New York · est. 2013Saturday, September 5, 2026
Inside Immigration

Plain-language guides to US immigration, asylum and USCIS procedure.

Forms

I-956F Application for Approval of an Investment in a Commercial Enterprise

The project application a regional center files before its investors can file I-526E petitions. USCIS reviews the business plan, the economic analysis, and the offering documents once, for the whole project, rather than investor by investor.

Fee
$17,795
Fee waiver
Not available
Who files
Approved regional centers.
Where to file
By mail to the USCIS Immigrant Investor Program Office.
Processing time
6.8 months (FY 2026 national median through June 30, 2026)

Usually filed with

Part of these processes

What changed in 2025 and 2026

  • The project-level approval must be in place before investors can file Form I-526E against it.

Official page. https://www.uscis.gov/i-956f. Download the form there, never from a third-party site; check the edition date and fee before filing.