U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that petitions and applications related to the Alien Entrepreneur (EB-5) immigrant classifications and Regional Center Proposals under the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Pilot Program must be filed at the California Service Center (CSC). A Federal Register  notice announcing the change was published on Jan. 9, 2009. Currently, EB-5 petitions and applications are filed at either the Texas Service Center (TSC) or the CSC, depending on where the alien’s commercial enterprise is located.   

USCIS has established a unit at the California Service Center comprised of specially-trained adjudicators dedicated to EB-5 adjudications.  By consolidating adjudications at the center, USCIS believes that it will be able to reduce overall processing times and better monitor EB-5 related adjudications.

Filing changes are effective Jan. 26, 2009.   For a 30-day period that began on Jan. 9 and ends Feb. 9, 2009, EB-5 related petitions and applications mailed to USCIS headquarters or the Texas Service Center will be forwarded to the California Service Center.  After February 9, EB-5 petitions and applications received at an incorrect filing location will be rejected and returned with instructions to re-file at the correct address.

For direct mail, send to:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
California Service Center Attn: EB-5 Processing Unit
P.O. Box 10526
Laguna Niguel, CA 92607-0526

For non-U.S. Postal Service deliveries (e.g. private couriers), send to:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
California Service Center Attn: EB-5 Processing Unit
24000 Avila Road, 2nd Floor
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677