EB-5 Immigration Policy
EB-5 Reserved Visa Categories: Rural, HUA & Infrastructure (2026) | EB5Status
By EB5 Status Editorial Team·11 min read·Updated 2026-04-07eb5 reserved visa categories
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What you need to know The EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA) created three reserved visa categories that fundamentally changed the economics and timeline of EB-5 immigration. These categories, commonly called "set asides," dedicate a fixed percentage of annual EB-5 visa numbers to specific project types: Rural (20%), High Unemployment Area (10%), and Infrastructure (2%). As of April 2026, all three reserved categories remain "Current" for every country of chargeability, including China and India. This means investors in qualifying projects face no visa availability backlog. Combined with dramatically faster processing times (Rural: 11 to 17 months vs. Unreserved: 36 to 52 months), the reserved categories have become the dominant choice for new EB-5 filings. This article explains how each category works, what qualifies, and what the forward looking risks are. All data comes from the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act statutory text, USCIS guidance, and the Department...#
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