EB-5 visas are rapidly becoming a popular choice for foreigners seeking American citizenship. In Q1 FY2025, US consular offices worldwide issued 4,608 EB-5 visas, a 90% year-over-year increase and a record-breaking number, reports Invest In the USA (IIUSA), a national membership-based not-for-profit industry trade association for the EB-5 Regional Center Program.

IIUSA in a report states that last week, the U.S. Department of State released monthly visa issuance data for both November and December 2024, offering insights into EB-5 visa usage during the first quarter of FY2025.

EB-5 is an employment-based visa that allows foreigners to apply for lawful permanent residence or become a Green Card holder, leading to US citizenship.

US consular offices worldwide issued 4,608 EB-5 visas in Q1 FY2025, a record-breaking number and a 90% year-over-year increase.

During Q1 FY2025, the State Department issued 4,542 Unreserved visas, with the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou processing nearly 2,450 of them, accounting for 54% of worldwide visa issuance. However, only 66 Reserved visas were issued in the first three months of FY2025, including 39 visas under the High Unemployment Area (HUA) category and 27 visas under the Rural Area category.

The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) limits the number of employment-based preference immigrant visas that may be issued within a fiscal year. The annual limit for EB-5 visas is 7.1 percent of the worldwide employment limit, of which 68 percent is available for unreserved visa categories (C5, T5, I5, R5, RU, NU).

A total of 18,786 EB-5 visas are available in FY2025, including 11,720 visas allocated to the Unreserved category, 4,416 visas reserved for Rural Area, 2,208 visas reserved for HUA and 442 visas reserved for Infrastructure.

In the January 2025 Visa Bulletin, the State Department warned EB-5 stakeholders about the possibility of establishing a cut-off date for the Reserved visa category.

However, given that just 1% of Reserved visas have been used by the State Department, unless a considerable number of set-aside visas are processed through USCIS adjustment of status, a significant amount of the available Reserved visas in FY2025 may still go unused.

During Q1 FY2025, 4,542 Unreserved EB-5 visas were issued via consular processing, marking a remarkable 90% year-over-year increase compared to Q1 FY2024. With nearly 40% of Unreserved visas already issued through consular processing alone, current trends suggest that the State Department is on track to fully utilize the Unreserved visa allocation by the end of the current fiscal year, reports IIUSA.

With 55% or 2,505 visas of all unreserved EB-5 visas issued in Q1 FY2025, China remains the country with the highest usage rate. In the first three months of FY2025, the Guangzhou Consulate Office alone processed 2,449 visas, setting a new production record.

Additionally, 335 Indian applicants received Unreserved visas in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, with 276 (or 82%) processed at the Mumbai Consulate.

During the first quarter of FY2025, 66 Reserved EB-5 visas were given, with 39 under the HUA category and 27 for Rural Area. Regional Centers continue to account for the vast bulk of Reserved EB-5 visa issuance, with 86% (57 visas out of 66) going to applicants who invested in a regional center project.

During the first quarter of fiscal year 2025, 18 Reserved visas were given to Indian applicants, including four (4) visas related to direct EB-5 investments in a rural area that were processed through the US Consulate in Qatar.