Page:USCIS Remarks by Sarah Kendall, Chief, IPO.pdf/2

 WELCOME


 * Good afternoon everyone. I’d like to begin my remarks by thanking the leadership of IIUSA for inviting USCIS to speak at today’s event.


 * Like many, if not all of you, I would much rather be talking to you in a live forum. Due to the pandemic’s restrictions, that isn’t possible. The Immigrant Investor Program Office, or IPO, and all of USCIS as a whole, is committed to ensuring continuity of mission performance even as the nation and the world struggles with a pandemic.


 * The pandemic is affecting IPO’s normal business practices. In mid-March, USCIS, like many federal agencies, maximized telework.


 * IPO staff have continued to work diligently, even in very constrained and unprecedented circumstances generated by the pandemic. They have adapted to the new environment – one of almost 100% telework. Our on-board staffing level currently consists of 232 dedicated people, including support staff, adjudicators, economists, Fraud Detection and National Security personnel, compliance officers, and others vital to the performance of the IPO mission.


 * I want to share several IPO program updates with you today, including:


 * An update on the Visa Availability Approach;


 * A few Policy Manual updates;


 * Updates on Form I-829 separate decisions, program integrity, and regional centers; and


 * Finally, some operational updates on a few of the EB-5 form types adjudicated at IPO.

 Page 2 of 18
 * We received questions from you before this engagement. Thank you for taking the time to submit them. Due to time constraints, we are unable to respond to all of them; however, we selected some of the most prevalent