United States exhausts EB-5 unreserved visa numbers for India until Oct. 1

Why the EB-5 unreserved category just closed for India

The U.S. Department of State has used up every EB-5 unreserved immigrant visa available to applicants chargeable to India for the rest of fiscal 2026, the agency confirmed. The cutoff took effect June 5 and the category stays unavailable through Sept. 30, when numbers reset for FY 2027 on Oct. 1.

EB-5 receives 7.1% of worldwide employment-based immigrant numbers each year, with roughly 68% flowing into the unreserved bucket. FY 2026 set 13,206 total EB-5 numbers and about 8,980 newly allocated unreserved slots, with carryover pushing the worldwide unreserved pool toward 10,000. India's per-country share is now gone.

The June 2026 Visa Bulletin still lists India's EB-5 unreserved final action date as May 1, 2022 and the dates-for-filing chart as May 1, 2024, but no approvals can issue against those dates until numbers reopen.

Who feels the freeze

India-born investors in the unreserved track, plus spouses and unmarried children under 21, can't receive green cards or immigrant visas during the pause. That includes pre-Reform and Integrity Act filers, direct EB-5 investors and regional center cases outside the rural, high-unemployment and infrastructure set-asides.

Indian nationals already in the U.S. on H-1B, L-1, F-1 or similar status who tied an I-485 to an EB-5 unreserved petition will see those adjustment cases sit unapproved until October, even if interim work and travel authorization continue.

Tourist, business, student and standard work visa applicants from India aren't affected. Neither are remote workers entering on ESTA or B1/B2, nor Indian nationals pursuing EB-1, EB-2 or EB-3, though those categories carry their own backlogs.

What investors can still do now

USCIS will keep accepting EB-5 unreserved adjustment filings from India-born applicants whose priority dates are current under the dates-for-filing chart, the State Department said. Filing preserves a place in line and can unlock employment and travel documents while the wait runs.

Investment thresholds are unchanged: $800,000 in a qualifying targeted employment area or $1,050,000 in a standard area, with proof of lawful source of funds and creation of at least 10 full-time U.S. jobs. Final approvals resume Oct. 1 for applicants whose dates remain current. Track movement in the monthly Visa Bulletin and watch for visa updates before scheduling consular interviews.

Read our full United States guide for the complete picture.