Hong Kong
Taiwan
VietnamShort answer: A TEA (Targeted Employment Area) is typically a high-unemployment area or a rural area. TEA projects under the reform framework often use the lower minimum investment, and rural/high-unemployment set-aside visa numbers can change the backlog experience. Whether a site “counts” as rural/TEA depends on project documentation and official determinations—not a casual map glance.
Reserved vs unreserved (concepts)
| Type | Practical meaning (overview) |
|---|---|
| Rural set-aside | Separate number pool; often more favorable availability in recent years |
| High-unemployment set-aside | Another reserved pool; definition and proof differ from rural |
| Unreserved | More tightly tied to country-of-birth backlogs; mainland China birth needs close bulletin reading |
See US EB-5.
What to verify in a project
- Whether the TEA/rural basis and its date still hold;
- Clear minimum investment and admin-fee structure;
- Job-creation methodology and progress disclosure;
- Escrow, release conditions and exit/redeployment terms;
- If concurrent filing is the goal, whether that number category is current.
Global Immigrate’s recommendation
- Do not pay a deposit just because a brochure says “rural”—read the legal opinion and regional-center disclosure.
- Mainland China-born investors must separate reserved vs unreserved bulletin impact.
- Run source-of-funds prep in parallel with project diligence.
Data current as of November 2026. General information only; not legal advice. Individual results vary.