Do not treat a preferred departure date as resolution of the issue. Determine what information and government steps remain before making commitments that depend on approval.
Track the outstanding issue explicitly
An earlier file may need explanation or a current process may require additional review. No universal completion date follows from paying the fee. Keep planned work, travel and family arrangements tied to actual authorization rather than an assumed clean slate.
Descriptions of the process in weeks are expectations, not commitments, and an interview appointment on a calendar is not certainty about its outcome. The official FAQ currently says that after the application and processing fee are received, the process should take weeks, while also making the outcome depend on vetting, timely submissions, eligibility and visa availability. The steps are application and fee, vetting, USCIS instructions and evidence, the gift when instructed, and then immigrant processing subject to visa availability. Recheck the official program directions before each payment and never treat this gift sequence as EB-5 investment processing.