See 
proposed 8 CFR 216.6(a)(1)(ii). DHS also clarifies, however, that 
consistent with current practice, each derivative must file a separate 
Form I-829 petition in all other situations in which the investor's 
spouse and children are not included in the investor's Form I-829 
petition. See id.
(2) Interviews
    Section 216A(c)(1)(B) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1186b(c)(1)(B), 
generally requires Form I-829 petitioners to be interviewed prior to 
final adjudication of the petition, although DHS may waive the 
interview requirement in its discretion, see INA section 216A(d)(3), 8 
U.S.C. 1186b(d)(3). The statute also provides that the interview may be 
held at a location that ``is convenient to the parties involved.'' See 
INA section 216A(d)(3), 8 U.S.C. 1186b(d)(3). Under current 
regulations, however, interviews are generally scheduled in the 
location of the new commercial enterprise, even though there is no 
statutory or regulatory requirement that the immigrant investor reside 
in the same location as the new commercial enterprise. Specifically, 
the current regulation requires the interview to be conducted by an 
immigration examiner or other officer so designated by the director of 
the USCIS District Office ``that has jurisdiction over the location of 
the alien entrepreneur's commercial enterprise.'' 8 CFR 216.6(b)(2).
    Under this rule, DHS is proposing to give stakeholders greater 
flexibility in the interview location by clarifying the agency's 
discretion under the INA to determine the appropriate location for Form 
I-829 petition interviews. Specifically, the proposed amendment would 
allow USCIS to schedule an interview at the USCIS office holding 
jurisdiction over either the immigrant investor's commercial 
enterprise, the immigrant investor's residence in the United States, or 
the location where the Form I-829 petition is adjudicated. See proposed 
8 CFR 216.6(b)(2). DHS believes this change will both benefit the 
agency by making the interview process more effective and benefit 
immigrant investors by reducing the need to travel long distances to 
participate in Form I-829 petition interviews.
(3) Process for Issuing Permanent Resident Cards
    DHS also proposes to amend regulations governing the process by 
which immigrant investors obtain their new permanent resident cards 
after the approval of their Form I-829 petitions. After an immigrant 
investor's Form I-829 petition is approved, the immigrant investor and 
each included derivative is entitled to a Permanent Resident Card (Form 
I-551). The provision of this card documents that the conditions on the 
immigrant investor's LPR status have been removed. Current regulations 
include an outdated description of the process for obtaining such 
permanent resident cards. Specifically, the current regulation requires 
the immigrant investor and his or her derivatives to report to a 
district office for processing of their permanent resident cards after 
approval of the Form I-829 petition. 8 CFR 216.6(d)(1). This process is 
no longer necessary in light of intervening improvements in DHS's 
biometric data collection program.\54\ DHS now captures the required 
biometric data during the pendency of the Form I-829 petition, at the 
time the immigrant investor and his or her derivatives appear at an 
Application Support Center for fingerprinting, as required for the Form 
I-829 background and security checks. DHS then mails the permanent 
resident card directly to the immigrant investor by U.S. Postal Service 
registered mail after the Form I-829 petition is approved. There is 
therefore no need for each immigrant investor or any derivatives to 
report to a district office for processing of their permanent resident 
cards after petition approval.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \54\ DHS already has authority to collect this information under 
8 CFR part 103.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DHS is thus proposing to remove the mandatory reporting requirement 
from the regulatory text, and to replace that requirement with the 
discretionary authority to require an immigrant investor to report to a 
district office to provide biometric data when needed to

[[Page 4751]]

complete card production. See proposed 8 CFR 216.6(d)(1). This 
discretionary authority is intended to address circumstances in which 
an in-person meeting is necessary, such as when the biometrics captured 
during the Form I-829 background process may not be suitable for 
issuing a permanent resident card.
(4) Miscellaneous Other Changes
    DHS is also proposing a number of other technical changes to the 
EB-5 regulations. First, DHS is proposing to update a reference to the 
former United States Customs Service, so that it will now refer to U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection. See proposed 8 CFR 204.6(j)(2)(iii). On 
March 1, 2003, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 created U.S. Customs 
and Border Protection, which is now responsible for activities 
previously handled by the U.S. Customs Service, including the issuance 
of commercial entry documents. See 6 U.S.C. 211.
    Second, DHS is proposing to conform DHS regulations to the 21st 
Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act, Public 
Law 107-273, which eliminated the requirement that immigrant 
entrepreneurs establish a new commercial enterprise from both section 
203(b)(5) and section 216A of the INA. Accordingly, USCIS proposes to 
remove references to this requirement in 8 CFR 204.6 and 216.6.
    Third, DHS is proposing to further conform DHS regulations to 
Public Law 107-273 by removing the references to ``management'' at 8 
CFR 204.6(j)(5) and 8 CFR 204.6(j)(5)(iii). Section 203(b)(5)(A) of the 
INA requires that EB-5 petitioners be seeking ``to enter the United 
States for the purpose of engaging in a new commercial enterprise.'' 
INA section 203(b)(5)(A), 8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(5)(A). To give effect to 
this provision, existing regulations require investors to be ``engaged 
in the management of the new commercial enterprise,'' which can be 
accomplished in one of two ways: ``through the exercise of day-to-day 
managerial control'' or ``through policy formulation.'' 8 CFR 
204.6(j)(5). DHS has determined that the reference to ``management'' 
should be removed, as actual management of the new commercial 
enterprise is not strictly required by section 203(b)(5)(A) of the INA. 
The statutory text does not use the term, and strictly requiring the 
exercise of managerial control may be inconsistent with Public Law 107-
273, which amended section 203(b)(5) to expressly permit new commercial 
enterprises to take the form of limited partnerships (as had been 
previously permitted by existing regulation). Removal of the reference 
to ``management'' from 8 CFR 204.6(j)(5) would have no practical 
effect, as the provision already allows and would continue to allow 
investors to demonstrate eligibility either through management or 
through policy formulation. The reference to ``management'' would also 
be removed from 8 CFR 204.6(j)(5)(iii) because that provision pertains 
to evidence that is largely unrelated to management.
    Fourth, DHS is proposing to remove the phrase ``as opposed to 
maintaining a purely passive role in regard to the investment'' from 8 
CFR 204.6(j)(5). DHS deems this phrase unnecessary as both the existing 
regulations at 8 CFR 204.6(j)(5)(iii) and the proposed version of that 
subsection specify the circumstances in which investments may be 
essentially passive in nature.
    Fifth, DHS is proposing to allow investors in any type of entity to 
demonstrate that they are sufficiently engaged in a new commercial 
enterprise through policymaking activities by virtue of being an equity 
holder in the new commercial enterprise with rights, powers and duties 
normally granted to such equity holders. See proposed 8 CFR 
204.6(j)(5)(iii). DHS recognizes that the amendment made by Public Law 
107-273 to allow limited partnerships to serve as new commercial 
enterprises was intended to require flexibility in the administration 
of the EB-5 program with respect to the use of different entity types. 
Accordingly, to provide clarity and flexibility for all currently 
existing entity types, including limited liability companies, as well 
as to accommodate future entity types without creating an unnecessary 
distortion in the choice of entities used within the EB-5 program, DHS 
is proposing to revise the regulations to cover all types of entities 
and to consider equity holders in any type of entity to be considered 
sufficiently engaged if they are provided with the rights, duties, and 
powers normally provided to those types of equity holders. See id.
    Sixth, DHS is proposing to amend 8 CFR 204.6(k) to remove the 
requirement on USCIS to specify in the decision on the EB-5 immigrant 
petition whether the new commercial enterprise is principally doing 
business in a TEA. See proposed 8 CFR 204.6(k). This requirement 
provides no operational benefit to USCIS, as the agency relies on other 
means to track which approved petitions were based on investments in 
TEAs. The requirement also provides no benefit to investors; an 
approved petition based on an investment in a TEA necessarily means 
that the petitioner has met the burden of satisfying that eligibility 
requirement, and if a petition is denied due to failure to satisfy the 
requirement, the decision and analysis will be explicitly stated in the 
denial. This revision would also replace a reference to the Associate 
Commissioner for Examinations with a reference to the Administrative 
Appeals Office, which is now the appropriate appellate authority in 
denied cases. See id.
    Finally, DHS is proposing revisions to otherwise unaffected 
portions of section 204.6 and 216.6 to replace the term 
``entrepreneur'' with the term ``investor.'' This will provide clarity 
and consistency in the program's terminology, including by mirroring 
terminology in USCIS policy. DHS also proposes to remove the ``Form I-
526'' and ``Form I-829'' references in 8 CFR 204.6(a), and 8 CFR 
216.6(a) and (b), respectively. Throughout the proposed regulations, 
DHS has removed references to specific form names and numbers to ensure 
the regulations remain relevant and informative, regardless of 
potential future form name or number changes. Additionally, the 
proposed revision to 8 CFR 216.6(a)(5) would replace the word 
``deportation'' with ``removal'' proceedings to conform to terminology 
used in the INA.

V. Statutory and Regulatory Requirements

A. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995

    The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 is intended, among other 
things, to curb the practice of imposing unfunded Federal mandates on 
State, local, and tribal governments. Title II of the Act requires each 
Federal agency to prepare a written statement assessing the effects of 
any Federal mandate in a proposed or final agency rule that may result 
in a $100 million or more expenditure (adjusted annually for inflation) 
in any one year by State, local, and tribal governments, in the 
aggregate, or by the private sector. The value equivalent of $100 
million in 1995 adjusted for inflation to 2015 levels by the Consumer 
Price Index for All Urban Consumers is $155 million.
    This proposed rule does not include any unfunded Federal mandates. 
The requirements of Title II of the Act, therefore, do not apply, and 
DHS has not prepared a statement under the Act.

B. Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996

    This rule is not a major rule as defined by section 804 of the 
Small

[[Page 4752]]

Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996. This proposed 
rule will not result in an annual effect on the economy of $100 million 
or more, a major increase in costs or prices, or significant adverse 
effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, 
innovation, or on the ability of United States companies to compete 
with foreign-based companies in domestic and export markets. However, 
as some small businesses may be impacted under this regulation, DHS has 
prepared an IRFA under the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

C. Executive Orders 12866 and 13563

    Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 direct agencies to assess the 
costs and benefits of available regulatory alternatives and, if 
regulation is necessary, to select regulatory approaches that maximize 
net benefits (including potential economic, environmental, public 
health and safety effects, distributive impacts, and equity). Executive 
Order 13563 emphasizes the importance of quantifying both costs and 
benefits, of reducing costs, of harmonizing rules, and of promoting 
flexibility. This proposed rule has been designated a ``significant 
regulatory action'' under section 3(f) of Executive Order 12866. 
Accordingly, the rule has been reviewed by OMB.
(1) Summary
    This rule proposes changes to certain aspects of the EB-5 program 
that are in need of reform, and would also update the regulations to 
reflect statutory changes and codify existing policies. This proposed 
rule would make three major changes along with other technical and 
miscellaneous changes to the current regulations. First, DHS proposes 
to allow EB-5 immigrant petitioners, with limited exception, to use the 
priority date of an approved EB-5 immigrant petition for any 
subsequently filed EB-5 immigrant petition for which the petitioner 
qualifies. Second, DHS proposes to increase the standard minimum 
investment amount to $1.8 million to account for inflation since the 
program's inception, and builds in a mechanism to adjust the investment 
amount based on the unadjusted CPI-U every 5 years. Similarly, DHS 
proposes to increase the TEA minimum investment amount to $1.35 
million, or 75 percent of the standard amount, and to periodically 
adjust the TEA minimum investment amount so that it remains 75 percent 
of the standard amount. Third, DHS proposes to eliminate state 
designation of high unemployment areas and proposes new standards for 
the designation of TEAs.
    DHS is also proposing several technical changes. These changes 
include clarifying the filing process for derivatives who are filing 
Form I-829 petitions separately from the principal immigrant investor, 
providing flexibility in determining the location of interviews for 
Form I-829 petitions, and updating outdated regulations on how an 
immigrant investor obtains a new permanent resident card after approval 
of the Form I-829 petition. Additionally, this proposed rule would make 
miscellaneous changes including updating references to the U.S. Customs 
and Border Protection, removing references to requirements that foreign 
entrepreneurs establish a new commercial enterprise (NCE) in 8 CFR 
204.6 and 216.6, removing references to ``management'' at 8 CFR 
204.6(j)(5) and 8 CFR 204.6(j)(5)(iii), removing the phrase ``as 
opposed to maintain a purely passive role in regard to the investment'' 
from 8 CFR 204.6(j)(5), allowing any type of entity to serve as a new 
commercial enterprise, amending 8 CFR 204.6(k) to specify how USCIS 
will issue decisions, and revising 8 CFR 204.6 and 216.6 to use the 
term ``investor'' instead of ``entrepreneur'' and ``removal'' instead 
of ``deportation.''
    Several of the provisions are expected to generate costs and 
benefits, although DHS does not have the necessary data to monetize 
these costs and benefits, with the exception of total costs of 
approximately $91,000 \55\ expected for dependents who would file Form 
I-829 petitions separately from principal investors. The proposed rule 
would likely result in long term expected benefits in the form of job 
stimulation due to increased EB-5 investment overall. The Table below 
is the same as Table 1 found in the ``Costs and Benefits'' portion of 
the Executive Summary above and provides a synopsis of each of the 
provisions in this proposed rule and its estimated impacts. In addition 
to the impacts outlined in the table, DHS believes that there would be 
some familiarization costs associated with reading and assessing the 
proposed rule. Based on several assumptions, DHS estimates these costs 
to be about $501,154 annually.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \55\ The cost estimate is rounded from $90,762.

