Why Reserved Categories Still Offer the Fastest Path: Rural, High-Unemployment, and Infrastructure

For investors from countries with long EB-5 queues, the most important decision is often not whether to pursue EB-5, but which category to pursue. The October 2026 Visa Bulletin made the difference between the options unusually clear. While the unreserved category still carries a wait measured in years for China and India, the three set-aside categories remained current for every country. For many investors, that contrast is the whole case for choosing a reserved-category project.

Here is what the set-aside categories are, why they continue to offer the most direct path to a green card, and what still matters when choosing a project within them.

What the set-aside categories are

The EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 divided EB-5 visas into reserved and unreserved pools. Each year, a share of EB-5 visas is set aside for three categories: 20 percent for rural projects, 10 percent for projects in high-unemployment areas, and 2 percent for infrastructure projects. The rest fall into the unreserved category. Because the reserved categories have their own dedicated visa numbers each year, they have not accumulated the backlog that the unreserved category has built up over time.¹

Why "current" matters

In the language of the Visa Bulletin, a category that is current has no cut-off date, which means a visa number is available without waiting behind a per-country queue. For an investor from a backlogged country, that is the difference between moving forward now and waiting years for a number to become available. In the October 2026 Visa Bulletin, all three set-aside categories were listed as current for every country, including China and India. The unreserved category, by contrast, still reflected multi-year waits for both.²

What this means for investors from China and India

For a new investor from China or India, the set-aside categories can remove years from the timeline to permanent residency compared with the unreserved category. This is by design. The reserved visa pool was created to keep capital flowing into rural, high-unemployment, and infrastructure projects, and to give investors in those projects a faster route. The October bulletin is a clear illustration of the reserved categories working as intended.

Rural projects and priority processing

Among the three set-aside categories, rural projects carry two advantages. They receive the largest reserved allocation, at 20 percent of annual EB-5 visas, and the Reform and Integrity Act also directs USCIS to prioritize the processing of rural petitions. For an investor weighing timelines, a rural set-aside project can offer the strongest combination of visa availability and faster adjudication.³

Category availability is necessary, but not sufficient

Choosing a reserved category addresses the visa timeline, but it does not, on its own, make a project a sound investment. The project and the operator behind it still determine whether the capital creates the required jobs, whether the investment is structured to protect the investor, and whether the capital is returned. A current visa category and a well-run project are both needed. Investors should look just as closely at job-creation projections, capital structure, and an operator's track record of repayment as they do at the category a project falls under.

Where CanAm fits

CanAm offers EB-5 projects in the set-aside categories, including infrastructure and rural investments. Pairing reserved-category availability with the diligence and track record that CanAm brings to each project is the combination that tends to serve investors from backlogged countries best.

The takeaway

The October 2026 Visa Bulletin reinforced a pattern that has held since the Reform and Integrity Act took effect:

• The set-aside categories, rural, high-unemployment, and infrastructure, remain current while the unreserved category carries multi-year waits.
• Rural projects combine the largest reserved allocation with priority processing.
• Category availability sets the timeline, but project and operator quality determine the outcome.

For investors from China, India, and other backlogged markets, a well-chosen set-aside project remains the most direct path to a green card.

This article is general information and is not legal or immigration advice. Visa categories and Visa Bulletin dates change over time, and individual eligibility depends on the facts of each case. Investors should consult a qualified immigration attorney and review current project materials before making a decision.

Considering a Set-Aside EB-5 Project?

CanAm Enterprises has operated at the forefront of the EB-5 program for over 20 years, part of a track record in investment-linked immigration that reaches back to 1987. CanAm has raised more than $4.3 billion in EB-5 capital across more than 75 projects and has returned more than $2.5 billion to investors. Its work has helped facilitate more than 9,500 permanent green cards for families from over 90 countries. CanAm operates 11 regional centers across more than 30 states, and its affiliated broker-dealer, CanAm Investor Services, is FINRA-registered.

To learn how CanAm's reserved-category projects line up with a specific country and timeline, reach out to the CanAm team.

Notes

1. The EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 reserves 20 percent of annual EB-5 visas for rural projects, 10 percent for high-unemployment areas, and 2 percent for infrastructure projects. See U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, uscis.gov.
2. All three set-aside categories (rural, high-unemployment, and infrastructure) were listed as current for every country in the October 2026 Visa Bulletin. See U.S. Department of State, travel.state.gov.
3. The Reform and Integrity Act directs USCIS to prioritize the processing and adjudication of petitions associated with rural projects. See U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, uscis.gov.