U.S. Halts EB-5 Unreserved Visas for India Until Oct. 1

The State Department has issued all available EB-5 unreserved immigrant visas for applicants chargeable to India for fiscal year 2026 and will not issue more until Oct. 1, the agency announced.

The department, working with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said it hit the limit as of June 5. Embassies and consulates may not issue visas in the unreserved categories — C5, T5, I5, R5, RU and NU — to India-chargeable applicants for the rest of the fiscal year.

Annual limits reset Oct. 1, 2026, when fiscal year 2027 begins. — U.S. State Department announcement

Annual limits reset Oct. 1, 2026, when fiscal year 2027 begins, and embassies and consulates can begin issuing the visas again to qualified applicants.

Federal law caps EB-5 visas at 7.1% of the worldwide employment-based limit, with 68% available for unreserved categories, according to the announcement. The law also bars natives of any single country from receiving more than 7% of combined employment-based and family-sponsored visas, prorated among categories.

The department also cited the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022, which allows unused reserved EB-5 visas from fiscal 2024 to be made available in this year’s unreserved categories.