    Table 2--Summary of Changes and Impact of the Proposed Provisions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
         Current policy             Proposed change         Impact
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current DHS regulations do not    DHS proposes to     Benefits:
 permit investors to use the       allow an EB-5       Makes
 priority date of an approved EB-  immigrant           visa allocation
 5 immigrant petition for a        petitioner to use   more predictable
 subsequently filed EB-5           the priority date   for investors
 immigrant petition.               of an approved EB-  with less
                                   5 immigrant         possibility for
                                   petition for a      large
                                   subsequently        fluctuations in
                                   filed EB-5          visa availability
                                   immigrant           dates due to
                                   petition for        regional center
                                   which the           termination.
                                   petitioner          Provides
                                   qualifies.          greater certainty
                                                       and stability
                                                       regarding the
                                                       timing of
                                                       eligibility for
                                                       investors
                                                       pursuing
                                                       permanent
                                                       residence in the
                                                       U.S. and thus
                                                       lessens the
                                                       burden of
                                                       unexpected
                                                       changes in the
                                                       underlying
                                                       investment.
                                                       Provides
                                                       more flexibility
                                                       to investors to
                                                       contribute into
                                                       more viable
                                                       investments,
                                                       potentially
                                                       reducing fraud
                                                       and improving
                                                       potential for job
                                                       creation.
                                                      Costs:
                                                       Not
                                                       estimated.

[[Page 4753]]

 
The standard minimum investment   DHS proposes to     Benefits:
 amount has been $1 million        account for         Increases
 since 1990 and has not kept       inflation in the    in investment
 pace with inflation.              investment amount   amounts are
Further, the statute authorizes    since the           necessary to keep
 a reduction in the minimum        inception of the    pace with
 investment amount when such       program. DHS        inflation and
 investment is made in a TEA by    proposes to raise   real value of
 up to 50 percent of the           the minimum         investments;
 standard minimum investment       investment amount   Raising
 amount. Since 1991, DHS           to $1.8 million.    the investment
 regulations have set the TEA      DHS also proposes   amounts increases
 investment threshold at 50        to include a        the amount
 percent the minimum investment    mechanism to        invested by each
 amount.                           automatically       investor and
Similarly, DHS has not proposed    adjust the          potentially
 to increase the minimum           minimum             increases the
 investment amount for             investment amount   total amount
 investments made in a high        based on the        invested under
 employment area beyond the        unadjusted CPI-U    this program.
 standard amount.                  every 5 years.      For
                                  DHS proposes to      regional centers,
                                   decrease the        the higher
                                   reduction for TEA   investment
                                   investment          amounts per
                                   thresholds, and     investor would
                                   set the TEA         mean that fewer
                                   minimum             investors would
                                   investment at 75    have to be
                                   percent of the      recruited to pool
                                   standard amount.    the requisite
                                   Assuming the        amount of capital
                                   standard            for the project,
                                   investment amount   so that searching
                                   is $1.8 million,    and matching of
                                   investment in a     investors to
                                   TEA would           projects could be
                                   initially           less costly.
                                   increase to $1.35  Costs:
                                   million.            Some
                                  DHS is not           investors may be
                                   proposing to        unable or
                                   change the          unwilling to
                                   equivalency         invest at the
                                   between the         higher proposed
                                   standard minimum    levels of
                                   investment amount   investment.
                                   and those made in   There may
                                   high employment     be fewer jobs
                                   areas. As such,     created if fewer
                                   DHS proposes that   investors invest
                                   the minimum         at the proposed
                                   investment          higher investment
                                   amounts in high     amounts.
                                   employment areas    For
                                   would be $1.8       regional centers,
                                   million, and        the higher
                                   follow the same     amounts could
                                   mechanism for       reduce the number
                                   future              of investors in
                                   inflationary        the global pool
                                   adjustments.        and result in
                                                       fewer investors
                                                       and thus make
                                                       search and
                                                       matching of
                                                       investors to
                                                       projects more
                                                       costly.
                                                       Potential
                                                       reduced numbers
                                                       of EB-5 investors
                                                       could prevent
                                                       projects from
                                                       moving forward
                                                       due to lack of
                                                       requisite
                                                       capital.
                                                       An
                                                       increase in the
                                                       investment amount
                                                       could make
                                                       foreign investor
                                                       visa programs
                                                       offered by other
                                                       countries more
                                                       attractive.
A TEA is defined by statute as a  DHS proposes to     Benefits:
 rural area or an area which has   eliminate state     Rules out
 experienced high unemployment     designation of      TEA
 (of at least 150 percent of the   high unemployment   configurations
 national average rate).           areas. DHS also     that rely on a
 Currently, investors              proposes to amend   large number of
 demonstrate that their            the manner in       census tracts
 investments are in a high         which investors     indirectly linked
 unemployment area in two ways:    can demonstrate     to the actual
(1) providing evidence that the    that their          project tract by
 MSA, the specific county within   investments are     numerous degrees
 the MSA, or the county in which   in a high           of separation.
 a city or town with a             unemployment        Potential
 population of 20,000 or more is   area.               to better
 located, in which the new        (1) In addition to   stimulate job
 commercial enterprise is          MSAs, specific      growth in areas
 principally doing business, has   counties within     where
 experienced an average            MSAs, and           unemployment
 unemployment rate of at least     counties in which   rates are the
 150 percent of the national       a city or town      highest.
 average rate or.                  with a population  Costs:
(2) submitting a letter from an    of 20,000 or more   The
 authorized body of the            is located, DHS     proposed TEA
 government of the state in        proposes to add     provision could
 which the new commercial          cities and towns    cause some
 enterprise is located, which      with a population   projects and
 certifies that the geographic     of 20,000 or more   investments to
 or political subdivision of the   to the types of     not qualify. DHS
 metropolitan statistical area     areas that can be   presents the
 or of the city or town with a     designated as a     potential number
 population of 20,000 or more in   high unemployment   of projects and
 which the enterprise is           area.               investments that
 principally doing business has   (2) DHS is           could be affected
 been designated a high            proposing that a    in Table 5.
 unemployment area.                TEA may consist
                                   of a census tract
                                   or contiguous
                                   census tracts in
                                   which the new
                                   commercial
                                   enterprise is
                                   principally doing
                                   business if the
                                   weighted average
                                   of the
                                   unemployment rate
                                   for the tract or
                                   tracts is at
                                   least 150 percent
                                   of the national
                                   average.
                                  (3) DHS is also
                                   proposing that a
                                   TEA may consist
                                   of an area
                                   comprised of the
                                   census tract(s)
                                   in which the new
                                   commercial
                                   enterprise is
                                   principally doing
                                   business,
                                   including any and
                                   all adjacent
                                   tracts, if the
                                   weighted average
                                   of the
                                   unemployment rate
                                   for all included
                                   tracts is at
                                   least 150 percent
                                   of the national
                                   average.

[[Page 4754]]

 
Current technical issues:         DHS is proposing    Conditions of
 The current regulation    the following       Filing:
 does not clearly define the       technical          Benefits:
 process by which derivatives      changes:            Adds
 may file a Form I-829 petition    Clarify     clarity and
 when they are not included on     the filing          eliminates
 the principal's petition.         process for         confusion for the
 Interviews for Form I-    derivatives who     process of
 829 petitions are generally       are filing a Form   derivatives who
 scheduled at the location of      I-829 petition      file separately
 the new commercial enterprise.    separately from     from the
 The current regulations   the immigrant       principal
 require an immigrant investor     investor.           immigrant
 and his or her derivatives to     Provide     investor.
 report to a district office for   flexibility in     Costs:
 processing of their permanent     determining the     Total
 resident cards.                   interview           cost to
                                   location related    applicants filing
                                   to the Form I-829   separately would
                                   petition.           be $90,762
                                   Amend the   annually.
                                   regulation by      Conditions of
                                   which the           Interview:
                                   immigrant          Benefits:
                                   investor obtains   
                                   the new permanent   Interviews may be
                                   resident card       scheduled at the
                                   after the           USCIS office
                                   approval of his     having
                                   or her Form I-829   jurisdiction over
                                   petition because    either the
                                   DHS captures        immigrant
                                   biometric data at   investor's
                                   the time the        commercial
                                   immigrant           enterprise, the
                                   investor and        immigrant
                                   derivatives         investor's
                                   appear at an ASC    residence, or the
                                   for                 location where
                                   fingerprinting.     the Form I-829
                                                       petition is being
                                                       adjudicated, thus
                                                       making the
                                                       interview program
                                                       more effective
                                                       and reducing
                                                       burdens on the
                                                       immigrant
                                                       investor;
                                                       Some
                                                       applicants may
                                                       have cost savings
                                                       from lower travel
                                                       costs.
                                                      Costs:
                                                       Not
                                                       estimated.
                                                      Investors
                                                       obtaining a
                                                       permanent
                                                       resident card:
                                                      Benefits:
                                                       Cost and
                                                       time savings for
                                                       applicants for
                                                       biometrics data.
                                                      Costs:
                                                       Not
                                                       estimated.
Current miscellaneous items:      DHS is proposing    These provisions
 8 CFR 204.6(j)(2)(iii)    the following       are technical
 refers to the former U.S.         miscellaneous       changes and will
 Customs Service.                  changes:            have no impact on
 Public Law 107-273        DHS is      investors or the
 eliminated the requirement that   updating            government.
 alien entrepreneurs establish a   references at 8     Therefore, the
 new commercial enterprise from    CFR                 benefits and
 both INA Sec.   203(b)(5) and     204.6(j)(2)(iii)    costs for these
 INA Sec.   216A.                  from U.S. Customs   changes were not
 8 CFR 204.6(j)(5) and 8   Service to U.S.     estimated.
 CFR 204.6(j)(5)(iii) reference    Customs and
 ``management'';.                  Border Protection.
                                   Removing
                                   references to
                                   requirements that
                                   alien
                                   entrepreneurs
                                   establish a new
                                   commercial
                                   enterprise in 8
                                   CFR 204.6 and
                                   216.6.
 Current regulation at 8   Removing
 CFR 204.6(j)(5) has the phrase    references to
 ``as opposed to maintain a        ``management'' at
 purely passive role in regard     8 CFR 204.6(j)(5)
 to the investment'';              and 8 CFR
 Public Law 107-273        204.6(j)(5)(iii);
 allows limited partnerships to    Removing
 serve as new commercial           the phrase ``as
 enterprises;                      opposed to
 Current regulation        maintain a purely
 references the former Associate   passive role in
 Commissioner for Examinations     regard to the
 8 CFR 204.6(k) requires   investment'' from
 USCIS to specify in its Form I-   8 CFR
 526 decision whether the new      204.6(j)(5);.
 commercial enterprise is          Clarifies
 principally doing business in a   that any type of
 targeted employment area          entity can serve
 Sections 204.6 and        as a new
 216.6 use the term                commercial
 ``entrepreneur'' and              enterprise;.
 ``deportation.'' These sections   Replacing
 also refer to Forms I-526 and I-  the reference to
 829                               the former
                                   Associate
                                   Commission for
                                   Examinations with
                                   a reference to
                                   the USCIS AAO.
                                   Amending
                                   8 CFR 204.6(k) to
                                   specify how USCIS
                                   will issue a
                                   decision.
                                   Revising
                                   sections 204.6
                                   and 216.6 to use
                                   the term
                                   ``investor''
                                   instead of
                                   ``entrepreneur''
                                   and to use the
                                   term ``removal''
                                   instead of
                                   ``deportation.''.
Miscellaneous Cost:               Applicants would    Familiarization
 Familiarization cost of   need to read and    costs to review
 the rule                          review the rule     the rule are
                                   to become           estimated at
                                   familiar with the   $501,154
                                   proposed            annually.
                                   provisions.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

(2) Background and Purpose of the Proposed Rule
    The preceding sections of the preamble review key historical 
aspects and goals of the program, and specific justifications for the 
particular provisions proposed in the rule. This section supplements 
and provides additional points of analysis that are pertinent to this 
regulatory impact assessment.
    A person wishing to immigrate to the United States under the EB-5 
program must file an Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur (Form I-
526). Each individual immigrant investor files a Form I-526 petition 
containing information about their investment.\56\ The investment must 
be made into either an NCE within a designated regional center in 
accordance with the Regional Center Program or a standalone NCE outside 
of the Regional Center

[[Page 4755]]

