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On March 11, 2022, Congress passed the “EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act” as part of the Omnibus spending bill. See blog post here. On April 11, 2022, USCIS posted an interpretation of the legislation that would nullify all 600-plus designated regional centers and require all entities to be re-designated in order to be authorized to file petitions under the new law pursuant to provisions effective May 14, 2022. This interpretation was challenged in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California by the EB-5 Investment Coalition (EB5IC) through one of its members. Greenberg Traurig, as counsel for the plaintiff, argued strongly that USCIS’ interpretation ran counter to the plain language of the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act (RIA) and violated the Administrative Procedure Act because USCIS failed to properly engage in reasoned decision-making as required by law. Today, the Court agreed and enjoined USCIS from treating as deauthorized previously designated regional centers and declared they must be permitted to operate within the regime created by the RIA. As the Court stated, “[t]his includes processing new I‑526 petitions from immigrants investing through previously authorized regional centers…just as the agency would do for a newly approved regional center.” As a result of this ruling, all previously designated regional centers retain their existing designation and can continue to operate.

In remarks, the Court found a strong likelihood of success on the merits by the Plaintiff. The Court concluded that “USCIS was almost certainly wrong” when it deauthorized all existing regional centers. After a thorough analysis the Court found the RIA to be “silent or ambiguous” on the question of whether Congress intended to deauthorized existing regional centers. If Congress had intended to take such a drastic step, it should or could have done so more explicitly and transparently. An absence of such explicit instruction coupled with various “hints” in the RIA that Congress intended for existing regional centers to remain designated was sufficient for the Court to find that the RIA was ambiguous. Thus, the Court concluded that USCIS’ decision rested on “an erroneous view of the law,” the Plaintiff is “exceedingly likely (if not certain)” to prevail on the merits.

While this is a victory for the Plaintiff, it remains to be seen how USCIS will act or whether USCIS will appear and seek a stay of this ruling and/or decide to embark on new rulemaking. USCIS is still permitted to engage in “reasoned decision-making consistent with the Administrative Procedure Act” about how regional centers should be treated given certain ambiguities in the RIA. As the Court noted, it is possible that USCIS, after engaging in the required reasoned decision‑making process, could conclude that new regional center applications are required of existing regional centers. Alternatively, it is possible USCIS could simply allow regional centers to operate while applications for a renewed designation are pending. These are only two possible outcomes of many, and all eyes will be on USCIS’ next move. Subscribe to our blog for further updates.

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Photo of Dillon Colucci Dillon Colucci

Dillon R. Colucci practices and handles U.S. immigration concerns and helps individuals, families, professionals, skilled workers, investors, and businesses live, work, invest, and do business in the United States. Dillon handles a wide range of immigration matters, including nonimmigrant and immigrant employment-based cases.…

Dillon R. Colucci practices and handles U.S. immigration concerns and helps individuals, families, professionals, skilled workers, investors, and businesses live, work, invest, and do business in the United States. Dillon handles a wide range of immigration matters, including nonimmigrant and immigrant employment-based cases.

Dillon provides business immigration counsel to clients, including HR managers, high-level executives, and employees to pursue a positive immigration outcome for all stakeholders involved. Dillon has focused on administrative appeals work, successfully representing several clients in their appeals of adverse decisions. He also spends time on I-9 employment verification matters as well as H-1B and LCA compliance, including internal and external audits and reviews to minimize employer liability.

Additionally, Dillon focuses on EB-5 immigrant investor matters, regularly working with developers across a variety of industries, as well as private equity funds on developing new projects that qualify for EB-5 investments. This includes the creation of new Regional Centers, having projects adopted by existing Regional Centers or through pooled individual EB-5 petitions. Dillon also counsels foreign nationals on obtaining permanent residency through individual or Regional Center EB-5 investments.

Photo of Laura Foote Reiff ‡ Laura Foote Reiff ‡

Laura Foote Reiff has more than 32 years of experience representing businesses and organizations in the business immigration and compliance field. She is also a business immigration advocate and has long chaired prominent business immigration coalitions. Laura is Co-Founder of GT’s Business and

Laura Foote Reiff has more than 32 years of experience representing businesses and organizations in the business immigration and compliance field. She is also a business immigration advocate and has long chaired prominent business immigration coalitions. Laura is Co-Founder of GT’s Business and Immigration and Compliance Group which she co-led since 1999. She currently chairs the Northern Virginia/Washington D.C. Immigration and Compliance Practice. Laura is also Co-Managing Shareholder of the Northern Virginia Office of GT, a position she has held since 2010. As a global leader in the business immigration community, Laura has served on the Boards of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the American Immigration Council, the National Immigration Forum and is currently the Chair of the America is Better Board.

Laura advises corporations on a variety of compliance-related issues, particularly related to Form I-9 eligibility employment verification matters. Laura has been involved in audits and internal investigations and has successfully minimized monetary exposure as well as civil and criminal liabilities on behalf of her clients. She develops immigration compliance strategies and programs for both small and large companies. Laura performs I-9, H-1B and H-2B compliance inspections during routine internal reviews, while performing due diligence (in the context of a merger, acquisition or sale) or while defending a company against a government investigation.

Laura represents many businesses in creating, managing and using “Regional Centers” that can create indirect jobs toward the 10 new U.S. jobs whose creation can give rise to EB-5 permanent residence for investment. She coordinates this work with attorneys practicing in securities law compliance, with economists identifying “targeted employment areas” and projecting indirect job creation, and with licensed securities brokers coordinating offerings. She also represents individual investors in obtaining conditional permanent residence and in removing conditions from permanent residence.

Laura’s practice also consists of managing business immigration matters and providing immigration counsel to address the visa and work authorization needs of U.S. and global personnel including professionals, managers and executives, treaty investors/ traders, essential workers, persons of extraordinary ability, corporate trainees, and students. She is an immigration policy advocacy expert and works on immigration reform policies.

 Admitted in the District of Columbia and Maryland. Not admitted in Virginia. Practice limited to federal immigration practice.