The U.S. has reached its fiscal year 2026 limit for unreserved EB-5 immigrant visas for Indian applicants, pausing new issuances until October 1, 2026. This halt affects investors seeking permanent residency through the EB-5 program, with allocations resetting for FY2027.
This development significantly impacts Indian investors seeking permanent residency in the U.S. through the EB-5 program, creating a substantial waiting period until October 2026 due to country-specific visa caps.
The United States has depleted its allocation of unreserved Employment-Based Fifth Preference (EB-5) immigrant visas for Indian applicants for the fiscal year 2026. This exhaustion, confirmed by the U.S. Department of State, means that U.S. embassies and consulates can no longer issue these visas to Indian nationals until the start of the new fiscal year on October 1, 2026.
The limit for FY2026 was reached on June 5, following coordination with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The pause specifically impacts EB-5 unreserved visa categories, including C5, T5, I5, R5, RU, and NU, which are part of the immigrant investor program designed to grant permanent residency to foreign nationals making qualifying investments in the U.S.
U.S. law imposes annual limits on employment-based immigrant visas, with EB-5 visas comprising 7.1% of the global employment-based allocation, 68% of which is designated for unreserved EB-5 categories. Country-specific caps, designed to prevent any single nation from dominating visa allocations, have led to these categories being exhausted before the fiscal year concludes.
With the FY2026 quota for Indian applicants filled, further visa issuances in these categories will only resume on October 1, 2026, when the annual visa allocations reset for fiscal year 2027. The announcement pertains exclusively to the EB-5 unreserved category for India and does not affect other visa types.
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