Program (``non-regional center'' investment). The NCE may create jobs 
directly (required for non-regional center investments), or serve as a 
source of funding for separate job creating entities (JCEs) (allowable 
for regional center investments).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \56\ To be eligible at the time of the Form I-526 petition's 
filing, investors must demonstrate either that they have already 
invested their funds into the NCE or that they are actively in the 
process of investing. Some investors choose to demonstrate 
commitment of funds by placing their capital contribution in an 
escrow account in a U.S. financial intermediary, to be released 
irrevocably to the NCE upon a certain trigger date or event, such as 
approval of the Form I-526 petition.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    With respect to regional center investors, once a regional center 
has been designated, affiliated investors can submit Form I-526 
petitions in the concurrent year and in future years, provided the 
regional center maintains its designation. Each year, the stock of 
approved regional centers represents the previous year's approved 
total, plus new regional centers approved during the current year, 
minus a relatively small number of regional centers that are terminated 
in the concurrent year.\57\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \57\ Between May 2008 and May 2016, 51 regional centers have 
been terminated, averaging about 6 per year. USCIS, Immigrant 
Investor Regional Centers, http://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/permanent-workers/employment-based-immigration-fifth-preference-eb-5/immigrant-investor-regional-centers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DHS analysis of Form I-526 filing data for FY 2013-2015 indicates 
that on average, 10,547 Form I-526 petitions were filed annually. 
Regional centers accounted for 9,623 such petitions annually, or 91 
percent of all submitted Form I-526 petitions, while non-regional 
centers accounted for an average of 924 Form I-526 petitions annually, 
or 9 percent.
    EB-5 filings grew rapidly starting in 2008, when the U.S. financial 
crisis reduced available U.S.-based commercial lending funds and 
alternative funding sources, such as the EB-5 program, were sought. 
Based on the type of projects that Form I-526 petitions describe, it 
appears that EB-5 capital has been used as a source of financing for a 
variety of projects, including a large number of commercial real estate 
development projects to develop hotels, assisted living facilities, and 
office buildings.
    In general, DHS databases do not track the total number of 
investment projects associated with each individual EB-5 investment, 
but rather track the NCE associated with each individual investment. 
Any given NCE could fund multiple projects. DHS analysis of filing data 
reveals that for FY 2013-2015, on average per year, 1,246 unique NCEs 
were referenced in the Form I-526 petitions submitted. On average, 726 
of these NCEs (58 percent of the overall number of unique NCEs) were 
found in petitions associated with regional centers. And on average, 
520 of these NCEs, or 42 percent of the overall number of NCEs, were 
found in non-regional center-associated petitions. This suggests that 
on average, unique NCEs are more common in non-regional center filings, 
as 91 percent of filings are associated with regional centers.\58\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \58\ EB-5 program office NCE data records indicate that the 
disparity in the regional center share of investments compared to 
NCEs--91 percent compared to 58 percent, respectively--exists 
because regional center projects include 15 investors on average, 
while non-regional center investments include only 2 investors on 
average.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DHS obtained and analyzed a random sample of Form I-526 petitions 
that were submitted in FY 2016. The files in the sample were pending 
adjudicative review at the EB-5 program office in May 2016.\59\ As the 
results obtained from analysis of this random sample are utilized in 
forthcoming sections of this regulatory analysis, it will be referred 
to as the ``2016 NCE sample'' for brevity. A key takeaway from the 
review of the sample is that a majority of all NCEs (80 percent) 
blended program capital with other sources. For regional center NCEs 
sourced with blended capital, the EB-5 portion comprised 40 percent of 
the total capital outlay, while for non-regional center NCEs sourced 
with blended capital, the EB-5 portion comprised 50 percent of the 
total capital outlay.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \59\ The figures for yearly volumes of Form I-526 filings are 
publicly available under DHS performance data: USCIS, Number of I-
526 Immigrant Petitions by Alien Entrepreneurs by Fiscal Year, 
Quarter, and Case Status 2008-2016, available at https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/Reports%20and%20Studies/Immigration%20Forms%20Data/Employment-based/I526_performancedata_fy2016_qtr3.pdf. The NCE data were obtained 
from file tracking data supplied by the EB-5 program office. Because 
the NCE file submissions contain detailed business plan and investor 
information, the NCE data are not captured in formal DHS databases 
that are provided publicly, but rather in internal program office 
and adjudication records.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

(3) Baseline Program Forecasts
    DHS produced a baseline forecast of the total number of Form I-526 
receipts, beginning in the first year the rule would take effect and 
extending for 10 years for the period FY 2017-2026.\60\ This Form I-526 
forecast includes the historical trend of Form I-526 receipts from FY 
2005 to FY 2015, the filing projections from the USCIS Volume 
Projections Committee (VPC), and input from the EB-5 program office. 
The VPC projects that the high rate of growth in EB-5 investment 
filings, which averaged 39 percent annually since FY 2008, will slow to 
about 3.3 percent over the next 3 years and will subsequently level 
off.\61\ The program grew exponentially starting in 2008 with the 
economic downturn. At that time, commercial lending was extremely 
difficult to obtain. Over time as the U.S. economy has improved, 
commercial lending is now more viable, resulting in fewer overall 
petitions. In addition, over the past two fiscal years, USCIS has 
experienced significant spikes in filings in anticipation of Congress 
either allowing the regional center program to sunset or implementing 
new legislative reforms that would make it difficult for some regional 
centers to immediately comply. These spikes have occurred around the 
program's anticipated sunset (September 2015, December 2015, and 
September 2016). USCIS believes that the filings will level off once 
the program is extended for longer than one year at a time. DHS used 
this information to inform a forecasting model based on a logistic 
function that captures the past increase in receipts from a low 
baseline, the exponential growth that the program experienced from FY 
2008-2015, the anticipated growth rate for the next 3 years, and then 
the projected levelling off of future growth. The technical details are 
provided in the accompanying footnote, and as can be seen in the graph, 
the DHS estimation technique closely fits past filings and captures the 
expected trends alluded to above.\62\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \60\ DHS did not attempt a similar forecast for Form I-924 
receipts, because DHS does not have a sound basis for predicting how 
the proposed rule would affect such receipts.
    \61\ The VPC estimates that the final total number of Form I-526 
filings for FY 2016 will be about 12,000. While this projection is 
below the FY 2015 total filings, the VPC expects growth to increase 
again in FY 2017 by 3.3 percent. FY 2015 was an anomaly for Form I-
526 petitions and experienced an influx of petitions that DHS does 
not expect in the future.
    \62\ DHS utilized a logistic function of the format, (C/
([lambda] + [beta]e-rt)) where input t is the time year code 
(starting with zero), e is the base of the natural logarithm, and C, 
[lambda], [beta], and [rho] are parameters such that C/[lambda] 
asymptotically approaches the maximum level of the predicted 
variable, the Form I-526 receipts. The parameters [beta] and [rho] 
jointly impact the inflection and elongation of the sigmoidal curve. 
Because the data includes non-sample information, DHS did not 
attempt an estimation procedure focused on minimizing the sum of 
squared errors (such as least squares regression) or other fitting 
technique, and instead utilized a direct trial-and-error approach 
for calibration. For the final forecast run, the specific 
calibration was C = 17,000, [lambda] = 1.05, [beta] = 180, and [rho] 
= .66. The maximum expected level of receipts (equal to 17,000/1.05 
which is approximately 16,200) was determined via input from EB-5 
program management.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Figure 1 graphs the volume of past Form I-526 filings from 2005 to 
2015, compared with DHS's estimation of the filings for that period, 
and the forecasts thereafter.

[[Page 4756]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP13JA17.003

    The forecast values are listed in Table 3, below:

    Table 3--DHS Forecasts for Investor Form I-526 Receipts and NCEs
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   FY                        Investors         NCEs
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2017....................................          15,241           1,314
2018....................................          15,685           1,353
2019....................................          15,925           1,373
2020....................................          16,052           1,384
2021....................................          16,119           1,390
2022....................................          16,153           1,393
2023....................................          16,171           1,395
2024....................................          16,181           1,395
2025....................................          16,185           1,396
2026....................................          16,188           1,396
10-year total...........................         159,900          13,789
Annual Average..........................          15,990           1,379
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The last column of Table 3 provides estimates of the total number 
of NCEs. An assumption of the NCE forecasts is that there is no change 
in the relationship between the number of NCEs and the number of Form 
I-526 filings over time.\63\ The impact of the proposed provisions on 
the forecasts will be described in the relevant sections of this 
analysis.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \63\ In other words, the assumption is that the current number 
of investors per NCE holds in the future. For the NCE projections, 
the 2016 value is set at the 2013-2015 average of 1,246. For each 
year thereafter, the figure is based on the growth rate of predicted 
Form I-526 receipts.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

(4) Economic Impacts of the Major Rule Provisions
a. Retention of Priority Date
    This rule proposes to generally allow an EB-5 immigrant petitioner 
to use the priority date of an approved EB-5 immigrant petition for any 
subsequently filed EB-5 immigrant petition for which the petitioner 
qualifies. Provided that petitioners have not yet obtained lawful 
permanent residence pursuant to their approved petition and that such 
petition has not been revoked on certain grounds, petitioners would be 
able to retain their priority date and therefore retain their place in 
the visa queue. DHS is proposing to allow priority date retention to: 
(1) Address situations in which petitioners may become ineligible 
through circumstances beyond their control (e.g., the termination of a 
regional center) as they wait for their EB-5 visa priority date to 
become current; and (2) provide investors with greater flexibility to 
deal with changes to business conditions. For example, investors 
involved with an underperforming or failing investment project would be 
able to move their investment funds to a new, more promising investment 
project without losing their place in the visa queue.
    There would be an operational benefit to the investor cohort 
because priority date retention would make visa allocation more 
predictable with less possibility for massive fluctuations due to 
regional center termination that could, in the case of some large 
regional

[[Page 4757]]

centers, negatively affect investors who are in the line at a given 
time. This change would provide greater certainty and stability for 
investors in their pursuit of permanent residence in the United States, 
helping lessen the burden of situations unforeseen by the investor 
related to their investment. In addition, by allowing priority date 
retention, investors obtain more ability to move their investment funds 
out of potentially risky projects, thereby potentially reducing fraud 
and improving the potential for job creation in the United States. DHS 
cannot quantify or monetize the net benefits of the priority date 
retention provision or assess how many past or future investors might 
be impacted. DHS welcomes public comment on the costs and benefits of 
the priority date retention provision.
b. Investment Amount Increase
    DHS proposes to raise the standard minimum investment amount from 
the current $1 million to $1.8 million to account for the rate of 
inflation since the program's inception in 1990. DHS also proposes to 
raise the reduced investment amount, for TEA projects, to $1.35 
million, which is 75 percent of the general investment amount.\64\ DHS 
further proposes to adjust the minimum investment amounts every 5 years 
so that the standard minimum investment amount keeps pace with the rate 
of inflation and the TEA minimum investment amount remains 75 percent 
of the standard minimum investment amount. These increases are 
necessary because the investment amounts have not kept pace with 
inflation, thereby eroding the real value of the investments.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \64\ The adjustment to the standard minimum investment amount is 
based on the CPI-U, which, as compared to a base date of 1982-1984, 
was 130.7 in 1990 and 237.017 in 2015. The actual increase in prices 
for the period was approximately 81.34 percent, obtained as ((CPI-
U2015/CPI-U1990)-1)). The $1.8 million 
proposed investment amount is rounded. See generally Bureau of Labor 
Statistics, Inflation & Prices, available at http://www.bls.gov/data/#prices.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Because the proposed discounted amount for investments in TEAs is 
higher than the current minimum amount for investments in non-TEAs, DHS 
believes it is reasonable to assume that some investors may be unable 
or unwilling to invest at either of the higher proposed levels of 
investment. However, DHS has no way to assess the potential reduction 
in investments either in terms of past activity or forecasted activity, 
and cannot therefore estimate any impacts concerning job creation, 
losses or other downstream economic impacts driven by the proposed 
investment amount increases. DHS evaluates the source of investor funds 
for legitimacy but not for information on investor income, wealth, or 
investment preferences. DHS cannot therefore estimate how many past 
investors would have been unable or unwilling to have invested at the 
proposed amounts, and hence cannot make extrapolations to potential 
future investors and projects. DHS requests public input on the impact 
of the newly proposed amount on potential investors' willingness to 
participate in the program. DHS also welcomes any input, including 
identification of relevant data sources, that might provide insight on 
the number of total jobs that these potential investors may create.\65\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \65\ DHS has arranged with the Department of Commerce to assess 
the EB-5 program to determine the number of jobs created, but the 
report has not yet been released. Remarks, EB-5 Immigrant Investor 
Program Stakeholder Engagement (July 28, 2016), available at https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Outreach/Notes%20from%20Previous%20Engagements/PED_EB5NatStakeholderEng072816_ColucciRemarks.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In addition to the effect on investors, it is reasonable to assume 
that the proposed changes to the investment amounts would also affect 
regional centers. If the higher amounts reduce the number of investors 
in the global pool, competition for fewer investors may make it more 
costly for regional centers to identify and match with investors. The 
net effect on regional centers would depend on the elasticities 
associated with these activities and is not something DHS can forecast 
with accuracy. DHS requests information from the public on how the 
proposed changes may impact regional center costs.
    DHS also believes that for both regional center and non-regional 
center investments, the projects and the businesses involved could be 
impacted. A reduced number of EB-5 investors could preclude some 
projects from going forward due to outright lack of requisite capital. 
Other projects would likely see an increase in the share of non-EB-5 
capital, such as capital sourced to domestic or other foreign sources. 
As alluded to above in Section Two of the analysis, analysis of the 
2016 NCE sample reveals the 80 percent of NCEs involving EB-5 capital 
blend this type of capital with other sources of capital. DHS believes 
that the costs of capital and return to capital could be different 
depending on the source of the capital. As a result, a change in the 
composition of capital could change the overall profitability for one 
or more of the parties involved; however, if the project on the whole 
promises net profitability, it is likely to proceed. The specific 
impact on each party for each project would vary on a case by case 
basis, and would be dependent on, among other things, the particular 
financial structures and agreements between the regional center, 
investors, NCE, and project developer. It would also be determined by 
local and regional investment supply and demand, lending conditions, 
and general business and economic factors. DHS welcomes any comments 
the public may provide on how the proposed rules may impact regional 
center and non-regional center investments, projects and businesses.
    DHS also considers that an increase in the investment amount could 
make other countries' foreign investor visa programs more attractive 
and therefore there could be some substitution into such programs. The 
decision to invest in another country's program would depend in part on 
the investment and country-specific risk preferences of each investor. 
While DHS has no means of ascertaining such preferences, it is possible 
that some substitution into non-U.S. investor visa programs could occur 
as a result of the higher required investment amounts. However, 
according to DHS research, substitution into another countries' 
immigrant investor program would likely be more costly for investors 
than investing in the EB-5 program even with increases in the EB-5 
investment amounts. As stated earlier in this preamble, the United 
Kingdom's immigrant investor programs range in minimum investment 
amounts of approximately $2.5 million to $6.3 million, Australia's 
immigrant investor programs range in minimum investments amounts from 
approximately $1.1 million to $11.2 million, Canada's immigrant 
investor programs range from approximately $1.5 million and require a 
net worth of $7.6 million, and New Zealand's immigrant investor 
programs range from minimum investment amounts of approximately $1.8 
million to $7.2 million. All of these values are approximations, in 
U.S. dollars, and are not an exhaustive list. DHS notes that most of 
these minimum investment amounts are considerably higher than the 
proposed increased investment amounts in the EB-5 program. DHS requests 
comments from the public regarding foreign investor visa programs from 
other countries and how they may compare to the U.S. EB-5 program, and 
the likelihood that investors will shift their investments to other 
countries' programs as a result of the changes proposed here.
    There are numerous ancillary services and activities linked to both 
regional center and direct investments, such as, but not limited to, 
business consulting

