Only the actual start of conditional residence controls: immigrant admission or adjustment approval. An ordinary visit after payment is not that event.
Use the correct anniversary
The ordinary filing period is the 90 days before the second anniversary of conditional residence. Keep travel history distinguishable from status history. Filing I-829 does not by itself remove conditions or guarantee release of funds.
Useful markers include a completed source-of-funds file, signed enterprise documents, the petition receipt, current Visa Bulletin movement for the relevant category and chargeability, and the consular or adjustment stage. Agree the review points and what each one unlocks in practical terms: petition filed, receipt issued, decision received, the category checked quarterly, visa or adjustment application lodged, residence granted. The condition deciding which queue applies deserves plain statement: chargeability generally follows country of birth, so Canadian residence or a Canadian passport does not by itself place you in a particular queue. EB-5 requires qualifying capital placed at risk, the required job creation, and conditional permanent residence before later condition removal; an accountant’s report may support facts but cannot substitute for the underlying immigration evidence.
- USCIS — EB-5 investor program
- USCIS — business and investment visa overview
- USCIS — Child Status Protection Act
- Department of State — Visa Bulletin
- USCIS — fee schedule
- 8 USC 1153(b)(5) — investor capital and adjustment provisions
- USCIS — Form I-829
- USCIS Policy Manual — EB-5 eligibility
- Department of State — after the immigrant visa interview