The U.S. Department of State has released its October 2024 Visa Bulletin, marking the start of the federal fiscal year 2025. The EB-5 visa categories, particularly those under the set-aside provisions created by the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act (RIA) of 2022, remain available for applicants worldwide. These set-asides allocate 20% of EB-5 visas for investments in rural areas, 10% for targeted employment areas (TEAs) with high unemployment, and 2% for infrastructure projects. Investors with approved I-526E petitions in these set-aside categories can proceed with their green card applications without delays, regardless of their country of birth.

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For investors applying in the unreserved EB-5 categories, there are advancements in the visa bulletin for applicants from mainland China and India. In Chart A, which tracks final action dates for immigrant visa issuance, EB-5 China advanced by 7 months to July 15, 2016, and EB-5 India progressed 13 months to January 1, 2022. However, Chart B, which determines filing dates for Form I-485 in the U.S., showed stagnation or slight retrogression, indicating that some applicants from these countries may still face waiting periods for filing their adjustment of status applications.

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With the new fiscal year, EB-5 investors can expect continued opportunities in both the high unemployment and rural area set-aside categories, offering pathways for concurrent filings and visa issuance.