The U.S. Department of State has released the March 2026 Visa Bulletin, showing meaningful forward movement across most employment-based immigrant visa categories. For EB-5 investors, the core takeaway remains consistent with recent months: all reserved set-aside categories continue to remain current for every country.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed that employment-based adjustment of status applicants must use the Dates for Filing chart in March. This allows eligible applicants in the United States to submit their Forms I-485 based on filing dates, even where Final Action Dates have not yet been reached.
Understanding Key Visa Bulletin Terms
Highlights From the March 2026 Charts
Implications for EB-5 Immigrant Investors
Work With EB5AN to Pursue Permanent Residency Through EB-5
The Visa Bulletin remains the primary reference for monitoring immigrant visa availability. It includes two main charts. The Final Action Dates chart determines when a visa may be issued or when USCIS can approve an adjustment of status application. At this stage, an applicant’s priority date must fall before the listed cutoff date for their country and category.
Understanding Key Visa Bulletin Terms
The Dates for Filing chart allows certain applicants to submit adjustment of status applications earlier when USCIS determines that additional visa numbers are available. When a category is listed as “current,” there is no backlog, and applicants may proceed regardless of priority date.
March’s bulletin reflects broader movement across employment-based preferences compared to February. The most notable advancement appears in the EB-2 Dates for Filing chart, where all countries except China move forward significantly. For “rest of the world” countries, EB-2 becomes current under the Dates for Filing chart.
Highlights From the March 2026 Charts
Additional movement is seen across EB-1 and EB-3 categories under both charts. Several countries experience advances in both Dates for Filing and Final Action Dates.
For EB-5 investors, modest changes appear only in the unreserved category. Under the Dates for Filing chart, China advances by approximately five weeks to October 1, 2016, while India remains at May 1, 2024. All other countries remain current.
Under the Final Action Dates chart, China remains at August 15, 2016, and India remains at May 1, 2022 in the unreserved category. All other countries remain current.
Importantly, the EB-5 reserved set-aside categories—rural (20% of annual visas), high-unemployment (10%), and infrastructure (2%)—continue to remain current for all countries under both charts.
Here’s the Final Action Dates chart:
Dates for Filing chart:
The March 2026 bulletin continues to reflect a stable environment for EB-5 investors. Reserved set-aside visas remain fully available worldwide.
Implications for EB-5 Immigrant Investors
For investors from countries that face long waiting times in the unreserved EB-5 category, the importance of reserved set-aside visas remains unchanged. Filing under a reserved category helps investors avoid the extended delays associated with the unreserved pool. Rural projects continue to benefit from priority processing at USCIS under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022, further strengthening their appeal.
Investors already in the United States also continue to benefit from USCIS’s decision to honor the Dates for Filing chart. Because EB-5 set-aside categories remain current, eligible investors may file Form I-485 concurrently with Form I-526E, gaining access to employment authorization and advance parole while their petitions remain pending.
What Is Driving Movement in the March Bulletin
The State Department has indicated that reduced immigrant visa issuance at U.S. consulates has contributed to these advances across several employment-based categories. According to the agency, issuance levels have declined for certain countries due in part to policy actions implemented under the Trump administration, including nationality-based travel restrictions affecting nationals of nearly 40 countries and an immigrant visa processing pause impacting nationals of approximately 75 countries. As a result of this reduced issuance, cutoff dates have moved forward in March to allow for more filings. However, the Department cautions that if visa demand increases later in the fiscal year—or if these restrictive measures are revised—some categories may face retrogression before the fiscal year concludes on September 30, 2026.
The March 2026 Visa Bulletin reflects broader movement across employment-based categories while maintaining stability in EB-5 reserved visas, which remain current for all countries. Even as cutoff dates advance in other categories, EB-5 continues to offer predictability for families seeking U.S. permanent residence.
Work With EB5AN to Pursue Permanent Residency Through EB-5
More than 2,700 families from over 70 countries have selected EB-5 projects sponsored by EB5AN regional centers. Our expert team has more than a decade of experience and offers clients first-rate, low-risk EB-5 regional center projects with a 100% USCIS project approval rate.
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