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Visa Bulletin

EB-5 visa bulletin, August 2026: cut-off dates by country

EB-5 unreserved is current everywhere except China, mainland born at 1 December 2016 and India unavailable, and all three set-aside categories are current for every country.

Bulletin number 17, volume XI. Figures read from the Department of State on .

Which chart applies to you

For August 2026, USCIS requires every employment-based applicant filing Form I-485 to use the Final Action Dates chart. That designation is USCIS policy for the month, not something the bulletin itself decides, and it changes.

Applicants going through a consulate rather than adjustment of status read the Dates for Filing chart to know when the National Visa Center will accept documents, and the Final Action Dates chart to know when a visa can be issued.

USCIS adjustment of status filing charts

Final Action Dates, August 2026

A visa can be issued only to applicants whose priority date is earlier than the date shown. Current means every qualified applicant may proceed. Unavailable means no numbers are authorised at all this month, which is not the same as a very old cut-off date.

EB-5 Final Action Dates for August 2026
Employment fifth preferenceAll areas except those listedChina, mainland bornIndiaMexicoPhilippines
UnreservedCurrent1 December 2016UnavailableCurrentCurrent
Rural set aside, 20 percentCurrentCurrentCurrentCurrentCurrent
High unemployment set aside, 10 percentCurrentCurrentCurrentCurrentCurrent
Infrastructure set aside, 2 percentCurrentCurrentCurrentCurrentCurrent

Dates for Filing, August 2026

This chart governs when documents may be assembled and submitted, so it normally sits ahead of Final Action Dates. It controls adjustment of status filing only in the months USCIS says so.

EB-5 Dates for Filing for August 2026
Employment fifth preferenceAll areas except those listedChina, mainland bornIndiaMexicoPhilippines
UnreservedCurrent1 March 20171 May 2024CurrentCurrent
Rural set aside, 20 percentCurrentCurrentCurrentCurrentCurrent
High unemployment set aside, 10 percentCurrentCurrentCurrentCurrentCurrent
Infrastructure set aside, 2 percentCurrentCurrentCurrentCurrentCurrent

Where each country stands

Chargeability follows country of birth. Only these five rows exist: mainland China, India, Mexico and the Philippines are listed separately, and everyone else, including anyone born in Hong Kong, reads the first one.

All areas except those listed

Final Action
Current
Dates for Filing
Current
Set-asides
All current

Since July 2026 the unreserved category did not move.

China, mainland born

Final Action
1 December 2016
Dates for Filing
1 March 2017
Set-asides
All current

Since July 2026 the unreserved category did not move. The two charts disagree here, so which one applies decides whether anything can be filed at all.

India

Final Action
Unavailable
Dates for Filing
1 May 2024
Set-asides
All current

Since July 2026 the unreserved category did not move. The two charts disagree here, so which one applies decides whether anything can be filed at all.

Mexico

Final Action
Current
Dates for Filing
Current
Set-asides
All current

Since July 2026 the unreserved category did not move.

Philippines

Final Action
Current
Dates for Filing
Current
Set-asides
All current

Since July 2026 the unreserved category did not move.

What moved since July 2026

Every EB-5 cell held its value. No category advanced, retrogressed, went current or went unavailable.

Month by month history

Final Action Dates for the unreserved category, every bulletin from October 2022 to August 2026. The set-aside rows are omitted here because they have held current for every country across this whole period; the tables above carry them.

