Editorial standards
These standards set out how The Legation Times selects sources, verifies facts, attributes, updates and removes content. The subject touches directly on readers’ assets and legal status, so the verification bar is set high.
The compilation process
- Select — only material already published by a source listed in Sources.
- Verify — check every fact, authority name, sum and effective date against the original document.
- Attribute — state the issuing authority, the document title, the time the source published it and a direct link, at the top of the article.
- Update — when the source changes, the article is revised with the date and the substance of the change recorded.
- Remove — when a source is withdrawn or a valid claim is made, the content is reviewed or removed under the takedown process.
Source hierarchy
Any statement about a programme’s conditions, capital thresholds or procedure must trace back to the authority that administers it — for example U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for EB-5, or the U.S. Department of State for visa bulletins. Where a figure cannot be traced to a primary source, we describe the mechanism instead of quoting the number.
Intergovernmental bodies and independent research institutions are used for context and comparison. Licensed press is used only for current developments, always with clear attribution, and never as a substitute for a primary source on policy.
Why we limit specific figures
Investment thresholds, processing fees, processing times and visa-free lists all move by administrative decision, sometimes without notice. A figure that is correct on the day of writing can be wrong months later while readers are still reading the same article.
So we prioritise explaining how a rule works and how to check it, and link straight to the official page so you can verify the numbers at the moment you read.
The line between information and advice
We do not assess individual applications, do not predict approval odds and do not recommend a specific programme or project. Nothing on this site constitutes legal advice, tax advice or an investment recommendation.
Conflicts of interest and commercial content
We take no sponsorship, commission or payment from migration advisers, project owners or issuers of investment products mentioned in our content. Any commercial content, should it exist, must carry a public label — Partner content, Sponsored or Advertisement — and may never enter the compiled stream as an official source.
Corrections
When a factual error is found, we revise the content and record what changed and when. How to report one: see Corrections.
Use of assistive tools
We use assistive tools in compiling and reviewing material. Everything published is signed off by the person responsible for review, including a re-check of every source cited.