the EB-5 visa, E-2 Treaty Investor visa, TN status and US Gold Card compared
EB-5 is the only investor visa USA offers that ends in a green card: US$800,000 in a targeted employment area, 10 jobs, and a rural filing that USCIS is now deciding in about 10 months. E-2 and TN are work visas that never become permanent on their own, and the Gold Card is an executive order with one confirmed approval. We advise families in Toronto, across Canada and inside the United States on which of these fits.
Figures verified 27 September 2026 · Licensed CICC consultant, Toronto
Only the first is residency. We list the others because our clients ask about them, and because for some Canadians a work visa is the right first step.
US$800,000 (TEA) or US$1,050,000
Passive; job creation modelled by the regional centre. Our default recommendation.
US$800,000 (TEA) or US$1,050,000
Harder to document; jobs must be on your own W-2 payroll.
No statutory minimum; substantial for the business
Non-immigrant. Not available to Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese or Nigerian nationals unless they hold a treaty passport, which is why some clients ask about Grenada.
US$1,000,000 individual, US$2,000,000 corporate (reported)
Not a statute; cannot replace EB-5 without Congress; litigation active. See our Gold Card page.
TN status (Canadians and Mexicans, USMCA professions) is an employer-based work permit, not an investment route; we mention it below for Canadians deciding between a job and a green card. Figures verified 27 September 2026.
Jane Katkova has advised on citizenship and residence by investment since 1998. We confirm eligibility, the complete fee schedule and the realistic processing time before you pay anything, and we advise against a programme when it does not fit your circumstances.
The EB-5 visa turns a US$800,000 investment in a US business that creates 10 jobs into a green card for you, your spouse and your children under 21. In 2026 the rural set-aside is the key development: USCIS is deciding those petitions in about 9.6 months, the category is current for every nationality, and people already in the US can file for work and travel authorisation the same day. The capital must be genuinely at risk, and the green card taxes you worldwide. This guide covers the requirements, investment options, process and risks.
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.
A targeted employment area (TEA) is a rural area or a high-unemployment area where the EB-5 minimum falls from US$1,050,000 to US$800,000. Since the 2022 Reform and Integrity Act it also determines your visa availability: 20% of EB-5 visas are reserved for rural projects, 10% for high-unemployment, 2% for infrastructure, all current for every nationality, with rural petitions getting priority processing and decisions in about 9.6 months.
An EB-5 visa for a Canadian citizen is the one US route that ends in a green card without a job offer, a treaty business or a profession list: US$800,000 in a rural targeted employment area, no country backlog, and a decision in about 9.6 months. Before you file, we assess the tax consequences with you: a green card makes you a US tax resident on worldwide income, and leaving Canada triggers departure tax.
The Trump Card, officially the Gold Card, is a US residence-for-payment idea announced in February 2025 at US$5 million and created by executive order later that year at a reported US$1 million for individuals and US$2 million for corporate sponsorship. As of April 2026 it had one confirmed approval and was being litigated. It is not a statute, it is not a visa category Congress created, and it cannot replace EB-5. We do not build client plans on it.
The detailed version is on our processing-times page; this is the outline.
We shortlist regional-centre projects by job cushion, capital structure and rural status, and build the source-of-funds file with your accountant.
Capital goes to escrow or the new commercial enterprise. If you are in the US in valid status, we file I-485, I-765 and I-131 the same day.
Concurrent filers receive a combined work and travel authorisation (EAD and advance parole) card in the meantime.
Through I-485 approval or an immigrant visa at the consulate.
We prove the investment was sustained and the 10 jobs exist. Permanent residence follows, and citizenship is available five years after the conditional card was first issued.
