Does EB-5 retrogression depend on the investor’s country of birth?

Retrogression in the EB-5 category does not look at your nationality itself, but rather at the country of birth used for visa counting purposes. Because there are per-country issuance limits, applicants born in high-demand countries may face longer wait times.

In practice, whether a given country experiences retrogression depends on how much demand in that group exceeds the available visas during a given period. It is a dynamic situation: a country may be backlogged at one point and current at another, as global demand shifts.

For that reason, what matters more than your origin is tracking the official queue. Your priority date shows your position, and the Visa Bulletin indicates whether and when cases from each country are moving forward.

Because these figures change frequently, monitor the current status in the State Department’s Visa Bulletin and on the official USCIS website, and work with a specialist to assess your specific situation.

About the author

Victoria Harper

Editor-in-Chief

Meet the author

As a journalist and lead editor at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps ensure that immigration topics are covered in a clear, trustworthy, and easy-to-understand way. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.