Questions, answered with current data

EB-5 is a U.S. green card program that lets a foreign national and their immediate family gain permanent residency by investing in a U.S. business that creates at least 10 full-time jobs. Unlike most work visas, it needs no job offer, employer sponsor, or language or education minimum. Investors first receive a two-year conditional green card, then a permanent one after the jobs are proven. The program was reauthorized by the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 and is authorized through September 30, 2027.

Yes. One EB-5 investment covers the investor, their spouse, and unmarried children under 21, with no additional investment. Because a child generally must be under 21 (with some protection under the Child Status Protection Act) when a visa number becomes available, families with teenagers often file earlier to avoid aging out. Each family member follows the same conditional-then-permanent green card path.

Most EB-5 investors use a USCIS-designated regional center, which allows passive investment and counts indirect, economically modeled jobs, versus direct EB-5, where the investor actively runs a business and must create 10 direct W-2 jobs. Regional centers suit a hands-off investor and give access to set-aside projects; direct EB-5 suits someone building their own U.S. company. Either way the capital must stay at risk, and the project deserves independent due diligence. EB5 Status does not sell or endorse projects.

As of 2026, the minimum is $800,000 for a project in a Targeted Employment Area (rural or high-unemployment) and $1,050,000 elsewhere. These amounts have held since the 2022 reform and are scheduled to rise on January 1, 2027 under a built-in inflation adjustment; the new figure has not been announced. Plan also for USCIS filing fees, regional center administrative fees, and legal and translation costs.

As of July 2026, the Form I-526E petition fee is $3,675, plus a $1,000 EB-5 Integrity Fund fee. A 2024 rule that had raised the I-526E to $11,160 was stayed by a federal court in November 2025, reinstating the earlier amounts, so the higher figure is not currently in effect. Later steps (I-485, I-829) carry separate fees. Verify before filing, as the fee litigation is ongoing.

Source of funds is proving your investment money was earned lawfully, through salary, business profits, sale of property, a gift, or a loan; path of funds is documenting the trail of how that money moved from its origin into the investment. USCIS scrutinizes both, and thin documentation is one of the most common reasons for a Request for Evidence. Properly documented gifts and secured loans can be valid sources.

EB-5 generally runs from a couple of years to significantly longer, and the wait depends heavily on country of birth. As of the July 2026 visa bulletin, China's unreserved final action date is December 1, 2016 and India's unreserved category is Nicht verfügbar for the rest of fiscal year 2026, while most other countries have a visa number available immediately. The reserved set-aside categories remain current for every country, which can bypass these waits.

Concurrent filing lets an investor already in the U.S. submit Form I-485 while their I-526E petition is pending, but only when a visa number is immediately available for their country. It can deliver a work permit and travel authorization within months, before the petition is decided. Because it hinges on visa availability, it is generally open to investors chargeable to current countries, and not, for now, to India unreserved applicants while that category is Nicht verfügbar.

Investors who file Form I-526E on or before 30. September 2026 are grandfathered, so their petition can still be adjudicated even if the Regional Center Program lapses afterward. The program is currently authorized through September 30, 2027. Filing before the grandfathering date also locks in today's investment minimums ahead of the January 2027 inflation increase.

Set-asides are EB-5 visas Congress reserved by project type: 20% rural, 10% high-unemployment, 2% infrastructure. As of the July 2026 visa bulletin, all three are Current for every country, including China and India. That makes them the fastest route for investors from backlogged countries: a Chinese or Indian investor in a rural project can have a visa number available immediately while the unreserved category remains years behind. Rural projects also receive USCIS priority processing.