EB-5 Visa Cost 2026: Investment, Fees and Worked Examples

Reviewed by Jane Katkova, Founder & Licensed CICC Consultant· Last updated: September 2026

The EB-5 visa cost is US$800,000 of at-risk capital in a targeted employment area (US$1,050,000 elsewhere) plus roughly US$65,000–100,000 in non-refundable fees. The capital is the same for a single applicant or a family; the USCIS fees scale per person. Both minimums index for inflation from 1 January 2027.

EB-5 visa cost: minimum investment and fees (2026)

• US$800,000 Capital in a TEA or Infrastructure. Rural or high-unemployment targeted employment area; at risk; structured for repayment, not guaranteed
• US$1,050,000 Capital Elsewhere. Unreserved category; backlogged for China and India
• Indexing from 1 January 2027. Both amounts rise with inflation; filing in 2026 locks today's figure
• Regional-Centre Fee of US$50,000–80,000. Non-refundable administration fee, paid with the capital
• I-526E Fees of US$11,160 + US$1,000. USCIS filing fee plus the EB-5 Integrity Fund fee
• I-485 (in the US) at US$1,440 per Person. Or consular immigrant visa fee US$345 and USCIS immigrant fee US$235 per person
• I-829 Fee of US$9,525. One petition covers the family
• Legal and Advisory Fees Quoted in Writing. US attorney fees for I-526E, I-485 or consular stage, and I-829; our strategy and file work

EB-5 visa fees by stage: capital, USCIS and regional centre

The investment capital is listed first, followed by the fees payable in addition. Only the capital is structured to be returned.

Investment capital: US$800,000 or US$1,050,000

• Covers: Whole family
• Holding: At risk at least two years from reaching the job-creating enterprise; typical repayment 5–7 years
• Best for: TEA at US$800,000 for most clients

Wired to escrow or the new commercial enterprise on filing. Repayment depends on the project.

Regional-centre administration fee: US$50,000–80,000

• Covers: Whole family
• Holding: Not refundable
• Best for: Every regional-centre project charges one

Varies by project; some offer reductions for early subscribers. We compare it against the project's job cushion, not on its own.

USCIS I-526E filing: US$11,160 + US$1,000 integrity fund

• Covers: Whole family
• Holding: Not refundable
• Best for: Paid once at filing

Direct investors file I-526 at the same fee level.

Adjustment of status (I-485, I-765, I-131): US$1,440 per person

• Covers: Each family member in the US
• Holding: Not refundable
• Best for: Concurrent filers in the US in valid status

Includes the work-permit and advance-parole applications when filed together with I-485; biometrics included.

Consular processing: US$345 + US$235 per person

• Covers: Each family member abroad
• Holding: Not refundable
• Best for: Applicants outside the US, including most Canadians in Canada

DS-260 immigrant visa fee and the USCIS immigrant fee for the green card; medical exam charged separately.

I-829 removal of conditions: US$9,525

• Covers: Whole family
• Holding: Not refundable
• Best for: Filed in the last 90 days of the two-year conditional period

Biometrics included.

Legal and advisory fees: Quoted in writing

• Covers: Whole family
• Holding: Not refundable
• Best for: Paid in stages: I-526E, green-card stage, I-829

We quote the US attorney's fee, our own, and the cross-border tax review together as a single figure.

USCIS fees are as published on uscis.gov at verification; they change by rule and we confirm at filing. Figures verified 27 September 2026.

EB-5 cost by household: rural TEA project examples

Assumes a regional-centre administration fee of US$70,000, concurrent I-485 filing for people in the US, and consular processing for people abroad. Legal fees excluded and quoted separately.

The capital is the same whether one person or six immigrate; the family cost difference is the per-person green-card fee. Medical exams, translations, courier and bank charges are extra.

EB-5 refund terms, payment timing and escrow of capital

Only the capital is meant to return, and only because the project repays its loan; nothing about it is guaranteed, and USCIS requires the funds to remain at risk for at least two years from the date they reach the job-creating enterprise. Most projects hold the capital in escrow until I-526E is filed or accepted, then release it to the developer; a few refund if the petition is denied on grounds unrelated to the project, and we read that clause before you sign. Regional-centre administration fees, USCIS fees and legal fees are non-refundable once paid.

Timing: the capital and administration fee move on filing day; I-526E and I-485 fees are paid the same day; consular fees are paid when the visa is processed; I-829 is paid about two years after the conditional card issues. The 2027 indexing means a file that slips from December 2026 to January 2027 costs more, and regional-centre grandfathering applies only to petitions filed on or before 30 September 2026, three days after our verification date.

Where a green card investment of US$500,000 is still advertised, it is out of date: that was the pre-2022 TEA minimum. There has been no US$500,000 option since the Reform and Integrity Act.

EB-5 cost considerations for Canadian and US-resident investors

For Canadian citizens

The tax consequences often outweigh the fees. Moving US$800,000 out of Canada is a currency decision; leaving Canada is a departure-tax event on deemed dispositions, and once the green card issues the IRS taxes your worldwide income. We put the cross-border accountant's fee inside the budget from the first estimate, because that review decides whether EB-5 is more or less costly than the headline figures suggest.

For US and Canada residents on another passport

Your extra cost is evidence, not fees: translating and certifying source-of-funds documents from India, China, Vietnam or Nigeria, and sometimes obtaining a gift deed from parents abroad. Concurrent filing in the US adds US$1,440 per person and secures a work permit that does not depend on your employer, which most clients consider the most valuable expense in the file.

Request a written EB-5 cost estimate for your household

Capital, fees, legal and the tax review in a single figure, for your household and your status. Book a consultation.

Frequently asked questions

What is the EB-5 minimum investment in 2026?

US$800,000 in a targeted employment area (rural or high-unemployment) or an infrastructure project, and US$1,050,000 anywhere else. Both figures index for inflation from 1 January 2027, so a 2026 filing locks the current amount. The capital is the same for a single applicant or a family; only the green-card stage fees scale per person.

Is there still a US$500,000 EB-5 option?

No. US$500,000 was the targeted employment area minimum before the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 raised it to US$800,000, with US$1,050,000 outside a TEA. Any page still quoting US$500,000 is out of date, and the next change is upward: both amounts index for inflation from 1 January 2027.

What EB-5 fees are non-refundable?

The regional-centre administration fee (typically US$50,000–80,000), the USCIS I-526E fee of US$11,160 and the US$1,000 integrity-fund fee, the green-card stage fees, the US$9,525 I-829 fee, and legal fees. Only the investment capital is structured to be returned, and even that is at risk by law until the project repays.

Does a family pay more for EB-5?

Only at the green-card stage. The US$800,000 capital and the regional-centre fee cover the investor, spouse and children under 21. Each family member pays their own I-485 fee (US$1,440) or consular fees (US$345 plus US$235). A family of four pays about US$4,000 more than a single applicant.

When does EB-5 capital come back?

When the project repays its loan, typically five to seven years after investment, and never sooner than two years from the date the capital reached the job-creating enterprise. Repayment is not guaranteed; the law requires the money to be at risk.

This guide is part of our United States Residency by Investment: EB-5 and More overview.

Official sources and references

1. USCIS: Fee schedule (Form G-1055)
2. USCIS: Form I-526E
3. USCIS: Form I-829
4. USCIS: EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program
5. US Department of State: Immigrant visa fees