Trust Tier Definitions and Assignment Criteria
Every data point on EB5Status carries exactly one trust tier. The tier communicates the provenance and reliability of the information at a glance, so readers never have to guess where a number came from or how much weight to give it.
Blue: Official Data
Data published directly by a U.S. government agency: USCIS, the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, or the Federal Register. Blue tier data is reproduced on EB5Status exactly as published, with no modification, interpolation, or adjustment.
Assignment criteria:
- •The data appears in an official government publication (website, report, bulletin, or Federal Register notice)
- •We can link directly to the original publication
- •No calculations, transformations, or interpretations have been applied
Examples:
Visa Bulletin cutoff dates. USCIS quarterly petition statistics (approvals, denials, pending). Processing time ranges from the USCIS Processing Times Tool. Federal Register proposed and final rulemaking notices.
Green: FOIA Data
Data obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests submitted to USCIS. Green tier data is official government data, but it was not proactively published. It was produced in response to a specific FOIA request and may have scope limitations, redactions, or caveats noted in the agency’s response letter.
Assignment criteria:
- •The data was received directly from USCIS in response to a FOIA request
- •We have the FOIA response letter and tracking number on file
- •We have verified the data against known published figures where overlap exists
Examples:
Service center level petition breakdowns. Processing time distributions by category. Detailed petition outcome data not available in published USCIS statistics.
Gray: Derived Data
Calculated by EB5Status from official (Blue) or FOIA (Green) data using a disclosed methodology. The underlying source data is authoritative, but the specific metric or comparison is our calculation. We describe the methodology in prose so that any reader can understand and reproduce the result.
Assignment criteria:
- •The inputs are Blue or Green tier data
- •The calculation methodology is documented on our methodology pages
- •The result is reproducible by a third party given the same inputs and methodology
Examples:
Visa bulletin month over month movement (days advanced or retrogressed). Year over year filing trend comparisons. Approval rate percentages calculated from USCIS petition counts.
Yellow: Estimated Data
Inferred from partial data, statistical models, or industry reports (IIUSA, AILA, practitioner surveys). Yellow tier data is clearly labeled with the methodology used and, where applicable, the confidence level of the estimate. It is never presented alongside Blue tier data without clear visual separation.
Assignment criteria:
- •The source is not a primary government publication
- •Or the data is the output of a model or estimation process (even if inputs are official)
- •The methodology and assumptions are disclosed
Examples:
Backlog estimates based on petition counts and processing rates. Industry survey results from IIUSA or AILA. Processing time estimates from practitioner reports.
Orange: Editorial
Analysis, commentary, and interpretation by EB5Status. Orange tier content does not carry data authority. It represents our informed perspective on trends, policy implications, and strategic considerations for EB-5 stakeholders. Editorial content is always clearly separated from data content.
Assignment criteria:
- •The content contains opinion, analysis, or interpretation
- •The content includes strategic recommendations or forward-looking assessments
- •The content synthesizes multiple data points into a narrative conclusion
Examples:
Trend analysis articles. Policy implication commentary. Market outlook discussions. “What this means for investors” sections on data pages.
Assignment Rules
Trust tier assignment follows strict rules designed to prevent ambiguity:
- 1.One tier per data point. Every data point on the site carries exactly one trust tier. There are no unclassified or unlabeled figures.
- 2.Tier follows source, not topic. The trust tier is determined by where the data came from, not what topic it covers. A visa bulletin cutoff date is Blue because it comes from the Department of State, not because it relates to visa availability.
- 3.Calculations downgrade the tier. If we calculate a metric from Blue data, the result is Gray (Derived), not Blue. The calculation step introduces our methodology as a variable, which warrants a different tier even though the inputs are official.
- 4.Official estimates remain Blue. If an official source publishes an estimate (for example, USCIS projecting future processing times), that estimate is Blue because the source is an official publication. Our own estimates of the same metric would be Yellow.
- 5.Mixed-source calculations use the lowest input tier. If a calculation uses both Blue and Yellow inputs, the result carries the Yellow tier, reflecting the least authoritative component.
Related Pages
Data Collection Process | How we gather and verify data from each source.
Data Update Schedule | Freshness commitments and staleness thresholds for each data source.
Full Methodology | Our complete data methodology, including confidence labels, calculation descriptions, and non-negotiable rules.
Last updated: April 2026
EB5 Status is for educational purposes only. Not legal or investment advice.