Questions and Answers > EB-5 Processing Times

How does my current location impact my EB-5 consular processing timeline?

My EB-5 case was documentarily qualified in February 2023. I am a Pakistani national based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Approximately how long would I need to wait for consular processing? Would it be advisable to request an interview location change to my home city of Islamabad, Pakistan?

Answers

• Bernard P Wolfsdorf

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on November 27, 2023

  Change of location will slow it down, best to continue in your country of residence and I would expect to see an interview relatively soon, but maybe they are doing background checks.

• Benjamin Hu

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on October 2, 2023

  Islamabad is currently experiencing very long wait times due to US visa processing for immigrant visas for neighboring Afghan applicants. Each consular post may have its own internal rules and practices, even setting aside objective factors such as waiting times and workloads. If you have a valid reason to be in a third country, the US Department of State can accept an immigrant visa and interview application at that third country. It is advisable to consult with experienced immigration counsel to map out your consular process, as it is a vital step in your EB-5 US immigration journey.

• Stephen Berman

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on September 29, 2023

  I would guess Abu Dhabi is much faster than Islamabad.

• Sunwook Sunny An

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on September 29, 2023

  Different consular posts have different timelines for interviews based on their immigrant visa backlogs. We are not hearing too much about extreme delays in Pakistan or Abu Dhabi posts. Changing the post at this point will just delay the case, it will be just better to stick with the post that you have initially filed with. Generally, we are seeing that you get the interview in 8-9 months after you get the documentarily qualified notification.