[[Page 4758]]

and advising, finance, legal services, and immigration services. 
However, DHS is not certain how these services would be affected by the 
proposed rule. Similarly, DHS does not have information on how the 
revenues collected from these types of activities contribute to the 
overall revenue of the regional centers or direct investments. DHS 
requests information from the public on the several layers of business 
and financial activities that focus on matching foreign investor funds 
to development projects, and on the potential effects of this proposed 
rule on such activities.
    In summary, DHS believes that the proposed increase in the minimum 
investment amount would bring the nominal investment amounts in line 
with real values and increase the investment amounts in areas where it 
is needed most. However, DHS recognizes that some of the investment 
increase benefits could be offset if some investors are deterred from 
investing at the higher amounts. DHS does not have the data or 
information necessary to attempt to estimate such mitigating effects. 
It is reasonable to conclude that the higher investment amounts could 
deter some investors from EB-5 activity and therefore negatively impact 
regional center revenue in some cases, although the magnitudes and net 
effects of these impacts cannot be estimated. However, it is also 
possible that the higher investment amounts could attract additional 
capital overall and stimulate projects to get off the ground that 
otherwise might not. Due to the complexity of EB-5 financial 
arrangements and unpredictability of market conditions, DHS cannot 
forecast with confidence how many projects could be affected by the 
increased investment amounts through a change in the number of 
individuals investing through the EB-5 program. However, it is possible 
that some projects could be forgone and that others would proceed with 
a higher composition of non-EB-5 capital, with resultant changes in 
profitability and rates of return to the parties involved. An overall 
decrease in investments and projects would potentially reduce some job 
creation and result in other downstream effects.
c. Periodic Adjustments to the Investment Amounts
    In addition to initially raising the investment thresholds to 
account for inflation, DHS proposes to adjust the standard investment 
threshold every 5 years to account for future inflation, and to adjust 
the reduced investment threshold for TEAs to keep pace with the 
standard amount. DHS projected the effects of this methodology using a 
relatively low, recent, inflation index (1.4 percent) and a more 
moderate inflation index (3.2 percent). DHS made two separate 
projections based on two different indexes because DHS cannot predict 
with certainty what the future inflation index will be. The 1.4 percent 
estimate is based on the average rate of inflation for the period 2009-
2015, which economists generally consider to be relatively low compared 
to earlier periods. The 3.2 percent estimate used for the higher-end 
projection is based on the 3.2 percent inflation rate in 2011, which 
was the highest annual inflation rate observed from the 2009 to 2015 
period. DHS believes it is appropriate to characterize the 3.2 percent 
rate as a ``moderate'' inflation baseline, because although it is 
higher than the average annual rate since 2008, it is not considered by 
economists to be high as compared to other historical periods.\66\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \66\ Allan Meltzer, A Slow Recovery with Low Inflation, Hoover 
Inst., Econ. Working Paper No. 13,110 (2013), available at http://www.hoover.org/sites/default/files/13110_-_meltzer_-_a_slow_recovery_with_low_inflation.pdf; see also Michael T. Kiley, 
Low Inflation in the United States: A Summary of Recent Research, 
FEDS Notes, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Nov. 
23, 2015), available at http://www.federalreserve.gov/econresdata/notes/feds-notes/2015/low-inflation-in-the-united-states-a-summary-of-recent-research-20151123.html; Mary C. Daly and Bart Hobijn, 
Downward Nominal Wage Rigidities Bend the Phillips Curve, Fed. 
Reserve Bank S.F., Working Paper No. 2013-08 (2014), available at 
http://www.frbsf.org/economic-research/files/wp2013-08.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Table 4 lists the general minimum investment amounts and reduced 
investment amounts after 5 and 10 years if the amounts are raised 
initially as proposed in this rule. The figures are in millions of U.S. 
dollars and are rounded to the nearest fifty-thousandth.

                            Table 4--Projected Investment Amounts at 5-Year Revisions
                                         [Figures are in millions of $]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                  Projected investment     Projected investment
                                                     Revision   amount based on average      amount based on
       Proposed provision: initial increase           (year)    inflation scenario, 1.4     moderate inflation
                                                                        percent           scenario, 3.2 percent
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Standard Investment Amount = $1.8 Million in 2017       5 year                     1.90                     2.04
                                                       10 Year                     2.04                     2.40
Minimum Investment Amount = $1.35 Million in 2017       5 year                     1.43                     1.53
                                                       10 Year                     1.53                     1.80
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DHS attempted to assess the costs of these proposed changes. As 
described above, the potential cost of the higher amounts may result in 
a reduction in the number of investors and projects and a lower share 
of EB-5 capital for some projects, which could result in capital 
losses, fewer jobs created, and other reductions in economic activity. 
DHS is not able to predict how many investors and projects will be 
impacted, nor can we predict the impact to the capital available for 
projects. DHS requests any data sources the public may provide, as well 
as comments on anticipated outcomes.
d. Targeted Employment Areas
    Under the current regulations, a state may designate an area in 
which the enterprise is principally doing business as a high-
unemployment TEA if that area is a geographic or political subdivision 
of a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) or of a city or town with a 
population of 20,000 or more. DHS generally defers to the state 
determination of the appropriate boundaries of a geographic or 
political subdivision that constitutes the TEA, but there is currently 
no limit to the number of census tracts that a state can aggregate as 
part of a high-unemployment TEA designation. TEA configurations that 
DHS has evaluated from state designations have included the census 
tract or tracts where the NCE is principally doing business (``project 
tract(s)''), one or more directly adjacent tracts, and others that are 
further removed, resulting in configurations resembling a chain-shape 
or other contorted shape. This proposed rule

[[Page 4759]]

would remove states from the TEA designation process; instead, 
investors would be required to provide sufficient evidence to DHS in 
order to qualify for the reduced investment threshold. DHS would 
generally limit the number of census tracts that could be combined for 
this purpose.\67\ Specifically, DHS is proposing that a TEA may also 
consist of an area comprised of the census tract(s) in which the new 
commercial enterprise is principally doing business, including any and 
all adjacent tracts, if the weighted average of the unemployment rate 
for all included tracts is at least 150 percent of the national 
average.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \67\ According to USCIS policy in effect at the time of issuance 
of this proposed rulemaking:
    A new commercial enterprise is principally doing business in the 
location where it regularly, systematically, and continuously 
provides goods or services that support job creation. If the new 
commercial enterprise provides such goods or services in more than 
one location, it will be principally doing business in the location 
most significantly related to the job creation.
    Factors considered in determining where a new commercial 
enterprise is principally doing business include, but are not 
limited to, the location of:
     Any jobs directly created by the new commercial 
enterprise;
     Any expenditure of capital related to the creation of 
jobs;
     The new commercial enterprise's day-to-day operation; 
and
     The new commercial enterprise's assets used in the 
creation of jobs.
    USCIS Policy Manual, 6 USCIS-PM G (Nov. 30, 2016).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In order to assess the potential impact of this aspect of the 
proposed rule, DHS performed further analysis on the 2016 NCE sample. 
First, DHS determined, based on the sample, that 99 percent of regional 
center investments and 64 percent of non-regional center investments 
are made into TEAs. Because the 2016 sample significantly over-
represents non-regional center investments and over-represents non-
regional center NCEs by a smaller, but still noticeable, margin, DHS 
also determined the percentage of investments overall that were applied 
to TEAs. DHS found that 97 percent of investments and 85 percent of 
NCEs were applied to TEAs.\68\ About 10 percent of investments that 
were made into TEAs were made into rural TEAs. This 10% was the same 
for regional center and non-regional center investments.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \68\ DHS used a weighted average calculation to determine these 
percentages because the 2016 NCE sample over-represents non-regional 
center investments--non-regional center investments accounted for 
exactly half the 2016 NCE sample but less than a tenth (9 percent) 
of submitted investments. This bias is not a feature of the sampling 
methodology but rather an inherent feature of the population, 
because non-regional center investments comprise 42 percent of NCEs. 
The 2016 NCE sample over-represents non-regional center NCEs as 
well, but not by as much as investments. The sample share of non-
regional center NCEs is 50 percent, while the true share in the NCE 
population is 42 percent. Hence, the overrepresentation is about 8 
percentage points but DHS feels this is significant enough that the 
NCE aggregate shares should be weighted as well. The weighted 
average for TEA investments is the sum of the regional center share 
of investments (.91) multiplied by the TEA share found in the sample 
(.99), and the non-regional share of investments (.09) multiplied by 
the TEA share in the sample (.64). The resulting weighting equation 
is .91 + .06 = .97. The weighted average for TEA NCEs is the sum of 
the regional center share of NCEs (.58) multiplied by the TEA share 
found in the sample (.99), and the non-regional share of NCEs (.42) 
multiplied by the TEA share in the sample (.64). The resulting 
weighting equation is .58 + .27 = .85.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DHS then parsed the TEA filings comprising the 2016 NCE sample into 
specific cohorts. The first cohort is the number of non-rural high-
unemployment TEA filings that did not rely on state designations to 
qualify. The TEAs in this cohort did not require state designations 
because the project was located in a specific geographical unit that 
met the unemployment threshold.\69\ They would be unaffected by the 
changes proposed in this rule. The next two cohorts are the filings 
that relied on one or two census tracts, respectively. These too would 
be unaffected by this rule. The fourth cohort is the filings that 
relied on three or more census tracts. The proposed rule would 
potentially affect some of the designations in this cohort. Because of 
this, DHS attempted to subject these tracts to further analysis, as 
described further below.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \69\ For the TEA geographies that met the high unemployment 
threshold in the sample analyzed, 90 percent utilized MSAs and the 
remaining 10 percent utilized counties.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DHS determined the relative size of each cohort by determining the 
total number of filings per cohort, and then weighting these 
percentages to reflect the appropriate regional center and non-regional 
center proportions, first for investments, and then for NCEs. The 
relative size of each cohort, as a share of the total number of 
investments in TEAs and the total number of NCEs in TEAs, are listed in 
Table 5 below. Note that the amounts are based on the average of 
filings for FY 2013-2015; potential changes in future filing patterns 
are discussed below. The share figures are in percentages and are 
provided first on the basis of all investments and NCEs and next on the 
basis of high-unemployment TEA investments and NCEs (the last two 
columns of the table). DHS could have also presented the shares on a 
per total-TEA basis, but since almost all investments (97 percent) were 
made into TEAs, little additional insight would be gained by providing 
figures on such a basis.

