On-Site Due Diligence: Beyond Team and Investors Conduct Field Review in Hawaii
Last week, Beyond’s professional due diligence team completed a five-day on-site inspection of the Hawaii Big Island EB-5 project in Kona.
Beyond CEO Jenny Zhan personally led the delegation, visiting the construction site together with investors and conducting first-hand verification of development progress.
Beyond’s approach emphasizes field-based validation—moving beyond documentation to confirm actual on-the-ground execution and development status.
Regulatory Milestone: Form I-956F Officially Approved
Immediately following the site visit, the project received formal approval of Form I-956F from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
I-956F approval signifies that USCIS has reviewed and accepted the project’s business plan, economic impact analysis, and job creation methodology under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act framework.
The approval carries several implications:
• Regulatory Confirmation: USCIS has completed substantive review of project-level compliance elements.
• Reduced Project-Level Review Risk: Upon filing Form I-526E, individual investors will not be subject to re-adjudication of project-level documentation previously approved under I-956F, subject to material consistency of representations.
• Rural Category Positioning: As a qualifying rural project, the investment remains within the 20% reserved visa allocation category established under the 2022 EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act. At present, rural visas remain current and are eligible for priority processing, though future Visa Bulletin movement depends on overall demand.
Construction Progress and Execution Capacity
During the Kona site visit, active construction operations were observed, including ongoing foundation and infrastructure development.
For EB-5 investors, commencement and continuation of construction are directly relevant to job creation modeling, which underpins eligibility for removal of conditions (Form I-829). Observable progress provides practical support for projected employment outputs.
Beyond representatives also met with the developer, Watt, to review construction milestones, capital deployment sequencing, and funding structure.
Developer track record and operational discipline remain central to execution risk assessment.
Policy Window for Rural EB-5
Under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022, rural projects benefit from a 20% annual reserved visa allocation and are eligible for priority processing.
While rural categories currently remain without retrogression, allocation dynamics may evolve as filing volume increases. Timing considerations therefore remain relevant to strategic planning.
For families with age-sensitive dependents, processing efficiency and visa availability timing can materially influence overall immigration strategy.
Beyond’s Due Diligence Philosophy
Beyond’s project selection framework prioritizes first-hand verification, direct developer engagement, and continuous monitoring of capital deployment and construction benchmarks.
Investor confidence is grounded not solely in documentation, but in confirmed operational execution.
Permanent residence planning under EB-5 represents a long-term structural decision. Accordingly, regulatory compliance, job creation viability, and development execution are evaluated in integrated fashion.