EB–5 Regional Center Program Advisory Committee Authorization Act

New EB-5 advisory committee created

If enacted, USCIS would create an EB-5 Regional Center Program Advisory Committee to advise the USCIS Director. The committee would be formed within 180 days and could have up to 35 members. Members must include regional centers in good standing that have sponsored at least two projects in the same category. Each member would serve two-year terms and may be reappointed for up to six consecutive terms; the committee would pick a chair for a four-year term. The committee could not make case- or petition-specific recommendations and would end when all EB-5 benefits filed under INA 203(b)(5) and 216A and related laws are adjudicated. The committee must meet at least quarterly, hold one public meeting each year, and keep attendance records. It would have required subcommittees (Administration, Impact, Policy) that meet quarterly and at least once in person yearly. The committee would send an annual report to the Secretary and USCIS Director and the Director would publish a public version within six months; the Director must also brief the House and Senate Judiciary and Appropriations Committees each fiscal quarter after enactment. Members would not receive pay or benefits for service, except federal employees could receive pay incidental to their federal duties.