I-526E vs I-526: What changed under the Reform Act?
TL;DR
I-526E is the post-2022 petition for Regional Center investors after the EB-5 Reform & Integrity Act. I-526 is the legacy form for direct EB-5.
The EB-5 Reform & Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA) split the EB-5 petition into two forms. Form I-526E is filed by Regional Center investors and is the only path for the new $800K rural and high-unemployment set-aside categories. Form I-526 remains for direct EB-5 investors.
- •I-526E required for Regional Center investments (95%+ of EB-5 filings since 2022)
- •Adds RIA integrity-measure questions on source of funds and project structure
- •Eligible for the rural set-aside (20% of visas) and urban set-aside (10%)
- •Priority processing on rural set-aside has driven adjudication times below 1 year for many applicants
If you are investing through Beyond Paradise 1 (or any Regional Center project), you will file Form I-526E.
Beyond Paradise 1 already has I-956F project approval — a prerequisite that significantly accelerates I-526E adjudication for our investors.
Related
I-956F project approval — why it matters for you
I-956F is USCIS's pre-vetting of the EB-5 project itself. Filing I-526E against an already-approved I-956F means much faster individual adjudication.
Rural TEA vs Urban TEA vs Direct EB-5
Rural TEA = $800K + 20% visa set-aside + priority processing. Urban TEA = $800K + 10% set-aside. Direct EB-5 = $1.05M, no Regional Center.
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