The U.S. Department of State Visa Office has officially released the September 2026 Visa Bulletin. As the final month of Fiscal Year 2026, the EB-5 visa cut-off dates for this month remain unchanged from last month overall.
• EB-5 New Law Still Has No Cut-Off Date: The three reserved visa categories—Rural, High Unemployment Area, and Infrastructure Projects—continue to maintain “Current” status on both Chart A and Chart B, meaning there is no visa backlog.
• EB-5 Old Law Priority Dates Stagnant: Chart A remains at December 1, 2016, and Chart B remains at March 1, 2017.
Chart A: Final Action Dates For Employment-Based Preference Cases (Note: Entering the U.S. Consulate consular processing/interview stage)
Chart B: Dates For Filing Of Employment-Based Visa Applications (Note: Legally residing in the U.S. and meeting relevant conditions, submitting an AOS adjustment of status application to USCIS)
Currently, USCIS has not yet announced whether Chart B for employment-based immigration will remain open or closed for September 2026. WorldWay Group will continue to follow up closely.
No Visa Backlog Under New Law, “Concurrent Filing” Advantage Continues to Stand Out
For families currently preparing to apply for EB-5, although there are no changes in the September visa bulletin, the advantage of having no visa backlog under the new law continues. Especially for individuals already in the United States, there is an even more direct value behind this——“Concurrent Filing”.
Under current policies, when visa numbers are available for an EB-5 applicant's category, eligible applicants in the U.S. can concurrently submit an I-526E immigrant petition and an I-485 Adjustment of Status application.
This means applicants do not have to wait until the I-526E is approved before starting the adjustment of status process, but can enter the Green Card application procedure much earlier.
After filing the I-485, applicants can also concurrently apply for an EAD work permit and an AP travel document. Once the work permit is approved, they can work in the United States as authorized; once the AP is approved, it also provides greater convenience for travel into and out of the U.S. during the adjustment of status period.
This is particularly important for individuals currently studying, working, and living in the United States.
In the past, many international students had to continuously navigate status transitions from F-1 to OPT, and then to H-1B; if faced with graduation, the visa lottery, changing jobs, or even layoffs, their subsequent plans could be impacted.
However, the three reserved categories under the new EB-5 law currently remain free of visa backlogs, giving eligible applicants the opportunity to initiate adjustment of status earlier and reduce the uncertainty caused by long-term reliance on temporary statuses.
Dual Countdown: Grandfather Clause and $800,000 Window Tightening Simultaneously
In addition to no visa backlogs and “Concurrent Filing”, there are two more distinct timelines approaching for EB-5 currently.
The first is September 30, 2026.
The new EB-5 law provides important “Grandfathering” protection. For eligible Regional Center investor applications submitted on or before September 30, 2026, USCIS should continue processing the relevant cases even if the Regional Center program authorization expires in the future.
In other words, “September 30” is a critical node for locking in current legal protections.
The second date is January 1, 2027.
Currently, the minimum EB-5 investment amount is $800,000. According to the provisions of the new EB-5 law, the minimum EB-5 investment amount will automatically adjust every five years based on inflation. Starting January 1, 2027, the minimum EB-5 investment amount will increase from the current $800,000 to $900,000–$950,000 or higher.
This means that the current $800,000 investment threshold has entered its final months.
If the investment amount increases to over $900,000 in the future, it means an applicant family will need to contribute an additional $100,000+ in capital.
Therefore, for families who are firmly considering EB-5, the program has effectively entered a dual window of “Grandfather Clause Countdown + $800,000 Countdown.”
Key Deadlines Approaching: Application Timing Must Be Accelerated
As the two policy deadlines approach, the preparation time for EB-5 applications is further compressing.
Currently, WorldWay focuses on promoting the “Deer Valley · Snowridge Residences” EB-5 rural project with an approved I-956F, as well as the “Marriott · Imperial Lake Bay Resort” EB-5 project launched for the fifth time in partnership with Peachtree Group, covering the diverse project selection needs of different families. From now until August 31, 2026, applying for EB-5 immigration also entitles you to WorldWay's limited-time exclusive discounts.
For families who have determined to plan their U.S. residency through EB-5, as the policy deadlines draw near, project allocations, financial arrangements, and application document preparations will become increasingly condensed. Rather than leaving decisions to the last minute, it is better to start as early as possible to lock in the policy advantages that can still be seized today.
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