The June 2024 Visa Bulletin from the U.S. Department of State shows no changes in the EB-5 visa category. All country nationals except those from India and Mainland China remain current.
Most EB categories also remain unchanged, with the exception of India advancing by a week in the EB-3 category. A worldwide retrogression in EB-2 and EB-3 final action dates is expected in the upcoming July Visa Bulletin.
Additionally, USCIS has stated on its Visa Bulletin page that they will accept employment-based adjustment of status applications according to the Final Action Dates chart in June.
Final Action Dates
Dates for Filing
Get Your Green Card Faster with EB-5 Reserved Categories
Start the EB-5 Process with EB5AN
Final Action Dates
The chart above shows the final action dates for employment-based immigrant visas, as detailed in the June 2024 Visa Bulletin. These cut-off dates establish when immigrant visas become available based on the priority dates of applicants.
The priority date is when United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) initially receives the Green Card application. For EB-5 investors, it is the date of Form I-526E filing.
If an applicant’s priority date is earlier than the final action date in their category, they can move forward with their immigrant visa application.
A final action date marked as “C” or “current” indicates no backlog in that category for a certain nationality, which means an immigrant visa can be issued immediately once approved.
No Movement for India and China in the EB-5 Unreserved Category
There are no changes in final action dates in the EB-5 category from last month. The only change in the June 2024 final action dates is India advancing by one week in the EB-3 category to August 22, 2012.
In the unreserved EB-5 category, the cut-off dates are unchanged for India at December 1, 2020, and for China at December 15, 2015. All other countries continue to be “current.”
The EB-5 set-aside categories are also “current” for all nations, including India and China, indicating no backlog in these categories.
All applicants who invest in projects qualifying for these reserved visas can move forward with their immigration process once their I-526E petitions are approved.
Dates for Filing
While the “Final Action Date” chart shows when a visa is expected to become available for an applicant’s nationality within their category, the “Dates for Filing” chart determines the date when an applicant can apply for a visa after I-526E approval.
No Changes in EB-5 Categories
For EB-5, all reserved and unreserved categories are “current,” except for Mainland China and India, which have displayed the same cut-off dates in the unreserved category since the February Visa Bulletin.
Get Your Green Card Faster with EB-5 Reserved Categories
The EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA) allocated 32% of the annual EB-5 visa quota as set-aside visas for projects in targeted employment areas (TEAs) and certain infrastructure projects—reserving 20% of those for rural areas, 10% for high-unemployment areas, and 2% for infrastructure projects.
As per the June 2024 Visa Bulletin, these categories are “current” for all countries, meaning there are no backlogs. There are visas available to be issued immediately under these categories.
EB-5 investors from high-demand countries, such as India and China, can avoid the long waiting time in the unreserved visa queue by investing in projects that qualify for these set-aside visas.
Rural EB-5 project investors can further speed up their Green Card process, as USCIS grants priority processing to rural I-526E petitions.
However, the supply of reserved visas is limited, and investors must start their EB-5 process as soon as possible to take advantage of this opportunity before these categories also become backlogged.
Start the EB-5 Process with EB5AN
The EB-5 process is much easier and smoother with expert help. To understand the details of the program and reduce financial and immigration risks, seek guidance from an experienced immigration attorney.
For real-life examples of how to go about each step of the EB-5 process, watch EB5AN’s investor interview series.
We also encourage you to schedule a free consultation with EB5AN to get all your questions answered personally by our expert team.
