The April 2026 Visa Bulletin delivered another meaningful EB-5 update. In the unreserved category, China’s Final Action Date advanced to September 1, 2016, India remained at May 1, 2022, and all other countries stayed current. In the Dates for Filing chart, China moved to October 1, 2016, India stayed at May 1, 2024, and the rest of the world remained current.
The bigger headline for many investors is that all three reserved EB-5 categories - Rural, High Unemployment, and Infrastructure - remain current for all countries in both the Final Action and Dates for Filing charts. These reserved visa set-asides were created by the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act, and they continue to shape investor strategy in 2026.
There is also an important caution behind this progress. Recent visa issuance patterns and government actions have temporarily made more numbers available in some categories, which helped push certain dates forward. But that does not guarantee long-term stability. If demand rises later in fiscal year 2026, or if policy conditions shift, retrogression is still possible.
A second development investors should watch is USCIS’s processing approach. Effective March 30, 2026, USCIS said it will generally assign Form I-526 and I-526E petitions based on visa availability. In practical terms, that may make category selection and project timing even more strategic for EB-5 investors deciding when and how to file.
For investors, the message is becoming clearer. Project selection is no longer only about business fundamentals or immigration compliance. It is also about visa category positioning, filing timing, and the ability to move before market conditions tighten again. In today’s EB-5 environment, strategy matters as much as capital.