[HOT] Latest USCIS stats on I-526 and I-829 approval rates

These are approval and denial rates "on the average". [I had to revise previously-posted percentages.] I arrived at the percentages by adding number of approvals to number of denials, and then dividing this total number into number of denials to arrive at the denial rate. Then, I subtracted the denial rate from 100% to arrive at the approval rate. Note that when you add approvals and denials, the total number exceeds the number of cases filed during that year; this means the cases approved or denied are not necessarily from the cases filed during that year. For example, some cases might have been filed the year before but may have been approved in that year. See below.

2009 fiscal year (October 1, 2008 to September 30, 2009) USCIS statistics:

I-526: 1028 filed, with 966 approved and 163 denials. This translates into 86% approval rate or 14% denial rate.

I-829: 437 filed, with 335 approvals and 55 denials. This translates into 86% approval rate or 14% denial rate.

USCIS statistics for October 1 to May 2010 period are as follows:

I-526: 1,100 cases filed, with 955 approvals and 113 denials so far. This means there is around 89% chance for approval or 11% chance on the average for I-526 to be denied.

I-829s: 438 cases filed, with 188 approvals and 33 denials so far. This means there is around 85% chance for approval or 15% chance on the average for I-829 to get denied (we don't know the exact reasons for denials) by USCIS even after getting I-526 approved.

Also, around 85% of all EB-5 cases filed are regional center based. One easy way to "estimate" is by telling yourself that around 85% of all EB-5 cases filed are regional center based EB-5 cases, and there is around 85% chance of approvals "on the average" for both I-526s and I-829s. Therefore, the magic number is 85%.