EB-5 Regional Center vs Direct Investment: 2026 Decision Framework

As of June 25, 2026. Regional center EB-5 lets you invest passively and count indirect jobs from an economist's model, while direct EB-5 means you run the business and create the 10 W-2 jobs yourself. Both paths can use the $800,000 set-aside categories, so the real decision is control versus convenience. Direct EB-5 investment requires the investor to create at least 10 full-time direct W-2 jobs in the new commercial enterprise. Regional center investment lets the same 10 jobs come from indirect job creation calculated by an economist. That single difference drives most of the decision math. Direct investment is structurally easier in some ways (no regional center fees, no third-party project sponsor), but operationally much harder (the investor must actually build a business that employs ten people). Regional center investment is structurally more complex (more parties, more fees, more diligence required) but operationally simpler (the investor is a passive...