Key EB-5 Numbers
Every essential number for the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, organized by category. Investment thresholds, visa allocations, processing times, approval rates, and critical deadlines, all sourced from official government publications.
Key Takeaways
- 1The minimum investment for a Targeted Employment Area (TEA) project is $800,000. Standard (non-TEA) projects require $1,050,000.
- 2Congress allocates 10,000 immigrant visas annually to the EB-5 category, with set aside visas reserved for rural (20%), high unemployment area (10%), and infrastructure (2%) projects.
- 3Rural I-526E petitions are currently processed in 11 to 17 months, approximately 3x faster than unreserved petitions at 36 to 52 months.
- 4The EB-5 grandfathering deadline is September 30, 2026. Investors who file a qualifying petition before this date preserve eligibility under current rules.
Investment Minimums
TEA Investment (Rural or High Unemployment Area)
$800,000
Applies to projects located in a rural area or high unemployment area as designated by USCIS.
Standard Investment (Non-TEA)
$1,050,000
Applies to projects that do not qualify for any targeted employment area designation.
Investment thresholds are set by the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA). These amounts are subject to periodic adjustment based on the Consumer Price Index. The next potential adjustment is scheduled for 2027.
Job Creation Requirement
Full-Time Jobs per Investor
10
Each EB-5 investor must create or preserve at least 10 full-time positions for qualifying U.S. workers. Regional center investors may count indirect and induced jobs using approved economic methodologies.
Annual Visa Allocations
Total Annual EB-5 Visas
10,000
Congress allocates approximately 7.1% of the total 140,000 annual employment-based immigrant visas to the EB-5 category. This includes visas for the principal investor, spouse, and unmarried children under 21.
Set Aside Categories (RIA 2022)
20%
Rural (2,000 visas)
10%
High Unemployment Area (1,000 visas)
2%
Infrastructure (200 visas)
The remaining 68% of EB-5 visas (approximately 6,800) are unreserved and available to all categories. Unused set aside visas may be recaptured and reallocated in subsequent fiscal years.
Approval Rate and Pending Backlog
I-526E Approval Rate
94%
As of Q3 FY2025. Derived from USCIS quarterly statistics: approved petitions divided by total completed adjudications.
Pending I-526/I-526E Cases
10,787
As of End Q3 FY2025. Total pending petitions across both legacy I-526 and current I-526E form types.
I-526E Processing Times by Category
Rural
Set aside category (20%)
11 to 17 months
High Unemployment Area (HUA)
Set aside category (10%)
24 to 36 months
Unreserved
Non-set-aside category (68%)
36 to 52 months
Processing times reflect the estimated range from petition receipt to final decision for 80% of cases at the USCIS Texas Service Center. Times are updated monthly by USCIS and vary based on case complexity and adjudication volume.
Key Deadlines
Grandfathering Deadline
September 30, 2026
Investors who file a qualifying I-526E petition on or before this date are "grandfathered" and preserve eligibility under the current EB-5 program rules, even if Congress does not reauthorize the Regional Center program.
Regional Center Program Expiration
September 30, 2027
The EB-5 Regional Center program authorization expires on this date unless Congress enacts reauthorization legislation. Direct (non-regional center) EB-5 investment is permanent and unaffected.
How this data was calculated
All figures on this page are sourced from official government publications. Investment thresholds and visa allocations are established by the Immigration and Nationality Act as amended by the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022. Processing times are published monthly by USCIS. Approval rates and pending backlog figures are derived from USCIS quarterly statistical reports.
Cite this page
EB5 Status. "Key EB-5 Numbers." eb5status.com. Accessed April 3, 2026. https://www.eb5status.com/en/reference/key-numbers