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How does EB-5 work in the Visa Bulletin?
Updated · Not legal advice
EB-5 investors get up to 7.1% of the employment-based limit. Since the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022, 20% is reserved for rural investments, 10% for high-unemployment areas and 2% for infrastructure; the bulletin shows each set-aside as its own row next to the unreserved row, and they can move separately.
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).
| Row | Share of EB-5 | Who uses it |
|---|---|---|
| Unreserved (including regional center and direct investments) | The remaining 68% | Investments outside the set-aside categories |
| Set Aside: Rural | 20% | Investment in a rural area |
| Set Aside: High Unemployment | 10% | Investment in a designated high-unemployment area |
| Set Aside: Infrastructure | 2% | Investment in a qualifying infrastructure project |
Unused set-aside numbers
The law says unused reserved visas stay in the same set-aside category for the next fiscal year before they can become generally available. That is one reason set-aside rows have often been current while unreserved rows for some countries carry a cutoff. See EB-5 rural and other set-asides.
Which row is yours
Your row follows the investment named in your I-526 or I-526E, not your preference. A rural project uses the rural row even if the unreserved row is current.
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
- What are the EB-5 set-aside percentages?
- 20% rural, 10% high unemployment, 2% infrastructure, under INA 203(b)(5)(B).
- Can my EB-5 row be current while unreserved is not?
- Yes. Each row has its own cutoff.
- How do I check the EB-5 China wait?
- Look at the China-mainland born column of your row in the live table. Movement depends on demand and the per-country limit.
What to do next: get your Visa Bulletin alert
Choose EB-5 and your country: our alert reads every EB-5 row, so a set-aside change is not missed.
Free: 1 category, checked daily, email. Pro $5/month: checks every 4 hours, SMS + push, movement history and estimates. Compare plans.
Sources
- USCIS: EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program
- INA 203, 8 U.S.C. 1153: preference allocation (Cornell LII)
- INA 202, 8 U.S.C. 1152: per-country limits (Cornell LII)
- U.S. Department of State: Visa Bulletin (current, upcoming and archive)
Checked: November 12, 2026