Recently, AIIA (American Immigrant Investor Alliance) obtained new data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which includes 9,878 I-526 and I-526E petitions submitted between April 2022 and January 2025. This latest batch of data contains the distribution of I-526 and I-526E petitions categorized by TEA (Targeted Employment Area) status and country of origin.
According to the data, looking at the total number of I-526 and I-526E petitions filed since the new act, China shows the highest demand. Investors from China submitted the largest number of I-526E petitions, accounting for approximately 52%.
As of the end of January 2025, a total of 5,191 investors had filed I-526/I-526E petitions for the high unemployment category, while 4,329 investors had filed I-526/I-526E petitions for the rural category. Assuming 2 visa requirements per petition, this means there are currently approximately 10,400 high unemployment and 8,600 rural visa requirements (the exact number of visa requirements depends on the size of the applicant's family and the denial rate).
Visa demand trends by reserved category
As shown in the chart, since the last update in July 2024, the gap between the number of applicants for the rural category and the high unemployment category has continued to narrow steadily. However, the total number of high unemployment applicants still exceeds the number of rural project applications by nearly 900 (approximately 1,800 visa requirements).
Demand trends by country
Global I-526/I-526E application trends for the high unemployment category post-reform
Global I-526/I-526E application trends for the rural category post-reform
Application trends across countries began to stabilize after the volatility caused by the filing fee increase in March 2024; mainland China and India have also returned to their respective normal application volumes in recent months. Since March 2024, application volumes from other parts of the world have also remained strong.
Mainland China: Rural vs. High Unemployment Category
Since the new act, in terms of total I-526E filings by country, China has the highest demand. The number of applications from Chinese investors in the high unemployment category is 2,380, accounting for 45.8% of total global applications. The number of applications in the rural category is 2,684, accounting for 62% of total global applications.
Distribution of I-526E applications for high unemployment category (April 2022 to January 2025)
Distribution of I-526E applications for rural category (April 2022 to January 2025)
I-526/I-526E applications from mainland China applicants for rural vs. high unemployment categories
Looking at the monthly filing numbers for China in the chart above, the demand for EB-5 from Chinese applicants remains extremely high, with increases in applications for both high unemployment and rural projects. However, rural projects are more popular, and their application volume continues to lead.
EB-5 new legislation stipulates that only rural projects within regional centers enjoy "priority processing," and USCIS is indeed practicing this "priority processing" policy in actual I-956F and I-526E adjudications. Therefore, rural projects are an excellent choice for Chinese applicants to obtain green cards quickly. Prospective investors should initiate their plans as soon as possible, select high-quality projects, file early to lock in a priority date, and seize the current precious window of no visa retrogression.
Currently, the market-leading boutique EB-5 project — "Aspen Kodiak Apartments" — has already received dual approval for both its I-956F and I-526E petitions. This project is a high-quality EB-5 rural project selected and rigorously vetted by Worldway Group, and is undoubtedly an excellent choice for your rapid immigration to the United States.
Reminder: Now is an excellent time to immigrate to the United States. From April 1 to April 30, 2025, Worldway is hosting a limited-time grand promotion. Significant discounts are available for processing selected projects, including U.S. EB-5 immigration, EB-1A & NIW immigration, etc. The promotion is approaching its final countdown, and quotas are limited, available on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are interested, please act quickly and do not miss this opportunity.
For detailed inquiries in Mainland China: 400-138-2929, Hong Kong Customer Service Center: (852) 2802 8798
*Investment involves risks; the above information is for reference only.*