How does the annual green card allocation for the EB-5 work?

The EB-5 is the United States employment-based immigration category for investors and receives, each fiscal year, a reserved share of employment-based green cards. In other words, there is an annual portion set aside specifically for investors entering through this pathway, separate from the other permanent residency categories.

In practice, this availability is not unlimited. The issuance of EB-5 green cards follows annual limits and per-country-of-birth caps, which can create waiting queues and priority dates when demand exceeds supply in a given period.

• There is an annual share reserved for EB-5 within the employment-based immigration system.
• Distribution respects both global limits and per-country-of-birth caps.
• When demand is high, queues form and forward movement depends on the priority date.

Because the exact numbers and queue movement change over time, the safest approach is to follow the Visa Bulletin from the Department of State and the official guidance of USCIS, ideally with the support of a specialist to evaluate your case.

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.