EB-5 Premium Processing: What It Is and Who Qualifies

For EB-5 investors facing processing times that can stretch well beyond two years, the idea of paying a fee for guaranteed faster adjudication is deeply appealing. Premium processing, a service USCIS offers for several other immigration petition types, promises a decision within a fixed number of calendar days. Naturally, EB-5 applicants want to know whether this option is available to them, and if not, what alternatives exist for accelerating their cases. This article examines what premium processing is, its current availability (or lack thereof) for EB-5 petitions, the USCIS expansion timeline, and the practical alternatives investors can use to pursue faster outcomes. ## What Is Premium Processing? Premium processing is a service offered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that provides expedited adjudication of certain immigration petitions and applications. Under premium processing, USCIS guarantees an initial action on a case within a specified number of calendar days, typically 15...