Skip to content
Visa Bulletin AlertGet alerts

Categories

What does EB-5 India retrogression mean for investors?

Updated · Not legal advice

It means demand from India-born investors in that EB-5 row exceeds the numbers India can use, so the State Department put a cutoff on the India column. Investors whose priority date (I-526/I-526E filing date) is on or after the cutoff cannot get a green card until the date passes them, even with an approved petition.

EB-5: current cutoff dates

See the current bulletin for this month's EB-5 dates: official Visa Bulletin on travel.state.gov. We do not copy dates by hand, so this page shows them only after our automated fetch has read the official bulletin.

USCIS says employment-based adjustment applicants must use the Dates for Filing chart in the November 2026 Visa Bulletin (USCIS filing charts).

Effect of an India EB-5 cutoff by stage
Your stageEffect
I-526E pendingPetition adjudication continues; the green card waits for your date
I-485 filed while current, then retrogressedI-485 stays pending until the date is current again
Consular processingInterview waits until your date is current under Final Action
Set-aside row still currentOnly the row(s) with a cutoff are affected

Why India specifically

Each country is limited to 7% of total preference numbers (with exceptions when numbers would otherwise go unused). When India-born demand in a row exceeds what India can use, its column gets an earlier date than the rest of the world.

What investors usually watch

  • The India column of their row, in both charts.
  • The notes, which may say whether more movement is expected.
  • USCIS's chart choice, if adjusting status in the U.S.

Movement history

This table is built month by month from the official bulletins as we read them, so it only shows months we have fetched. Until then, past bulletins are in the official archive.

Quick answers

Does retrogression cancel my I-526E?
No. It affects when a visa number is available, not the petition.
Can my pending I-485 be denied for retrogression?
Retrogression alone does not deny it; it waits. See pending I-485 and retrogression.
Are set-aside rows affected?
Only if that row also shows a cutoff for India.

What to do next: get your Visa Bulletin alert

Set EB-5 + India: we email you when the India column of any EB-5 row moves.

Free: 1 category, checked daily, email. Pro $5/month: checks every 4 hours, SMS + push, movement history and estimates. Compare plans.

3 letters + 10 digits, from your I-797 notice. We never ask for your USCIS password.

Free: 1 case, checked daily, email only. Unsubscribe any time.

Sources

Checked: November 12, 2026