For H-1B holders · Rural EB-5
Your petition. Not your employer's.
An EB-5 immigrant petition is filed by the investor. There is no employer sponsor, no PERM labor certification and no I-140 from a company. As of the October 2026 Visa Bulletin, the rural EB-5 category is Current for every country, including India and China.
EB5 Energy Fund I is a rural EB-5 project in Oklahoma oil and gas, owned by its EB-5 investors, with USCIS I-956F project approval on file and three investor I-526E petitions approved.
What changes when the petition is yours
A change of job does not touch the petition
Your I-526E is based on your investment and the lawful source of your funds. It does not depend on an employer, a job title or a labor certification, so changing employers, a layoff or a move to a different role does not affect it.
No per-country backlog in the rural category, as of October 2026
EB-2 and EB-3 final action dates for India are measured in years. Rural EB-5 has its own 20% visa set-aside under the 2022 Reform and Integrity Act, and the October 2026 Visa Bulletin lists it as Current for every country. The unreserved EB-5 category is not: India sits at 1 December 2023 and China at 1 December 2016. Visa Bulletin dates are published monthly and can move in either direction.
Filing the I-485 at the same time
Because the category is Current, an applicant in the U.S. in lawful status may be able to file Form I-485 concurrently with the I-526E, and may apply for employment authorization and advance parole while both are pending. Whether you are eligible, and whether it is the right sequence for your situation, is a determination your immigration counsel makes on your facts.
Spouse and children
A spouse and unmarried children under 21 may be included as derivative beneficiaries if they are eligible when the visa is issued. Whether a child's age is protected under the Child Status Protection Act is a calculation your counsel should run before you file. If a child is approaching 21, raise it on the first call.
The project
- Investor-owned. Investors hold equity in EB5 Energy Fund I, which controls the project entity that owns the wells. That is an indirect interest in the project's assets, not an unsecured loan to an unrelated project.
- Oklahoma oil and gas. Eight horizontal wells on acreage with more than 60 years of production history. USCIS I-956F project approval on file covers up to 72 wells and 150 investors.
- Three investor I-526E petitions approved. The most recent on 29 September 2026.
- Repayment targeted from production cash flow, not from a refinance or a sale. Repayment is a target, not a commitment, and EB-5 capital must remain invested for the two-year sustainment period USCIS requires.
- Rural priority processing. The 2022 Act directs USCIS to prioritize rural petitions.
Amounts and dates
| $800,000 | Rural minimum investment for petitions filed on or before 31 December 2026. |
| From 1 January 2027 | The rural minimum adjusts for inflation. An estimated $900,000, and possibly as high as $950,000. USCIS has published no amount or date. |
| 30 November 2026 | USCIS filing fees increase for petitions postmarked on or after this date. I-526E plus the Integrity Fund fee rises from $4,675 to $8,950. |
| Administrative fee | As set out in the offering documents. |
How it runs
- Request the filing summary. A written walk-through of the sequence for an H-1B holder, concurrent filing, and the project's terms, sent by email.
- Speak with Rupy Cheema, Managing Partner. She structured the offering and takes every initial investor call. The offering documents follow the call.
- Subscribe. Accredited-investor verification takes about three days and is completed before funds are accepted.
- Your counsel files the I-526E, with the I-485 if you are eligible to file concurrently.
For educational purposes only. This is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security. Offers are made only through the private placement memorandum to accredited investors. EB-5 investments are speculative and illiquid and involve a high degree of risk, including loss of the entire investment; oil and gas operations carry additional risk.
Immigration outcomes are determined by USCIS. I-956F project approval is approval of the project and does not determine any individual investor's petition. Visa availability is set by the monthly Visa Bulletin and can change. Concurrent filing, employment authorization and derivative-beneficiary eligibility depend on individual circumstances and are determined by your own immigration counsel. Repayment is a target, not a commitment. The 2027 investment amount is an estimate; USCIS has not published the adjusted figure.