Understanding USCIS's EB-5 Inventory Management Approach

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) clarified how the Immigrant Investor Program Office (IPO) will manage and assign EB-5 investor petitions following changes introduced by the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA). The updated EB-5 case management approach will take effect on March 30, 2026, and will affect both Form I-526 (Standalone Investor) and Form I-526E (Regional Center Investor) petitions.

Modified FIFO Assignment System

Beginning March 30, 2026, USCIS will generally assign EB-5 petitions using a first-in, first-out (FIFO) approach while incorporating statutory priorities under the RIA.

Under this system:

• I-526E petitions will be assigned for review only after the associated I-956F is approved.