                                              Table 5--TEA Metrics
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
            TEA Cohort                     Investments                  NCEs                 Share of high-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------     unemployment  TEA
                                                                                                 filings
                                                    Share                     Share    -------------------------
                                       Amount     (percent)      Amount     (percent)   Investments      NCEs
                                                                                          (percent)   (percent)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
High-unemployment TEA.............        9,159           87          929           75          N/A          N/A
Qualify without state                       735            7          135           11            9           18
 certification....................
Qualify with one Census Tract.....        1,883           18          177           14           20           18
Qualify with two Census Tracts....          667            6           50            4            7            4
Cohort not affected by the rule           4,672           44          679           55           36           41
 because it would meet the
 provision........................
Qualify with three or more tracts         5,875           56          567           45           64           59
 (maximum that could be affected).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 4760]]

    DHS draws a number of conclusions from the metrics described above. 
Foremost, a large share of investments (87 percent) were made in, and 
three-quarters of related NCEs were located in, high-unemployment TEAs. 
Second, a small share of investments (7 percent) qualified as high 
unemployment TEAs without state certification,\70\ meaning that the MSA 
or county in which the related project was located qualified 
independently for such designation. About 18 percent of the investments 
qualified based on a single-census-tract designation, and a small share 
(6 percent) qualified based on a two-tract designation. Third, more 
than half of investments (56 percent) and just under half of related 
NCEs (45 percent) relied on three or more census-tract configurations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \70\ State certification is currently required for high 
unemployment areas encompassing geographic or political subdivisions 
smaller than an MSA or county. See 8 CFR 204.(6)(i) and 
204.6(j)(6)(ii).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DHS calculated additional metrics to assess the impact of the rule. 
To obtain the cohort that would be unaffected by the rule, DHS added 
together the five subcategories representing non-TEA, rural TEA, those 
that qualified without state attestation, single tract configurations, 
and two-tract configurations. This cohort is reported in the second to 
last row of Table 5. Next, DHS obtained the number of investments and 
related NCEs that could potentially be affected by the rule. This 
cohort is reported in the last row of Table 5. These figures represent 
our maximum. In reality, some portion of the maximum cohort for 
projects and NCEs would have continued to qualify for TEA designation 
under the changes proposed by this rule. However, currently DHS does 
not have reliable, statistically valid information from which DHS can 
estimate what share would likely be impacted by the rule.
    DHS obtained Census Bureau data on adjacent tracts that were 
utilized in studies unrelated to the current rulemaking provision.\71\ 
From the population of 74,001 tracts provided in the Census dataset, 
DHS randomly sampled 390 tracts, which is slightly more than the 383 
needed for 95 percent confidence and a 5 percent margin of error. The 
average number of adjacent tracts was 6.4 and the median was 6, with a 
maximum of 11, a minimum of 3, and a range of 8. Since ``partial'' 
tracts are not viable under the EB-5 program, the average was rounded 
to the nearest whole number and 1 tract was added to account for the 
primary tract for which the adjacencies were counted, to yield an 
average of 7 total tracts. This suggests that it may not be unusual for 
a TEA designation of three or more tracts to satisfy the adjacency 
requirements of this proposed rule.
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    \71\ As of 2016, the Census Bureau records show 73,057 Tracts in 
the United States, including the District of Columbia but not 
counting U.S. Territories. U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Tallies 
of Census Tracts, Block Groups and Blocks, available at https://www.Census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/tallies/tractblock.html. The data 
utilized in this analysis is currently available publicly from Brown 
University's (Providence, RI) American Communities Project Web site 
at http://www.s4.brown.edu/us2010/Researcher/Pooling.htm.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The benefit of this aspect of the proposed rule is that it would 
prevent certain TEA configurations that rely on a large number of 
census tracts indirectly linked to the actual project tract(s) by 
multiple degrees of separation. As a result, some investments may be 
re-directed to areas where unemployment rates are truly high, according 
to the 150 percent threshold, and therefore may stimulate job creation 
where it is most needed.
    Finally, DHS also considered an alternative provision, under which 
TEA designations would be subject to a twelve-tract limit. This limit 
is used by the State of California in its TEA certifications. DHS 
considered this limit as an alternative approach because it is the only 
case in which a state limits the number of census tracts to a specific 
number. Analysis of the NCE sample revealed that for tract 
configurations with two or more tracts, the average number of tracts 
aggregated was 16, but the median was 7. The figures are slightly 
higher at 17 and 8, respectively, when the cohort is isolated to three 
or more multiple tract configurations. The difference in the mean and 
median indicate that the distribution is right-skewed, characterized by 
a small number of very large-tract number compilations, evidenced by a 
sample range of 198 tracts. DHS notes that there is sufficient 
variation in the data to preclude state locational bias, as 22 states 
including the District of Columbia were represented in the 2016 NCE 
sample. Ultimately, DHS did not choose this alternative option because 
it is not necessarily appropriate for nationwide application, as the 
limitation to 12 census tracts may be justifiable for reasons specific 
to California but may not be apt on a national scale.
    DHS stresses that the maximum cohorts presented in Table 5 
overstate the number and shares of future investments and NCEs that 
would be impacted by the TEA reform provision because some of the 
configurations that relied on multiple tracts (3 or more) would be able 
to meet the requirements of the proposed rule. Furthermore, the number 
of impacted investments and NCEs is also likely to be lower because 
regional centers may be able to replace forgone projects in places that 
would not meet the high unemployment criteria under the proposed rule 
with other projects that would in fact qualify. For example, a regional 
center seeking to locate a project on one city block that would no 
longer qualify as a TEA may opt to locate the project on another block 
that could qualify as a TEA under the new rule. In that sense, the 
proposed rule may provide additional incentive for investments in rural 
areas, because such investments would be unaffected by this rule, or in 
areas that are more closely associated with high unemployment. In other 
words, if a regional center is considering a project in a specific 
location that would no longer qualify as a TEA, the regional center can 
opt to move the project to a TEA or seek another project that would 
fall within a TEA. DHS believes that some regional centers will not be 
able to make such a substitution and that there may be costs in the 
forms of forgone investments and projects, and accompanying reductions 
in job creation and other economic activity.
    DHS requests any data sources or comments from the public on the 
estimated costs for the number of investments and projects impacted by 
this aspect of the proposed rule. DHS has described some of the 
possible negative consequences of a reduced number of investors. A 
decrease in investments and projects would potentially reduce some job 
creation and have other downstream effects.
    Finally, DHS notes that because state designations will no longer 
be accepted, it is reasonable to expect cost savings germane to the 
labor time and opportunity costs of state government institutions 
previously involved in TEA designations. It is reasonable to expect 
that these cost savings to states would transfer into some additional 
costs for DHS in adjudication review time in order to evaluate TEA 
submissions. However, DHS cannot accurately predict such added time 
burden to the Government at this time.
e. Other Provisions
    DHS has analyzed the other provisions and sub-provisions to those 
discussed above:
    Removal of Conditions Filing. DHS is proposing to revise its 
regulations to clarify that, except in limited circumstances, 
derivative family members must file their own petitions to remove 
conditions from their permanent residence when they are not included in 
a petition to remove conditions filed by the principal

[[Page 4761]]

investor. Generally, an immigrant investor's derivatives are included 
in the principal immigrant investor's Form I-829 petition. However, 
there have been cases where the derivatives are not included in the 
principal's petition but instead file one or more separate Form I-829 
petitions. The proposed regulation clarifies that, except in the case 
of a deceased principal, derivatives not included in the principal's 
Form I-829 petition cannot use one petition for all the derivatives 
combined but must each separately file his or her own Form I-829 
petition. Based on EB-5 program office review of historical filings for 
this group, on average over a 3-year period about 24 cases per year 
involved such circumstances. Biometrics are currently required for the 
joint Form I-829 petition submissions, so the provision requiring 
separate filings would not impose any additional biometric, travel, or 
associated opportunity costs. The only costs expected from the rule 
would be the separate filing fee and associated opportunity cost. The 
filing fee for a Form I-829 petition is $3,750. DHS estimates that the 
form takes 3 hours to complete. DHS recognizes that many dependent 
spouses and children do not currently participate in the U.S. labor 
market, and as a result, are not represented in national average wage 
calculations. In order to provide a reasonable proxy of time valuation, 
DHS has to assume some value of time above zero and therefore uses an 
hourly cost burdened minimum wage rate of $10.59 to estimate the 
opportunity cost of time for dependent spouses. The value of $10.59 per 
hour represents the Federal minimum wage with an upward adjustment for 
benefits.\72\ Each applicant would face a time cost burden of $32, 
which when added to the filing fee, is $3,782. Extrapolating the past 
number of average annual filings of 24 going forward, total applicant 
costs would total $90,762 annually.\73\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \72\ Minimum Wage, U.S. DOL, http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/wages/minimumwage.htm (indicating the Federal Minimum Wage is $7.25 per 
hour). The calculation for total employer costs for employee 
compensation for dependent spouses and children of principals with 
an approved Form I-140: $7.25 per hour x 1.46 = $10.59 per hour.
    \73\ Calculation: the burdened wage of $10.59 per hour 
multiplied by 3 hours. The individual fee and total cost figures are 
rounded from actuals of $3,781.76 and $90,762.12, respectively.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Removal of Conditions Interview. In addition to the separate filing 
requirement discussed above, DHS is proposing to improve the 
adjudication process relevant to the investor's Form I-829 interview 
process by providing flexibility in interview scheduling and location. 
Section 216A(c)(1)(B) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1186b(c)(1)(B), generally 
requires Form I-829 petitioners to be interviewed prior to final 
adjudication of the petition, although DHS may waive the interview 
requirement at its discretion. See INA section 216A(d)(3), 8 U.S.C. 
1186b(d)(3). Under this rule, DHS is proposing to give USCIS greater 
flexibility to require Form I-829 interviews and determine the 
appropriate location for such an interview. Additionally, current DHS 
regulations allow for Form I-829 petitioners to be interviewed prior to 
final adjudication of a Form I-829 petition, but require the interview 
to be conducted at the USCIS District Office holding jurisdiction over 
the immigrant investor's new commercial enterprise. However, there is 
no requirement that the immigrant investor reside in the same location 
as the new commercial enterprise, and DHS has determined through some 
very preliminary surveys conducted by the EB-5 program office that many 
immigrant investors are located a considerable distance from the new 
commercial enterprise. Therefore, DHS proposes to clarify that USCIS 
has authority to schedule an interview at the USCIS office holding 
jurisdiction over either the immigrant investor's commercial 
enterprise, the immigrant investor's residence, or the location in 
which the Form I-829 petition is being adjudicated. DHS cannot 
currently determine how many petitioners would potentially be affected 
by these changes. From fiscal years 2011 to 2015, DHS received an 
average of 1,911 Form I-829 petitions. While not all of these 
petitioners would require an interview or face hardship to travel for 
an interview, some of this maximum population may be impacted.\74\ Some 
petitioners would benefit by traveling shorter distances for interviews 
and thus see a cost savings in travel costs and opportunity costs of 
time for travel and interview time. DHS welcomes any comments by the 
public that may provide further data sources on the potential costs and 
benefits associated with this proposed change.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \74\ USCIS, Number of I-829 Petitions by Entrepreneurs to Remove 
Conditions by Fiscal Year, Quarter, and Case Status 2008-2016, 
available at https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/Reports%20and%20Studies/Immigration%20Forms%20Data/Employment-based/I829_performancedata_fy2016_qtr3.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Process for Issuing Permanent Resident Cards. DHS also proposes to 
amend regulations governing the process by which immigrant investors 
obtain their new permanent resident cards after the approval of their 
Form I-829 petitions. Current regulations require the immigrant 
investor and his or her derivatives to report to a district office for 
processing of their permanent resident cards after approval of the Form 
I-829 petition. This process is no longer necessary in light of 
intervening improvements in DHS's biometric data collection 
program.\75\ DHS now captures the required biometric data while the 
Form I-829 petition is pending, at the time the immigrant investor and 
his or her derivatives appear at an Application Support Center for 
fingerprinting, as required for the Form I-829 background and security 
checks. DHS then mails the permanent resident card directly to the 
immigrant investor by U.S. Postal Service registered mail after the 
Form I-829 petition is approved. Accordingly, there is generally no 
need for the immigrant investor and his or her derivatives to appear at 
a district office after approval of the Form I-829 petition.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \75\ DHS already has authority to collect this information under 
8 CFR part 103.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DHS does not estimate any additional costs for this proposed 
provision. This proposed provision will likely benefit immigrant 
investors and any derivatives, including by providing savings in cost, 
travel, and time, since this regulation will no longer require them to 
report to a district office for processing of their permanent resident 
cards. DHS also benefits by removing a process that is no longer 
necessary.
    Miscellaneous other changes. DHS is also proposing a number of 
other technical changes to the EB-5 regulations. First, DHS is 
proposing to update a reference to the former United States Customs 
Service, so that it will now refer to U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection. Second, DHS is proposing to conform DHS regulations to 
Public Law 107-273, which eliminated the requirement that immigrant 
entrepreneurs establish a new commercial enterprise from both section 
203(b)(5) and section 216A of the INA. Accordingly, USCIS proposes to 
remove references to this requirement in 8 CFR 204.6 and 216.6. Third, 
DHS is proposing to further conform DHS regulations to Public Law 107-
273 by removing the references to ``management'' at 8 CFR 204.6(j)(5) 
and 8 CFR 204.6(j)(5)(iii). Fourth, DHS is proposing to remove the 
phrase ``as opposed to maintaining a purely passive role in regard to 
the investment'' from 8 CFR 204.6(j)(5). Fifth, DHS is proposing to 
allow any type of entity to serve as a new commercial enterprise. 
Sixth, DHS is proposing to amend 8 CFR 204.6(k) to remove the 
requirement on USCIS to specify in the decision on the EB-5 immigrant 
petition whether the new commercial enterprise is

