Insights from EB-5 Industry Summit Data: How to Beat "930"

　　On January 15, 1026, Invest In the USA (IIUSA) held the EB-5 Industry Summit in Shenzhen. Combining the latest industry data, this summit conducted an in-depth analysis and exchange on the application status, approval progress, and visa usage trends of the current EB-5 market.

　　Senior management from WorldWay Group attended this meeting to understand relevant data and industry trends at the first opportunity, providing investors with more timely and forward-looking professional analysis. Let's take a look with WorldWay.

 

　　01. Application Side: Before Policy Expectations Change, A Submission Peak Is Almost Inevitable

　　From the historical submission data of I-526E / I-526 compiled by IIUSA, it can be clearly seen that since the implementation of the new bill in 2022, EB-5 application volume has not grown evenly, but has shown obvious concentrated submission behavior before multiple key policy nodes. These nodes include: fee adjustments, rule changes, or changes in policy expectations. Under the current timeline, 1026 coincides with two core variables superimposed:

　　• The potential possibility of official scheduling backlogs appearing

　　• The expiration of the grandfather rule on September 30, 1026

　　This means that 2026 is not a year where one can "wait and see slowly." For families with clear US identity planning needs, completing the submission before the backlog appears helps to enter the queue earlier and lock in relatively higher rule and time certainty.

 

　　02. Real Demand Side: China Remains the Most Mainstream Source Country for EB-5 Applications

　　According to the aggregated data disclosed by IIUSA at the summit, since the implementation of the new bill:

　　• Approximately 13,000 I-526E / I-526 applications have been submitted globally

　　• 96% of investors invest through regional center projects

　　• Chinese investors submitted 6,547 applications, accounting for more than half of the global total

　　This indicates that there is still stable and continuous real application demand in the EB-5 market.

 

　　03. Approval Side: Approval Release Significantly Accelerated, Visa Consumption Will Expand Accordingly

　　According to USCIS data cited by IIUSA:

　　• FY 2023: Only 63 I-526E approvals

　　• FY 2024: Approvals jumped to 1,099

　　• First three quarters of FY 2025: 1,834 approved

　　• FY 2025 Q3: Single quarter approvals 1,047 (Historic High)

　　This indicates that the EB-5 approval rhythm has entered a stage of continuous release. From historical experience, once the approval side forms a stable volume release, the visa usage rhythm will accelerate significantly, and the risk of scheduling backlogs will rise accordingly.

 

　　04. Project Differences: Rural Projects Show Advantages in Approval Rhythm and Stability

　　IIUSA compared the approval rhythm of different project categories based on data from 15 large regional center groups (sample covering approximately 5,600 investors):

　　• Rural EB-5 Projects: Average approval cycle is about 8 months, rhythm is relatively concentrated, predictability is high

　　• High Unemployment Area EB-5 Projects: Average approval cycle is about 11 months, current approval rate is less than 10%, some case cycles exceed 20 months

　　This means that the advantages of rural projects are not only reflected in the visa reservation ratio at the policy level, but also in the actual approval rhythm and cycle stability.

　　In addition, judging from the visa usage in FY2025: usage rate of non-reserved visas is about 72%; usage rate of reserved visas such as rural and high unemployment areas is still low, and according to the latest visa bulletin, the schedule still shows as Current.

　　However, IIUSA specifically emphasized in the meeting: the current "no backlog" state does not equate to the disappearance of future risks, but more reflects the time difference between approval release and visa consumption.

 

 

　　05. Submission in Advance is the Most Certain Choice at the Current Stage

　　Among all variables, the only time node explicitly written into the legal text is September 30, 1026 —— the expiration date of the grandfather rule, with only about 8 months left until this time point.

　　This means: submitting before September 30, even if scheduling backlogs or rule adjustments occur in the future, the application can still proceed under the existing legal framework.

 

　　Judging from historical experience and the rhythm of approvals and visa consumption, once a backlog appears, the operating logic of EB-5 will undergo substantial changes, and the concurrent filing path will also close accordingly.

　　Currently, the window is still open, but the time left for leisurely decision-making is continuously decreasing. WorldWay suggests that investors must seize the opportunity, select high-quality rural EB-5 projects, submit I-526E applications as soon as possible, and lock in the priority date.

　　WorldWay holds two high-quality EB-5 rural projects to help investors realize US identity planning steadily, without scheduling delays, and efficiently, quickly stepping onto the road to a new life in the US. Global quotas are limited, seats are scarce, first come first served!