| Your situation | EB-5 | E-2 or TN |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian professional with a US job offer | Right if you want permanence and independence from the employer | TN is faster and cheaper; it ends with the job |
| Canadian buying a US business | Right if you want the green card now | E-2 works, but it never converts on its own |
| H-1B or F-1 holder from India or China | The rural set-aside is your route out of the backlog | Not available on your passport |
| Family abroad wanting to join a US citizen | Works for parents or adult children who cannot be sponsored quickly | Not relevant |
| Investor who will not live in the US | Not suitable: a green card requires residence and taxes you worldwide | E-2 fits part-time presence better |
Photo: Mike Chavarri / Unsplash
Photo: Luca Bravo / Unsplash
Photo: Jermaine Ee / Unsplash
Photo: Thomas Habr / Unsplash
Photo: Fernando Strabuli / UnsplashFirst, the money is at risk by law; we choose projects to reduce that risk, not to eliminate it. Second, the tax change is immediate and comprehensive: a US green card makes you a US tax resident on worldwide income, and Canadians need departure-tax and treaty planning before the card is issued, not after. Third, timing is significant this year. The 2027 indexing raises the minimums, and the grandfathering date for regional-centre petitions is 30 September 2026. If you are ready, we file before it.
We are a Toronto firm led by Jane Katkova, a licensed CICC consultant. US immigration filings are made through licensed US attorneys we work with; we run the strategy, the project selection and the source-of-funds file, and we coordinate the Canadian side. Read the full EB-5 visa guide, the cost breakdown, the targeted employment area explainer, and current processing times.
Canadians already have the most accessible temporary routes to the US of any nationality: TN status for listed professions and the E-2 treaty investor visa for a business you run. Neither is residency. Both depend on an employer or an enterprise, both end when it does, and neither counts towards citizenship. EB-5 is the only route that gives you and your children a green card without a sponsor, and Canada has no visa backlog, so a rural filing today reaches a decision in about 10 months on current averages.
The tax consequence to plan before committing capital: a green card makes you a US tax resident on worldwide income from the day it is issued. If you leave Canada you face departure tax on deemed dispositions, and the Canada–US treaty decides which country taxes what. We bring a cross-border accountant into the first meeting, not the last.
If you are in the US on H-1B, L-1, F-1 or OPT, especially as an Indian or Chinese national, EB-5 offers a route out of the employment-based backlog that does not depend on an employer. The 2022 Reform and Integrity Act reserved 32% of EB-5 visas for rural, high-unemployment and infrastructure projects, and those set-aside categories are current for every nationality on the Visa Bulletin. Filing I-526E and I-485 together gives you an employment authorisation document and advance parole while USCIS decides, so a lay-off or a change of employer no longer puts your immigration status at immediate risk.
If you are in Canada on a work permit or PR and want the US instead, you file from Canada and process at the consulate in Montreal, or enter in a status that allows adjustment. Your source-of-funds file is the core of the petition: every dollar of the US$800,000 must be traced to a lawful origin.
In one consultation we assess whether EB-5, E-2 or TN fits, what it costs, and what the tax change means for a Canadian or a US resident on another passport.
Video forthcoming.
No. Owning a home in the United States carries no immigration status. EB-5 requires an investment in a business that creates 10 jobs; a personal residence does not qualify. Property buyers still enter as visitors, on a work visa, or with a green card obtained another way.
Invest US$800,000 in a targeted employment area project (US$1,050,000 elsewhere), file I-526E, and, once approved, adjust status or process at a consulate for a conditional green card. After two years you file I-829 to make it permanent. Rural petitions are being decided in about 9.6 months on average.
Not yet. It was created by executive order in 2025, had one confirmed approval as of April 2026, and is being litigated. It is not a statute and cannot replace EB-5 without Congress. We do not plan client files around it.
Yes, and Canada has no EB-5 backlog. A Canadian inside the US in valid status can file I-485 with the I-526E; one in Canada processes through the consulate in Montreal. The trade-off is tax: a green card makes you a US tax resident on worldwide income, and leaving Canada triggers departure tax.
Regional-centre authorisation runs to 30 September 2027. Petitions filed on or before 30 September 2026 are grandfathered by statute and continue to be processed even if Congress lets the programme lapse later. Direct EB-5 is permanent law and is not affected.
Yes, in substance. Permanent residence is for people who reside in the US; long absences can be treated as abandonment, and naturalisation needs physical presence. You also become a US tax resident on worldwide income the day the card issues. If you want an option without moving, a European golden visa or Panama fits better than EB-5.
Compare them side by side: residency by investment overview and EU residence by investment options. Looking for a passport rather than a permit? See Canadian citizenship by birth or citizenship of Dominica by investment.
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Programme rules change; we confirm every figure before you commit.
A confidential consultation with a licensed CICC consultant. We assess eligibility and total cost before you commit to any programme.