The U.S. Department of State has released the November 2026 Visa Bulletin, the second bulletin of Fiscal Year 2027. For EB-5 investors, the key takeaway is that all three set-aside (reserved) categories — Rural, High Unemployment Area, and Infrastructure — remain current for applicants from every country, including India and Mainland China. This applies to both the Final Action Dates and the Dates for Filing charts, and no EB-5 date has changed since October.
Why Set-Aside Categories Matter
Under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA), the EB-5 program is allotted 7.1% of all employment-based immigrant visas each year. Of these, 32% are reserved for investors in specific project types:
- Rural projects: 20%
- High Unemployment Area projects: 10%
- Infrastructure projects: 2%
The remaining 68% go to the Unreserved category. A “current” priority date in a set-aside category means that an immigrant visa is immediately available to an investor in a qualifying project, subject to all other eligibility requirements.
Concurrent Filing Remains Open for U.S.-Based Investors
For November 2026, USCIS has determined that applicants in all employment-based preference categories should use the Dates for Filing chart in the Department of State Visa Bulletin to determine whether they are eligible to file their adjustment of status applications. Because every EB-5 set-aside category is current on that chart, investors already in the United States — for example, in valid H-1B, L-1, or F-1/OPT status — may be eligible to file Form I-526E and Form I-485 concurrently. While both are pending, they may apply for employment authorization (EAD) and travel permission (Advance Parole), which reduces dependence on employer sponsorship. Read more about concurrent filing.
November 2026 EB-5 Final Action Dates
Final Action Dates show when a visa can be issued or an adjustment of status application approved.
Source: U.S. Department of State, Visa Bulletin for November 2026. “All Other Countries” includes Mexico and the Philippines, which are listed separately in the bulletin, are current in every EB-5 category. “Current” means there is no priority date cutoff.
November 2026 EB-5 Dates for Filing
The Dates for Filing chart indicates when applicants can submit their DS-260 applications and supporting documents with the National Visa Center or, when USCIS determines (as in November), file their Form I-485 in the United States
Source: U.S. Department of State, Visa Bulletin for November 2026. “All Other Countries” includes Mexico and the Philippines, which are listed separately in the bulletin, are current in every EB-5 category. “Current” means there is no priority date cutoff.
EB-5 Priority Dates for India and Mainland China: Unreserved Backlogs Unchanged
Investors born in India and Mainland China who filed in the EB-5 Unreserved category still face waiting lines, and only applicants with an earlier priority date are eligible for the corresponding filing or final action stage.
- EB-5 Unreserved category priority date for India: December 1, 2023 on the Final Action Dates chart and May 1, 2024 on the Dates for Filing chart.
- EB-5 Unreserved category priority date for Mainland China: December 1, 2016 on the Final Action Dates chart and March 1, 2021 on the Dates for Filing chart.
Neither priority date has moved since October 2026. Priority dates for applicants in the EB-5 Unreserved category born in all other countries remain current, with no priority date cutoff.
For new investors from India and China, this gap is the key planning point: choosing a qualifying Rural or High Unemployment Area project currently allows investors to benefit from the current visa availability in the reserved categories.
EB-5 2027 Changes
The minimum EB-5 investment — currently $800,000 for projects in Targeted Employment Areas (TEAs) and $1,050,000 for all other projects — is scheduled to be adjusted for inflation on January 1, 2027. Investors who are weighing their options may want to review them with qualified immigration counsel before that date. View our current EB-5 projects.