New RCs (CA, LA, TX), RIMS II Cut
July 2, 2013 5 Comments
The USCIS Regional Center list has been updated with six new centers, for a total of 58 new approvals in 2013.
Louisiana
Continental Americas Regional Center
Website: http://www.carceb5.com/California
American Greenland Regional CenterAmerican Vantage Regional Center
Golden Bear Regional Center
Lake Elsinore Regional Center
Texas
Ameri-Link Capital Regional Center
Website: http://amerilinkcapital.com/
(Note: See my Regional Center directory page for my most updated listings for all RCs. And please email me if you would like to provide additional information regarding your RC.)
It’s interesting to note that three of the new California centers (American Greenland, American Vantage, and Golden Bear) each filed a suit in California Central District Court on 2/8/2013 against Daniel M Renaud et al.
Also, I’m belatedly aware that the Bureau of Economic Analysis is eliminating RIMS II as part of its sequestration reductions! RIMS II has been one of the most popular methodologies for EB-5 economic impact reports in recent years, and we’ll be sorry to see it go. It’s lucky that USCIS is no longer requiring Regional Centers to file amendments to change economic methodologies. To quote from a 6/19/2013 notice from the BEA:
Regional Input-Output Modeling System (RIMS) – BEA will eliminate its RIMS II product, which currently generates products on demand as events warrant. The RIMS II program will continue to accept and process orders, which are fulfilled on a cost-recovery basis, through the end of the fiscal year. BEA will not build and develop the data needed to update the data set and fulfill orders in future years. RIMS II provides modeled estimates to the private sector and Federal, state, and local governments on the impact of a change in economic activity on a specific region’s economies. For example, RIMS II was used to estimate the economic impacts of Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon Event.
EB-5 Updates 
What are the exact implications for a project which already got a job study based on RIMS II but has not yet submitted any I-526s?
I’d ask the economist whether there could be any implications at the I-829 stage, when job creation needs to be verified.
I doubt there is any implications. Besides, that’s an issue for attorneys, not economists.
I don’t think that it will have any effect on existing work products. It merely will not be available as an option in the future.
Why some regional center was terminated? Is there any criterion to keep the status/license of regional center?