[[Page 4762]]

principally doing business in a TEA. Finally, DHS is proposing 
revisions to otherwise unaffected sections of section 204.6 and 216.6 
to replace the term ``entrepreneur'' with the term ``investor.'' These 
provisions are technical changes and will have no impact on investors 
or the government. Therefore, the benefits and costs for these changes 
were not estimated.
Miscellaneous Costs
    Familiarization costs: DHS assumes that there will be 
familiarization costs associated with this rule. To estimate these 
costs, DHS relied on several assumptions. First, DHS believes that each 
approved regional center would need to review the rule. Other than 
regional centers, the NCEs would also need to be familiar with the 
proposed rule. Based on the 790 regional centers referenced herein as 
having approved Forms I-924 and 520 non-regional center NCEs, a total 
of at least 1,310 identified entities would likely need to review the 
rule. DHS believes that lawyers would likely review the rule and that 
it would take about 4 hours to review and inform any additional parties 
of the changes in this proposed rule. Based on the BLS ``Occupational 
Employment Statistics (OES)'' dataset, the 2015 mean hourly wage for a 
lawyer was $65.51.\76\ DHS burdens this rate by a multiple of 1.46, 
consistent with other rulemakings, to account for other compensation 
and benefits, to arrive at an hourly cost of $95.64. The total cost of 
familiarization is $501,154 annually based on the current number of 
approved regional centers and non-regional center NCEs in the recent 
past.\77\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \76\ Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2015 National Occupational 
Employment and Wage Estimates United States, https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#23-0000.
    \77\ Calculation: 1,310 entities x 4 hours each x burdened 
hourly wage of $95.64. Final figure is rounded from 501,153.6.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

D. Executive Order 13132

    This proposed rule would not have substantial direct effects on the 
States, on the relationship between the National Government and the 
States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the 
various levels of government. Although DHS has historically deferred to 
state designations of high unemployment areas, DHS is ultimately 
responsible for the adjudication of each petition (including TEA 
designations).\78\ This proposed rule would not directly alter the 
states' rights or obligations under the EB-5 program, and is fully 
consistent with the federal role in administration of immigration 
programs. DHS is unaware of any state laws that would be preempted or 
otherwise affected by this proposed rule.\79\ Therefore, in accordance 
with section 6 of Executive Order 13132, it is determined that this 
rule does not have sufficient federalism implications to warrant the 
preparation of a federalism summary impact statement. DHS nonetheless 
welcomes public comment on possible federalism implications of this 
proposed rule.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \78\ USCIS Policy Manual, 6 USCIS-PM G at 8 (May 30, 2013) 
(``However, for all TEA designations, USCIS must still ensure 
compliance with the statutory requirement that the proposed area 
designated by the state in fact has an unemployment rate of at least 
150 percent of the national average rate.'').
    \79\ For example, California's Office of Business and Economic 
Development notes: ``While the EB-5 visa program is administered by 
the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and is therefore 
governed by federal laws and regulations, GO-Biz provides customized 
TEA certifications for projects that qualify under the $500,000 
special TEA requirements.'' EB-5 Investor Visa Program, California 
Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, http://www.business.ca.gov/Programs/International-Affairs-and-Business-Development/EB-5.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

E. Regulatory Flexibility Act

    The Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 (RFA), 5 U.S.C. 601-612, as 
amended by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 
1996, Public Law 104-121, 110 Stat. 847 (March 29, 1996), requires 
Federal agencies to consider the potential impact of regulations on 
small entities. The term ``small entities'' comprises small businesses, 
not-for-profit organizations that are not dominant in their fields, and 
governmental jurisdictions with populations of less than 50,000. An 
``individual'' is not defined by the RFA as a small entity and costs to 
an individual from a rule are not considered for RFA purposes. In 
addition, courts have held that the RFA's regulatory flexibility 
analysis requirements apply to direct small entity impacts only.\80\ 
Consequently, any indirect impacts from a rule to a small entity are 
not costs for RFA purposes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \80\ See, e.g., Mid-Tex Elec. Coop. v. FERC, 773 F.2d 327, 342 
(D.C. Cir. 1985) (concluding that an agency may certify a rule under 
Section 605(b) of the Regulatory Flexibility Act when the agency 
determines the rule will not directly impact small entities).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    However, the changes proposed by DHS to modernize and improve the 
EB-5 program may have the potential to affect several types of business 
entities involved in EB-5 projects. Therefore, DHS has prepared an 
Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) under the RFA because 
some of the entities involved may be considered small entities.
Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis
    EB-5 investment structures are complex and can involve numerous 
entities involved in project financing and development. The rule 
proposes to raise the investment levels to account for inflation and 
reform the way in which TEAs are constructed. It is difficult to 
determine the small entity status of regional centers because there is 
a lack of official data on employment, income, and industry 
classification for these entities. Such a determination is also 
difficult because regional centers can be structured in a variety of 
different ways, and can involve multiple business and financial 
activities, some of which play a direct, and some an indirect, role in 
linking investor funds to NCEs and job-creating projects or entities. 
Although DHS does not know if regional centers are small entities, DHS 
believes some regional center NCEs and some non-regional center NCEs 
could be small entities. A detailed description of DHS's attempt to 
identify such entities is provided below. DHS welcomes public comment 
on the potential impact of the proposed changes on small entities.
a. A Description of the Reasons Why the Action by the Agency Is Being 
Considered
    DHS proposes to update its EB-5 regulations to update aspects of 
the EB-5 program in need of reform and to reflect statutory changes and 
codify existing policies. Elsewhere in this preamble, DHS provides 
further background and explanation for the proposals contained in the 
rule.
b. A Succinct Statement of the Objectives of, and Legal Basis for, the 
Proposed Rule
    DHS objectives and legal authority for this proposed rule are 
discussed in Section II of the preamble.
c. A Description and, Where Feasible, an Estimate of the Number of 
Small Entities to Which the Proposed Changes Would Apply
    DHS believes the changes outlined in the proposed rule could affect 
the following types of groups that are involved in EB-5 investments: 
Entrepreneurs, regional centers, and new commercial enterprises (NCEs). 
Below, DHS identifies which of these groups may qualify as small 
entities under the RFA.

[[Page 4763]]

1. Entrepreneurs
    An entrepreneur who wishes to immigrate to the United States must 
file an Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur (Form I-526). DHS 
analysis of filing data for the Form I-526 reveals that for FY 2013-
2015 an average of 10,547 EB-5 foreign entrepreneurs filed Form I-526 
petitions to DHS annually, and DHS forecasts that over the next ten 
years the annual average will be about 16,000. Form I-526 petitions are 
filed by individuals who voluntarily apply for immigration benefits on 
their own behalf and thus do not meet the definition of a small entity. 
Therefore, entrepreneurs were not considered further for purposes of 
this RFA.
2. Regional Centers
    As previously mentioned, the small entity status of regional 
centers is very difficult to determine because of the lack of official 
data concerning employment, income, and industry classification of the 
regional center itself. Regional centers use Form I-924 to obtain 
regional center designation and use Form I-924A to demonstrate 
continued eligibility for regional center designation annually. The 
information provided by regional center applicants as part of the Form 
I-924 and I-924A processes does not include adequate data to allow DHS 
to reliably identify the small entity status of individual applicants. 
Although regional center applicants typically report the North American 
Industry Classification (NAICS) codes associated with the sectors they 
plan to direct investor funds toward, these codes do not necessarily 
apply to the regional centers themselves. In addition, information 
provided to DHS concerning regional centers generally does not include 
regional center revenues or employment.
    DHS nonetheless attempted to identify how many regional centers may 
be small entities. DHS obtained a sample of 440 regional centers 
operating 5,886 projects. At the time of DHS's analysis, there were 790 
approved regional centers.\81\ DHS used subscription and publicly 
available data to identify those regional centers that may qualify as 
small entities by trying to obtain revenue information or information 
on the number of employees and the NAICS codes. Obtaining the revenue 
or employee count and NAICS codes would allow DHS to determine if the 
regional center was a small entity as recommended by the SBA. For the 
vast majority of the entities in the sample, DHS could not conclusively 
determine the entity's small entity status. For 15 of the regional 
centers in the sample, search queries generated preliminary results, 
but DHS could not confirm them as the entities of interest. This is 
because regional centers often utilize very broad terms, such as a 
combination of the term ``regional center'' and the name of the state, 
city, or geographic area in which the regional center is located. Non-
regional center entities, such as local economic development 
organizations, as well as consultancies and legal units involved in the 
EB-5 program, often utilize very similar or even exact name syntax, 
and, as such, the multiple initial results could not be de-conflicted. 
For about 5 of the target regional centers, DHS could reasonably verify 
the results of the search query. However, such a low response 
proportion prevents DHS from drawing statistically valid conclusions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \81\ DHS attempted to conduct a small entity analysis on 
regional centers for another DHS rule in January 2016.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DHS did not attempt to determine the small entity status of 
regional centers based on the bundled capital investment amounts 
available to such regional centers. Such bundled investments are not 
indicative of whether the regional center is appropriately 
characterized as a small entity for purposes of the RFA because there 
is no way to know, based solely on the information available, how much 
of these bundled investment amounts are used for the investment 
projects that the regional center may be affiliated with and how much 
may be used as administrative fees paid to the regional center. DHS 
assumes that some amount of the administrative fees contribute to a 
regional center's revenue, and if DHS were able to obtain information 
on administrative fees, along with industry data, DHS might be able to 
make a determination on whether the regional center was a small entity. 
DHS welcomes any public comment on data sources or information on 
regional centers, including their sources of revenue, their employment 
data, the industries in which they should be categorized, and other 
information relevant to their small entity status.
3. New Commercial Enterprises (NCEs)
    Similar to the challenges with identifying regional centers as 
small entities, DHS experienced challenges when attempting to identify 
NCEs as small entities, whether the NCE is affiliated with a regional 
center or not.
    First, NCEs can be involved with the job-creating activity in a 
variety of ways that create analytical challenges. Regional center NCEs 
usually are established to receive EB-5 funding, and then deploy the 
funding to a separate JCE. They can also engage in the job creating 
activity directly. Both regional center NCEs and non-regional center 
NCEs can fund multiple job creating activities. Under USCIS's current 
regulations at 8 CFR 204.6(e), an NCE can constitute a parent company 
and its wholly-owned subsidiaries and through these wholly-owned 
subsidiaries an NCE can also engage in job-creating activities in 
multiple industries. The multiplicity of ways in which an NCE can 
engage in the job creating activity make it difficult to assign a NAICS 
code to any particular entity that constitutes or comprises part of 
what is considered the NCE.
    Second, DHS does not require regional center applicants or 
petitioners to submit on their applications or petitions the type of 
revenue and employment data appropriate for analysis, regardless of the 
type of NCE or how it is structured.\82\ Although petitioners are 
required to submit a number of different types of documents to DHS to 
establish eligibility, DHS does not specifically require revenue or 
employment data for a specific NCE entity itself. Rather, petitioners 
relying on future job creation must provide a business plan for the 
job-creating activity (regardless of which entity is engaged in the 
activity), and the plan may contain projected revenues, although it is 
not required to. The business plan or an accompanying economic analysis 
will also project the expected number of jobs created by the EB-5 
investment. However, these are projections only. It is not appropriate 
to use these projected revenues as a substitute for actual revenues in 
this analysis. For these reasons, although DHS recognizes that the 
proposed rule could result in some impacts to NCEs that may be small 
entities, DHS cannot feasibly or reliably estimate the number of such 
small entities that could be impacted. DHS requests comments from the 
public that provide more information how to identify the small entity 
status of NCEs, what the potential impacts of the rule might be on 
small entity NCEs, and whether and to what extent those impacts could 
be transferred to small entity regional centers.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \82\ DHS notes that regional centers and individual petitioners 
provide such information regarding the NCEs with which the regional 
centers are associated or in which the petitioners have invested.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Page 4764]]

