Visa Backlog Monitor
Data current as of · Source: USCIS Quarterly Statistics
How many approved EB-5 petitions are waiting for visa numbers, and where is the bottleneck? This page tracks the full pipeline: approved petitions awaiting immigrant visas, pending I-485 adjustment of status applications, and the net backlog by form type. All data is sourced from USCIS quarterly publications and the I-485 pending inventory report.
Key Takeaways
- 131,068 approved EB-5 petitions are awaiting visa numbers in the unreserved category. China accounts for 30,313 of these, or over 97%.
- 2All three set aside categories (Rural, HUA, Infrastructure) show zero approved petitions awaiting, meaning every approved set aside petition has current visa availability.
- 316,611 I-485 adjustment of status applications are pending across all countries, with China (9,019) and India (4,947) holding the largest shares.
- 4The I-526E net backlog stands at 5,700, meaning 5,700 cases are beyond the normal processing window.
Largest single country backlog in the EB-5 unreserved category. Reported as of June 30, 2025.
Approved Petitions Awaiting Visa (Unreserved)
| Country | Unreserved Awaiting |
|---|---|
| China | 30,313 |
| India | 755 |
| Total | 31,068 |
Source: USCIS EB Approved Petitions Awaiting Visa, FY2025 Q3. Data as of June 30, 2025.
Set Aside Categories: No Backlog
Set aside categories (Rural, HUA, Infrastructure) show 0 approved petitions awaiting. This means all approved set aside petitions have current visa availability. Investors in these categories face no visa number wait after petition approval.
View Set Aside Visa TrackerI-485 Pending Applications (EB-5)
| Country | Pending I-485 Applications |
|---|---|
| China | 9,019 |
| India | 4,947 |
| Rest of World | 2,555 |
| Mexico | 90 |
| Total | 16,611 |
Snapshot as of October 2, 2025. Source: USCIS I-485 EB-5 Pending Inventory.
Net Backlog by Form Type
| Form | Gross Pending | Net Backlog | Frontlog |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-526E | 8,965 | 5,700 | 3,265 |
| I-829 | 7,136 | 4,800 | 2,336 |
| I-526 (Legacy) | 1,248 | 100 | 1,148 |
| I-526 (Standalone) | 0 | 400 | 0 |
Source: USCIS Net Backlog/Frontlog Report, FY2025 Q3. Net backlog equals pending cases beyond the normal processing window. Frontlog equals recently filed cases still within the normal processing window.
Important Caveats
- Approved awaiting does not equal total pipeline. This count does not include pending petitions or family members (derivative beneficiaries) who will also need visa numbers.
- I-485 inventory is by country, not by set aside category. A category level breakdown is not available from this source. The totals include applicants across all EB-5 investment categories.
- Net backlog equals pending minus frontlog. Frontlog represents cases within the normal processing window that are not yet overdue. Cases in the net backlog have exceeded the expected processing time.
Understanding the Visa Backlog
The EB-5 visa backlog is concentrated almost entirely in the unreserved category for China. Of the 31,068 approved petitions awaiting visa numbers, China accounts for 30,313. This reflects decades of high demand from mainland China born investors encountering the per-country visa limit, which caps each country at approximately 7% of the annual EB-5 allocation. India's backlog, while growing, remains comparatively modest at 755 approved petitions awaiting.
The set aside categories created by the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 are functioning as intended: zero approved petitions awaiting means investors in Rural, HUA, and Infrastructure projects receive immediate visa availability upon petition approval. This distinction is critical for investors choosing between project types. A petition approved in a set aside category avoids the extended wait that unreserved category investors from China face.
The I-485 pending inventory offers a second lens on the pipeline. With 16,611 applications pending adjustment of status, a significant number of EB-5 investors are already in the United States waiting for their green cards. The net backlog comparison shows where USCIS processing capacity is most strained: the I-526E net backlog of 5,700 cases and the I-829 net backlog of 4,800 cases represent the largest volumes of overdue adjudications. For personalized processing estimates, use the timeline calculator.
How this data was calculated
Approved awaiting counts are published directly by USCIS and represent petitions that have been approved but have not yet received an immigrant visa number. I-485 pending inventory is a snapshot at a single point in time published by USCIS. Net backlog separates gross pending into cases beyond the normal processing window (net backlog) and recently filed cases within the expected window (frontlog). All values are presented as published; no adjustments or estimates are applied.