EB-5 unreserved Final Action Dates by month
BulletinAll areas except those listedChina, mainland bornIndiaMexicoPhilippines
August 2026C1 December 2016UCC
July 2026C1 December 2016UCC
June 2026C22 September 20161 May 2022CC
May 2026C22 September 20161 May 2022CC
April 2026C1 September 20161 May 2022CC
March 2026C15 August 20161 May 2022CC
February 2026C15 August 20161 May 2022CC
January 2026C15 August 20161 May 2022CC
December 2025C15 July 20161 July 2021CC
November 2025C8 December 20151 February 2021CC
October 2025C8 December 20151 February 2021CC
September 2025C8 December 201515 November 2019CC
August 2025C8 December 201515 November 2019CC
July 2025C22 January 20141 May 2019CC
June 2025C22 January 20141 May 2019CC
May 2025C22 January 20141 May 2019CC
April 2025C22 January 20141 November 2019CC
March 2025C15 July 20161 January 2022CC
February 2025C15 July 20161 January 2022CC
January 2025C15 July 20161 January 2022CC
December 2024C15 July 20161 January 2022CC
November 2024C15 July 20161 January 2022CC
October 2024C15 July 20161 January 2022CC
September 2024C15 December 20151 December 2020CC
August 2024C15 December 20151 December 2020CC
July 2024C15 December 20151 December 2020CC
June 2024C15 December 20151 December 2020CC
May 2024C15 December 20151 December 2020CC
April 2024C15 December 20151 December 2020CC
March 2024C15 December 20151 December 2020CC
February 2024C15 December 20151 December 2020CC
January 2024C8 December 20151 December 2020CC
December 2023C1 October 201515 December 2018CC
November 2023C1 October 201515 December 2018CC
October 2023C1 October 201515 December 2018CC
September 2023C8 September 20151 April 2017CC
August 2023C8 September 20151 April 2017CC
July 2023C8 September 20151 April 2017CC
June 2023C8 September 20151 April 2017CC
May 2023C8 September 20151 June 2018CC
April 2023C8 July 20151 June 2018CC
March 2023C8 July 20151 June 2018CC
February 2023C22 March 20158 November 2019CC
January 2023C22 March 20158 November 2019CC
December 2022C22 March 20158 November 2019CC
November 2022C22 March 20158 November 2019CC
October 2022C22 March 20158 November 2019CC

C means current, U means unavailable.

How the EB-5 rows and columns work

The four rows

The EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 reserves 32 percent of the annual employment fifth preference allocation: 20 percent for rural projects, 10 percent for high unemployment areas and 2 percent for infrastructure. The remaining 68 percent is the unreserved category, where the long queues sit.

How the set-asides work

The five columns

Chargeability follows country of birth, not citizenship or residence. Only mainland China, India, Mexico and the Philippines are listed separately; everyone else reads the first column. There is no Hong Kong column, because Hong Kong is its own chargeability area whose applicants read that first column too.

How the EB-5 queue forms

Official sources

Every figure above is transcribed from the bulletin the Department of State published for that month. Check the original before you act on a date.

What to do next

  1. Find your priority date on the receipt notice for Form I-526 or I-526E, then read it against the row and column that match your project and your country of birth. What protects a priority date
  2. Decide which route applies to you. Adjustment of status inside the United States follows the chart USCIS names each month. Concurrent filing explained and consular processing
  3. Check this page again after the middle of next month, when the following bulletin is published, and read the movement section before assuming a date held. How to interpret the bulletin

Frequently asked questions

Which visa bulletin chart do I use to file Form I-485 this month?

Final Action Dates. USCIS names one chart a month for employment-based adjustment of status, and for August 2026 it named the Final Action Dates chart. Consular applicants read the Dates for Filing chart for document assembly instead.

Read the USCIS filing charts page

Why do the two EB-5 charts show different dates for India?

The two charts answer different questions. Final Action Dates say when a visa can actually be issued, Dates for Filing say when paperwork may be submitted. Dates for Filing sits ahead of Final Action, so India can show a date on one and no availability at all on the other.

Read about the Indian EB-5 queue

When is the next visa bulletin published?

The State Department posts each bulletin roughly in the middle of the preceding month, so the September figures appear around the middle of August. There is no fixed publication day and no official feed, which is why a date here is never promised in advance.

How far back does this EB-5 cut-off date history go?

To October 2022, the start of fiscal year 2023 and of the layout above: one unreserved row against three set-aside rows. The set-asides appeared earlier in 2022, but the bulletin then split unreserved into two rows, so those months do not line up with these.

Read how the set-asides work