How to Read the EB-5 Visa Bulletin: A 2026 Practical Guide

The visa bulletin looks like a government spreadsheet because that is what it is. Rows of dates, country abbreviations, and category codes. Together they determine the immigration timeline for thousands of EB-5 investors. The Department of State publishes it monthly, and every EB-5 investor needs to understand it. We published a general guide to reading the visa bulletin covering the fundamentals. This article focuses on what changed after the Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 and how to read the bulletin in its current, post RIA form. If you filed under the old system, some of this will be new. If you are filing now, all of it matters. Source: U.S. Department of State, Visa Bulletin; EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022. Blue trust tier. ## What the RIA changed Before March 2022, the EB-5 section of the visa bulletin was simple. One row for EB-5. Columns for China,...