4. Job-Creating Entities (JCEs)
    Due to the complex nature of the EB-5 program and the various 
structures involved, DHS assumes that the proposed provisions that 
would increase the investment amount or change the TEA designation 
criteria could indirectly impact the JCEs. However, DHS requests public 
comment on this assumption given the various structures that are 
possible under the EB-5 program. Due to data capture limitations, it is 
not feasible for DHS to reliably estimate the number of JCEs at this 
time. DHS anticipates forthcoming form revisions that may collect 
additional data on JCEs that receive EB-5 capital, and expects to be 
able to examine this more closely in the future.
d. A Description of the Projected Reporting, Recordkeeping, and Other 
Compliance Requirements of the Proposed Rule, Including an Estimate of 
the Classes of Small Entities That Will Be Subject to the Requirement 
and the Types of Professional Skills
    The proposed rule does not directly impose any new or additional 
``reporting'' or ``recordkeeping'' requirements on filers of Forms I-
526, I-829 or I-924. The proposed rule does not require any new 
professional skills for reporting. However, the proposed rule may 
create some additional time burden costs related to reviewing the 
proposed provisions, as is discussed above. As noted above, DHS 
believes that lawyers would likely review the rule and that it would 
take about 4 hours to review and inform any additional parties of the 
changes in this proposed rule. Based on the BLS ``Occupational 
Employment Statistics (OES)'' dataset, the 2015 mean hourly wage for a 
lawyer was $65.51.\83\ DHS burdens this rate by a multiple of 1.46, 
consistent with other rulemakings, to account for other compensation 
and benefits, to arrive at an hourly cost of $95.64, or $382.56 per 
entity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \83\ Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2015 National Occupational 
Employment and Wage Estimates United States, https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#23-0000.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    While DHS has estimated these costs, and assumes that they may 
affect some small entities, for reasons stated previously, data 
limitations prevent DHS from determining how many such small entities 
may be impacted or the extent of the impact to the small entities.
e. An Identification of All Relevant Federal Rules, to the Extent 
Practical, That May Duplicate, Overlap, or Conflict With the Proposed 
Rule
    DHS is unaware of any duplicative, overlapping, or conflicting 
Federal rules, but invites any comment and information regarding any 
such rules.
f. Description of Any Significant Alternatives to the Proposed Rule 
That Accomplish the Stated Objectives of Applicable Statutes and That 
Minimize Any Significant Economic Impact of the Proposed Rule on Small 
Entities
    This proposed rule would modernize and make necessary updates to 
the EB-5 program. While DHS knows that some regional centers may be 
considered small entities, DHS does not have enough data to determine 
the impact that this proposed rule may have on those entities.
    With respect to the proposal to reform the TEA designation process, 
DHS considered several alternatives, but found that they did not 
feasibly accomplish the stated objective of INA section 
203(b)(5)(B)(ii). One alternative DHS considered was limiting the 
geographic or political subdivision of TEA configurations to an area 
containing up to, but no more than, 12 contiguous census tracts, an 
option currently used by the state of California in its TEA designation 
process.\84\ However, DHS is not confident that this option is 
necessarily appropriate for nationwide application, as the limitation 
to 12 census tracts may be justifiable for reasons specific to 
California but may not be feasible on a national scale.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \84\ See Cal. Governor's Office of Bus. and Econ. Dev., EB-5 
Investor Visa Program, available at http://business.ca.gov/International/EB5Program.aspx.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Another significant alternative DHS considered that would be 
relatively straightforward to implement and understand would be to 
limit the geographic or political subdivision of the TEA to the actual 
project tract(s). While this option would be easy to put in practice 
for both stakeholders and the agency, it was considered too restrictive 
in that it would exclude immediately adjacent areas that would be 
impacted by the investment.
    DHS also considered options based on a ``commuter pattern'' 
analysis, which focuses on defining a TEA as encompassing the area in 
which workers may live and be commuting from, rather than just where 
the investment is made and where the new commercial enterprise is 
principally doing business. The ``commuter pattern'' proposal was 
deemed too operationally burdensome to implement as it posed challenges 
in establishing standards to determine the relevant commuting area that 
would fairly account for variances across the country.\85\ In addition, 
DHS could not identify a commuting-pattern standard that would 
appropriately limit the geographic scope of a TEA designation 
consistent with the statute and the policy goals of this proposed 
regulation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \85\ DHS reviewed a proposed commuter pattern analysis 
incorporating the data table, Federal Highway Administration, CTPP 
2006-2010 Census Tract Flows, available at (http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/census_issues/ctpp/data_products/2006-2010_tract_flows/) 
(last updated Mar. 25, 2014). DHS found the required steps to 
properly manipulate the Census Transportation Planning Product 
(CTPP) database might prove overly burdensome for petitioners with 
insufficient economic and statistical analysis backgrounds. Further, 
upon contacting the agency responsible to manage the CTPP data 
table, DHS was informed that the 2006-2010 CTPP data is unlikely to 
be updated prior to FY2018 to incorporate proposed changes to the 
data table. U.S. Census is currently reviewing the CTPP proposed 
changes. As an alternate methodology for TEA commuter pattern 
analysis, DHS reviewed data from the U.S. Census tool, On the Map, 
http://onthemap.ces.census.gov/ gov/, which is tied to the U.S. Census 
Bureau's American Community Survey. Although the interface appeared 
to be more user-friendly overall, using this data would be 
operationally burdensome, potentially requiring hours of review to 
obtain the appropriate unemployment rates for the commuting area.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    With respect to the minimum investment amount provision, DHS also 
considered an alternative to the proposed increase to the investment 
amount for TEAs. Specifically, DHS considered the alternative of 
setting the reduced TEA investment amount to $900,000 instead of 
$1,350,000, consistent with the existing regulatory framework.\86\ DHS 
is proposing a 75 percent reduction rather than a 50 percent reduction 
to better balance the Congressional aim of incentivizing investment in 
TEAs with the goal of encouraging greater investment in the United 
States more generally. History has shown that a 50 percent reduction 
coincides with an extremely large imbalance in favor of TEA 
investments, at the expense of additional overall investment and 
therefore economic benefit that may accrue to the U.S. economy more 
generally. Removing the TEA discount entirely, although allowable by 
statute, would run the risk of removing the incentive to invest in TEAs 
altogether. Setting the reduced minimum investment at 75 percent of the 
standard minimum investment amount (i.e., the midpoint between the 
maximum discount and no discount)

[[Page 4765]]

likely would produce greater investment levels in absolute terms while 
still providing, given the very significant imbalance in favor of TEAs 
produced by the 50 percent discount, a meaningful incentive to invest 
in TEAs.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \86\ The current reduced minimum investment amount ($500,000) is 
50 percent of the standard minimum investment amount ($1,000,000).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    DHS is requesting comments on other alternatives that may minimize 
the impacts to small entities.

F. Executive Order 12988

    This rule meets the applicable standards set forth in sections 3(a) 
and 3(b)(2) of Executive Order 12988.

G. National Environmental Policy Act

    DHS Directive (Dir) 023-01 Rev. 01 establishes the procedures that 
DHS and its components use to comply with NEPA and the Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing NEPA. 40 CFR 
parts 1500-1508. The CEQ regulations allow federal agencies to 
establish, with CEQ review and concurrence, categories of actions 
(``categorical exclusions'') which experience has shown do not 
individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human 
environment and, therefore, do not require an Environmental Assessment 
(EA) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). 40 CFR 1507.3(b)(2)(ii) 
and 1508.4. Dir. 023-01 Rev. 01 establishes Categorical Exclusions that 
DHS has found to have no such effect. Dir. 023-01 Rev. 01 Appendix A 
Table 1. For an action to be categorically excluded from further NEPA 
review, Dir. 023-01 Rev. 01 requires the action to satisfy each of the 
following three conditions: (1) The entire action clearly fits within 
one or more of the Categorical Exclusions; (2) the action is not a 
piece of a larger action; and (3) no extraordinary circumstances exist 
that create the potential for a significant environmental effect. Dir. 
023-01 Rev. 01 section V.B(1)-(3).
    DHS analyzed this action and does not consider it to significantly 
affect the quality of the human environment. This proposed rule would 
change a number of eligibility requirements and introduce priority date 
retention for certain immigrant investor petitioners. It would also 
amend existing regulations to reflect statutory changes and codify 
existing EB-5 program policies and procedures. DHS has determined that 
this rule does not individually or cumulatively have a significant 
effect on the human environment because it fits within Categorical 
Exclusion number A3(d) in Dir. 023-01 Rev. 01, Appendix A, Table 1, for 
rules that interpret or amend an existing regulation without changing 
its environmental effect.
    This rule is not part of a larger action and presents no 
extraordinary circumstances creating the potential for significant 
environmental effects. This rule is categorically excluded from further 
NEPA review.

H. Paperwork Reduction Act

    Under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, all Departments 
are required to submit to OMB, for review and approval, any reporting 
requirements inherent in a rule. See Public Law 104-13, 109 Stat. 163 
(May 22, 1995). USCIS is revising one information collection and 
requesting public comments on the proposed change as follows: Immigrant 
Petitioner by Alien Entrepreneur (Form I-526) to collect additional 
information about the new commercial enterprise into which the 
petitioner is investing to determine the eligibility of qualified 
individuals to enter the United States to engage in commercial 
enterprises. DHS is requesting comments on the proposed information 
collection changes included in this rulemaking. Comments on this 
revised information collection should address one or more of the 
following four points:
    (1) Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility;
    (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    (3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, such as permitting electronic 
submission of responses.
Overview of Information Collection--Form I-526
    a. Type of information collection: Revision to a currently approved 
information collection.
    b. Abstract: USCIS uses this information collection to determine if 
an alien can enter the U.S. to engage in commercial enterprise.
    c. Title of Form/Collection: Immigrant Petitioner by Alien 
Entrepreneur.
    d. Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the 
DHS sponsoring the collection: Form I-526; USCIS.
    e. Affected public who will be asked or required to respond: 
Individuals.
    f. An estimate of the total number of respondents: 15,990 
respondents.
    g. Hours per response: 1 hour and 50 minutes.
    h. Total Annual Reporting Burden: 29,261 burden hours.

List of Subjects

8 CFR Part 204

    Administrative practice and procedure, Adoption and foster care, 
Immigration, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

8 CFR Part 216

    Administrative practice and procedure, Aliens.

Proposed Regulatory Amendments

    Accordingly, DHS proposes to amend chapter I of title 8 of the Code 
of Federal Regulations as follows:

PART 204--IMMIGRANT PETITIONS

0
1. The authority citation for part 204 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  8 U.S.C. 1101, 1103, 1151, 1153, 1154, 1182, 1184, 
1186a, 1255, 1324a, 1641; 8 CFR part 2.

0
2. Section 204.6 is amended by:
0
a. Revising the title of the section, paragraphs (a), (c), and (d); and
0
 b. Amending paragraph (e) by:
0
i. Removing the terms ``Immigrant Investor Pilot'' and ``Pilot'' and 
adding in their place the term ``Regional Center'' in the definitions 
for Employee and Full-time employment;
0
ii. Removing the term ``entrepreneur'' and adding ``investor'' in the 
definitions for Capital, Invest, Qualifying employee, and Troubled 
business;
0
iii. Revising the definitions for Rural area and Targeted employment 
area;
    Adding a new definition for Regional Center Program;
0
iv. Replacing ``Form I-526'' with ``EB-5 immigrant petition'';
0
 c. Revising paragraphs (f)(1), (f)(2), and (f)(3);
0
 d. Amending paragraph (g)(1) by removing the term ``entrepreneur'' and 
adding in its place the term ``investor'' and revising paragraph 
(g)(2).
0
e. Revising paragraph (i);
0
f. Revising the paragraph (j)(2)(iii), (5) introductory text and 
(5)(iii), (6)(i), and (6)(ii)(B);
0
g. Revising paragraph (k);
    The revisions and addition read as follows:


Sec.  204.6  Petitions for employment creation immigrants.

