Yesterday, October 8th, USCIS announced quarterly statistics for the third quarter of the 2025 fiscal year, including the latest data on RIA-preceded I-526 cases as well as I-526E (EB-5 investor through regional centers) and I-526 (direct EB-5 investor) applications after RIA.

• Key points from the latest data release include:
  The number of approved I-526E applications surged in Q3: USCIS approved a record 1,047 I-526E applications in Q3 of the 2025 fiscal year, the highest quarterly total since the enactment of RIA. This significant increase in approved applications is expected to support greater use of reserve visas in the second half of the 2025 fiscal year.
• EB-5 demand remains strong: In just the first three quarters of the 2025 fiscal year, 5,089 EB-5 investor petitions were filed—exceeding the total number of applications for the entire 2024 fiscal year and representing over $4.1 billion in new EB-5 investments.
• The approval rate for I-526E remains consistently high: the average approval rate for I-526E applications processed in fiscal year 2025 remains at a high 94%, even as the processing volume increases significantly.
• Vietnam is a bright spot for EB5 investors, with a total of 152 Vietnamese investors completing their EB5 applications in 2025, including 149 applicants submitting through Regional Centers. Of these, 101 applications are for projects with high unemployment rates and 48 applications are for rural projects. Most investors opt for status conversion to optimize their time and ensure continued residence and employment in the U.S. after their F1 student visas expire and while waiting for I-526E approval.