# IIUSA Q3 FY2026 I-526E Data: Demand Strong, Adjudications Slow, Denials Up, Pending Inventory at 11,192

> IIUSA's analysis of USCIS data shows 1,665 EB-5 investor petitions received in April–June 2026, 904 I-526E adjudications with the approval rate down to 76%, and a pending I-526E inventory of 11,192 as of June 30 — up 25% year over year. Nearly 20,000 petitions have been filed since the RIA.

- URL: https://eb5policy.com/news/iiusa-i526e-data-q3-fy2026/
- Language: en
- Category: news
- Published: 2026-09-10
- Tags: IIUSA, I-526E, processing data, pending inventory, approval rate, data

Industry association **IIUSA (Invest in the USA)** published on September 10 its analysis of USCIS I-526E data for the third quarter of FY2026 (April 1 – June 30, 2026). The headline: investor demand and capital formation remain strong, but adjudications are slowing, the approval rate is falling, and the backlog is growing.

## Key figures for the quarter

| Metric | FY2026 Q3 |
| --- | --- |
| EB-5 investor petitions received | 1,665 (1,599 I-526E; 66 standalone I-526) |
| I-526E adjudications | 904 (687 approvals, 217 denials) |
| I-526E approval rate | 76% |
| Standalone I-526 approval rate | 31% |
| Legacy pre-RIA I-526 approval rate | 18% |
| Pending I-526E (as of June 30) | 11,192, up 25% year over year |
| Pending legacy I-526 | 960 |

## FY2026 through Q3

- India-born investors filed 1,977 petitions and China-born investors 1,970 — essentially even.
- IIUSA estimates **$4.18 billion** of EB-5 capital raised in the first three quarters of FY2026.
- Nearly **20,000** investor petitions have been filed since the RIA took effect.

## Reading the trends

1. **Approval rate down from 94% to 76%.** FY2025 saw quarterly approval rates as high as 94%; this quarter's 217 denials mark a clear rise. IIUSA's public summary does not break down denial reasons; investors should focus on source-of-funds and project-document quality.
2. **Adjudication volume below the FY2025 second-half peak.** Each FY2026 quarter has produced far fewer I-526E decisions than the record pace of late FY2025, while receipts have not fallen — hence the growing inventory.
3. **Project preferences diverging.** Chinese and Indian investors continue to favor rural projects; Indian demand for high-unemployment-area (HUA) projects is rising in FY2026; investors from Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, and most other markets still predominantly choose HUA projects.

## What it means for applicants

- A growing inventory suggests longer I-526E waits outside the rural priority lane; on the visa side, the reserved categories remain Current (see the [October 2026 Visa Bulletin](/news/october-2026-visa-bulletin/)).
- A falling approval rate is a reminder that completeness and source-of-funds quality matter more than filing speed.
- The KPIs on our [home page](/) and [Data Hub](/data/) have been updated to this quarter's figures.

Further reading: [Rural vs. High-Unemployment Projects](/projects/rural-vs-hua-projects/) · [Five Common Source-of-Funds Pitfalls](/guides/source-of-funds-pitfalls/)

## Sources

- IIUSA, "I-526E Data Analysis for Q3 FY2026: Strong EB-5 Demand Continues as Adjudications Slow, Denials Increase and Pending Inventory Grows" (September 10, 2026), based on USCIS quarterly statistics