    (a) General. An EB-5 immigrant petition to classify an alien under

[[Page 4766]]

section 203(b)(5) of the Act must be properly filed in accordance with 
the form instructions, with the appropriate fee(s), initial evidence, 
and any other supporting documentation.
* * * * *
    (c) Eligibility to file and continued eligibility. An alien may 
file a petition for classification as an investor on his or her own 
behalf.
    (d) Priority date. The priority date of an approved EB-5 immigrant 
petition will apply to any subsequently filed petition for 
classification under section 203(b)(5) of the Act for which the alien 
qualifies. A denied petition will not establish a priority date. A 
priority date is not transferable to another alien. The priority date 
of an approved petition shall not be conferred to a subsequently filed 
petition if the alien was lawfully admitted to the United States for 
conditional residence under section 203(b)(5) of the Act based upon 
that approved petition or if at any time USCIS revokes the approval of 
the petition based on:
    (1) Fraud, or a willful misrepresentation of a material fact by the 
petitioner; or
    (2) A determination by USCIS that the petition approval was based 
on a material error.
    (e) * * *
    Regional Center Program means the program established by Public Law 
102-395, Section 610, as amended.
    Rural area means any area other than an area within a metropolitan 
statistical area (as designated by the Office of Management and Budget) 
or within the outer boundary of any city or town having a population of 
20,000 or more based on the most recent decennial census of the United 
States.
    Targeted employment area means an area that, at the time of 
investment, is a rural area or is designated as an area that has 
experienced unemployment of at least 150 percent of the national 
average rate.
    (f) * * *
    (1) General. Unless otherwise specified, for EB-5 immigrant 
petitions filed on or after [INSERT EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE], the 
amount of capital necessary to make a qualifying investment in the 
United States is one million eight hundred thousand United States 
dollars ($1,800,000). Beginning on October 1, [INSERT YEAR FIVE YEARS 
AFTER EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL RULE], and every five years thereafter, 
this amount will automatically adjust for petitions filed on or after 
each adjustment's effective date, based on the cumulative annual 
percentage change in the unadjusted All Items Consumer Price Index for 
All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the U.S. City Average reported by the 
Bureau of Labor Statistics for the previous five years. The qualifying 
investment amount will be rounded down to the nearest hundred thousand. 
DHS may update this figure by publication of a technical amendment in 
the Federal Register.
    (2) Targeted employment area. Unless otherwise specified, for EB-5 
immigrant petitions filed on or after [INSERT EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL 
RULE], the amount of capital necessary to make a qualifying investment 
in a targeted employment area in the United States is one million three 
hundred and fifty thousand United States dollars ($1,350,000). 
Beginning on October 1, [INSERT DATE YEAR FIVE YEARS AFTER EFFECTIVE 
DATE OF FINAL RULE], and every five years thereafter, this amount will 
automatically adjust for petitions filed on or after each adjustment's 
effective date, to be equal to 75 percent of the standard minimum 
investment amount described in paragraph (f)(1) of this section. DHS 
may update this figure by publication of a technical amendment in the 
Federal Register.
    (3) High employment area. Unless otherwise specified, for EB-5 
immigrant petitions filed on or after [INSERT EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL 
RULE], the amount of capital necessary to make a qualifying investment 
in a high employment area in the United States is one million eight 
hundred thousand United States dollars ($1,800,000). Beginning on 
October 1, [INSERT DATE YEAR FIVE YEARS AFTER EFFECTIVE DATE OF FINAL 
RULE], and every five years thereafter, this amount will automatically 
adjust for petitions filed on or after each adjustment's effective 
date, based on the cumulative annual percentage change in the 
unadjusted All Items Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-
U) for the U.S. City Average reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics 
for the previous five years. The qualifying investment amount will be 
rounded down to the nearest hundred thousand. DHS may update this 
figure by publication of a technical amendment in the Federal Register.
    (g) * * *
    (1) * * *
    (2) Employment creation allocation. The total number of full-time 
positions created for qualifying employees shall be allocated solely to 
those alien investors who have used the establishment of the new 
commercial enterprise as the basis for a petition. No allocation must 
be made among persons not seeking classification under section 
203(b)(5) of the Act or among non-natural persons, either foreign or 
domestic. USCIS will recognize any reasonable agreement made among the 
alien investors in regard to the identification and allocation of such 
qualifying positions.
* * * * *
    (i) Special designation of a high unemployment area. USCIS may 
designate a particular geographic or political subdivision as an area 
of high unemployment (at least 150 percent of the national average 
rate). Such geographic or political subdivision must be composed of the 
census tract or contiguous census tracts in which the new commercial 
enterprise is principally doing business, and may also include any or 
all census tracts contiguous to such census tract(s). The weighted 
average of the unemployment rate for the subdivision, based on the 
labor force employment measure for each census tract, must be at least 
150 percent of the national average unemployment rate.
* * * * *
    (j) * * *
    (2) * * *
    (iii) Evidence of property transferred from abroad for use in the 
United States enterprise, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection 
commercial entry documents, bills of lading, and transit insurance 
policies containing ownership information and sufficient information to 
identify the property and to indicate the fair market value of such 
property;
* * * * *
    (5) To show that the petitioner is or will be engaged in the new 
commercial enterprise, either through the exercise of day-to-day 
managerial control or through policy formulation, the petition must be 
accompanied by:
* * * * *
    (iii) Evidence that the petitioner is engaged in policy making 
activities. For purposes of this section, a petitioner will be 
considered sufficiently engaged in policy making activities if the 
petitioner is an equity holder in the new commercial enterprise and the 
organizational documents of the new commercial enterprise provide the 
petitioner with certain rights, powers, and duties normally granted to 
equity holders of the new commercial enterprise's type of entity in the 
jurisdiction in which the new commercial enterprise is organized.
* * * * *
    (6) * * *
    (i) In the case of a rural area, evidence that the new commercial 
enterprise is

[[Page 4767]]

principally doing business within a civil jurisdiction not located 
within any standard metropolitan statistical area as designated by the 
Office of Management and Budget, nor within any city or town having a 
population of 20,000 or more as based on the most recent decennial 
census of the United States; or
    (ii) In the case of a high unemployment area:
    (A) Evidence that the metropolitan statistical area, the specific 
county within a metropolitan statistical area, the county in which a 
city or town with a population of 20,000 or more is located, or the 
city or town with a population of 20,000 or more, in which the new 
commercial enterprise is principally doing business has experienced an 
average unemployment rate of at least 150 percent of the national 
average rate; or
    (B) A description of the boundaries of the geographic or political 
subdivision and the unemployment statistics in the area for which 
designation is sought as set forth in 8 CFR 204.6(i), and the reliable 
method or methods by which the unemployment statistics were obtained.
    (k) Decision. The petitioner will be notified of the decision, and, 
if the petition is denied, of the reasons for the denial. The 
petitioner has the right to appeal the denial to the Administrative 
Appeals Office in accordance with the provisions of part 103 of this 
chapter.
* * * * *

PART 216--CONDITIONAL BASIS OF LAWFUL PERMANENT RESIDENCE STATUS

0
3. The authority citation for part 216 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 8 U.S.C. 1101, 1103, 1154; 1184, 1186a, 1186b, and 8 
CFR part 2.

0
4. Amend Sec.  216.6 by
0
a. Revising paragraph (a)(1) introductory text;
0
b. Removing ``Form I-829, Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove 
Conditions'' from paragraph (a)(1)(i);
0
c. Removing and reserving paragraph (a)(4)(i);
0
d. Replacing ``entrepreneur'' with ``investor'' in paragraph 
(a)(4)(iv);
0
e. Revising paragraphs (a)(5) and (6);
0
f. Revising paragraph (b);
0
g. Removing and reserving paragraph (c)(1)(i) and revising paragraphs 
(c)(2); and
0
h. Revising paragraph (d).
    The revisions to read as follows:


Sec.  216.6  Petition by investor to remove conditional basis of lawful 
permanent resident status.

    (a) * * *
    (1) General procedures. (i) A petition to remove the conditional 
basis of the permanent resident status of an investor accorded 
conditional permanent residence pursuant to section 203(b)(5) of the 
Act must be filed by the investor with the appropriate fee. The 
investor must file within the 90-day period preceding the second 
anniversary of the date on which the investor acquired conditional 
permanent residence. Before the petition may be considered as properly 
filed, it must be accompanied by the fee required under 8 CFR 
103.7(b)(1), and by documentation as described in paragraph (a)(4) of 
this section, and it must be properly signed by the investor. Upon 
receipt of a properly filed petition, the investor's conditional 
permanent resident status shall be extended automatically, if 
necessary, until such time as USCIS has adjudicated the petition.
    (ii) The investor's spouse and children may be included in the 
investor's petition to remove conditions. Where the investor's spouse 
and children are not included in the investor's petition to remove 
conditions, the spouse and each child must each file his or her own 
petition to remove the conditions on their permanent resident status, 
unless the investor is deceased. If the investor is deceased, the 
spouse and children may file separate petitions or may be included in 
one petition. A child who reached the age of 21 or who married during 
the period of conditional permanent residence, or a former spouse who 
became divorced from the investor during the period of conditional 
permanent residence, may be included in the investor's petition or must 
each file a separate petition.
* * * * *
    (5) Termination of status for failure to file petition. Failure to 
properly file the petition to remove conditions within the 90-day 
period immediately preceding the second anniversary of the date on 
which the investor obtained lawful permanent residence on a conditional 
basis shall result in the automatic termination of the investor's 
permanent resident status and the initiation of removal proceedings. 
USCIS shall send a written notice of termination and a notice to appear 
to an investor who fails to timely file a petition for removal of 
conditions. No appeal shall lie from this decision; however, the 
investor may request a review of the determination during removal 
proceedings. In proceedings, the burden of proof shall rest with the 
investor to show by a preponderance of the evidence that he or she 
complied with the requirement to file the petition within the 
designated period. USCIS may deem the petition to have been filed prior 
to the second anniversary of the investor's obtaining conditional 
permanent resident status and accept and consider a late petition if 
the investor demonstrates to USCIS' satisfaction that failure to file a 
timely petition was for good cause and due to extenuating 
circumstances. If the late petition is filed prior to jurisdiction 
vesting with the immigration judge in proceedings and USCIS excuses the 
late filing and approves the petition, USCIS shall restore the 
investor's permanent resident status, remove the conditional basis of 
such status, and cancel any outstanding notice to appear in accordance 
with 8 CFR 239.2. If the petition is not filed until after jurisdiction 
vests with the immigration judge, the immigration judge may terminate 
the matter upon joint motion by the investor and DHS.
    (6) Death of investor and effect on spouse and children. If an 
investor dies during the prescribed 2-year period of conditional 
permanent residence, the spouse and children of the investor will be 
eligible for removal of conditions if it can be demonstrated that the 
conditions set forth in paragraph (a)(4) of this section have been met.
    (b) Petition review. (1) Authority to waive interview. USCIS shall 
review the petition to remove conditions and the supporting documents 
to determine whether to waive the interview required by the Act. If 
satisfied that the requirements set forth in paragraph (c)(1) of this 
section have been met, USCIS may waive the interview and approve the 
petition. If not so satisfied, then USCIS may require that an interview 
of the investor be conducted.
    (2) Location of interview. Unless waived, an interview relating to 
the petition to remove conditions for investors shall be conducted by a 
USCIS immigration officer at the office that has jurisdiction over 
either the location of the investor's commercial enterprise in the 
United States, the investor's residence in the United States, or the 
location of the adjudication of the petition, at the agency's 
discretion.
    (3) Termination of status for failure to appear for interview. If 
the investor fails to appear for an interview in connection with the 
petition when requested by USCIS, the investor's permanent resident 
status will be automatically terminated as of the second anniversary of 
the date on which the investor obtained permanent residence. The 
investor will be provided with written notification of the termination 
and the reasons therefore, and a notice to appear shall be issued 
placing the investor in removal proceedings. The investor may

[[Page 4768]]

seek review of the decision to terminate his or her status in such 
proceedings, but the burden shall be on the investor to establish by a 
preponderance of the evidence that he or she complied with the 
interview requirements. If the investor has failed to appear for a 
scheduled interview, he or she may submit a written request to USCIS 
asking that the interview be rescheduled or that the interview be 
waived. That request should explain his or her failure to appear for 
the scheduled interview, and if a request for waiver of the interview, 
the reasons such waiver should be granted. If USCIS determines that 
there is good cause for granting the request, the interview may be 
rescheduled or waived, as appropriate. If USCIS waives the interview, 
USCIS shall restore the investor's conditional permanent resident 
status, cancel any outstanding notice to appear in accordance with 8 
CFR 239.2, and proceed to adjudicate the investor's petition. If USCIS 
reschedules that investor's interview, he or she shall restore the 
investor's conditional permanent resident status, and cancel any 
outstanding notice to appear cause in accordance with 8 CFR 239.2.
    (c) * * *
    (2) If derogatory information is determined regarding any of these 
issues or it becomes known to the government that the investor obtained 
his or her investment funds through other than legal means, USCIS shall 
offer the investor the opportunity to rebut such information. If the 
investor fails to overcome such derogatory information or evidence that 
the investment funds were obtained through other than legal means, 
USCIS may deny the petition, terminate the investor's permanent 
resident status, and issue a notice to appear. If derogatory 
information not relating to any of these issues is determined during 
the course of the interview, such information shall be forwarded to the 
investigations unit for appropriate action. If no unresolved derogatory 
information is determined relating to these issues, the petition shall 
be approved and the conditional basis of the investor's permanent 
resident status removed, regardless of any action taken or contemplated 
regarding other possible grounds for removal.
    (d) Decision. (1) Approval. If, after initial review or after the 
interview, USCIS approves the petition, USCIS will remove the 
conditional basis of the investor's permanent resident status as of the 
second anniversary of the date on which the investor acquired 
conditional permanent residence. USCIS shall provide written notice of 
the decision to the investor. USCIS may request the investor and 
derivative family members to appear for biometrics at a USCIS facility 
for processing for a new Permanent Resident Card.
    (2) Denial. If, after initial review or after the interview, USCIS 
denies the petition, USCIS will provide written notice to the investor 
of the decision and the reason(s) therefore, and shall issue a notice 
to appear. The investor's lawful permanent resident status and that of 
his or her spouse and any children shall be terminated as of the date 
of USCIS' written decision. The investor shall also be instructed to 
surrender any Permanent Resident Card previously issued by USCIS. No 
appeal shall lie from this decision; however, the investor may seek 
review of the decision in removal proceedings. In proceedings, the 
burden shall rest with USCIS to establish by a preponderance of the 
evidence that the facts and information in the investor's petition for 
removal of conditions are not true and that the petition was properly 
denied.

Jeh Charles Johnson,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-00447 Filed 1-12-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-97-P