March 2026 Visa Bulletin: What EB-5 Investors Need to Know
The March 2026 Visa Bulletin shows all EB-5 set-aside categories remain Current. China unreserved advanced 40 days. Analysis of what moved, what didn't, and what's next.
All three EB-5 set-aside categories remain Current in the March 2026 Visa Bulletin, but a hidden backlog is building. China's unreserved category advances 40 days while carrying a 9.5-year backlog.
EB-5 Set-Asides: All Three Categories Remain Current
All three set-aside visa categories remain Current (C) for all countries in March 2026. This means there is no waiting period for investors in Rural, High Unemployment, or Infrastructure projects. - Rural (20% set-aside) — All countries: Current - High Unemployment (10% set-aside) — All countries: Current - Infrastructure (2% set-aside) — All countries: Current - EB-5 Unreserved — China Final Action Date: August 15, 2016 (9.5-year backlog) - EB-5 Unreserved — India Final Action Date: May 1, 2022 - EB-5 Unreserved — Rest of World: Current
China Unreserved Advances Incrementally
Under the Dates for Filing chart, China's EB-5 Unreserved category advanced 40 days from August 2016 to October 1, 2016. This is meaningful for Chinese investors in the legacy (pre-RIA) pipeline—but the 9.5-year backlog under Final Action Dates remains a sobering reality for those waiting for green card issuance.
Why Dates Are Advancing Across the Board
The March 2026 bulletin shows broad advancement across most employment-based categories—EB-2 for Rest of World became current for the first time in years. The reason: the Trump administration's immigration restrictions and visa processing slowdowns have reduced overall demand on the annual visa allocation system. The State Department explicitly warned: "As additional immigrant visa demand materializes, or administration actions are amended, retrogression may be necessary later in the fiscal year." Applicants who are newly current should file immediately.
What This Means for EB-5 Investors
For investors from countries other than China and India, the current environment is essentially as good as it gets: set-aside categories are open, unreserved is current, and concurrent filing is available. For Chinese and Indian investors, the set-aside categories represent the clearest path. The time to act on current conditions is now—a hidden backlog is building in the I-526E petition pipeline.