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 The July 2026 Visa Bulletin has been released by the U.S. Department of State, offering the latest update on EB-5 visa availability as the fiscal year approaches its final quarter.

This month’s bulletin reflects a notable development within the unreserved category, particularly for Indian investors, while the broader EB-5 landscape continues to present stable and strategic opportunities across other categories.

What Has Remained Consistent?

The three reserved EB-5 categories, rural (20 percent set-aside), high-unemployment (10 percent set-aside), and infrastructure (2 percent set-aside), remain current for all nationalities. This continues to allow eligible investors to proceed without visa backlog concerns.

In the unreserved category, China’s final action date has advanced to 1 December 2016, while all other countries remain current.

India Unreserved Category Becomes Unavailable

The July bulletin introduces an important update for Indian nationals in the unreserved EB-5 category.

Due to sustained demand and high visa usage throughout FY 2026, India’s annual limit for unreserved EB-5 visas has now been reached. As a result, the category is unavailable for the remainder of the fiscal year, through 30 September 2026.

While this reflects strong interest in the EB-5 program, it also highlights the impact of annual visa limits as demand continues to grow.

Looking ahead, the U.S. Department of State has indicated that the category is expected to reopen in October 2026. The final action date is likely to return to at least the level previously seen in June 2026, although this will ultimately depend on overall demand and next year’s visa allocation.

What This Means for Investors

The overall EB-5 framework remains stable, with clear distinctions across categories becoming increasingly important:

• Reserved categories continue to offer a current pathway for all nationalities
• India’s unreserved category is temporarily unavailable through the end of FY 2026
• China mainland continues to experience a long-standing backlog in the unreserved category
• All other countries remain current in the unreserved category
• For the EB-5 Unreserved categories (C5, T5, I5, and R5), China will advance by approximately ten weeks to December 1, 2016 and India will be unavailable through September 30, 2026.

For Indian investors, this reinforces the importance of preparing for the September 30, 2026, grandfathering deadline. Prospective investors are urged to work fast if they do not want to miss out on the September deadline.