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SELKIRK · EB-5 FIELD GUIDE

Can a promoter's stated processing timeline be relied on for planning?

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THE DIRECT ANSWER

No. Actual timing depends on petition adjudication, visa availability, and the specific investor's admissibility, none of which a promoter controls or can guarantee.

Confirm timing through official channels

Use current USCIS processing information and the Visa Bulletin with the actual case records. Conditional residence starts at immigrant-visa admission or adjustment approval, not investor-petition approval. I-829 is generally filed in the 90 days before its second anniversary; filing does not itself remove conditions or establish a repayment right. Commercial and government milestones must be tracked separately.

Adjudication times and the monthly bulletin's cut-off dates for their chargeability are outside anyone's control, which is why preparation should start immediately. A corporate approval does not guarantee an immigration decision, and a project deadline should not be treated as permission to omit necessary funding evidence. Review the timetable that applies to the petition and later removal of conditions; simply saying hiring will happen eventually is insufficient. Ask the lender for a term long enough to clear the condition-removal stage with margin, and check visa availability considerations in the Visa Bulletin before assuming a total duration.