Can You Buy U.S. Citizenship? You Can With an EB-5 Visa

Can you buy U.S. citizenship? Not directly in the traditional sense, but through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, you can qualify for U.S. citizenship.

Citizenship by investment programs are available in many countries. However, the U.S. currently offers residency by investment—but not citizenship by investment—through programs such as EB-5.

The EB-5 visa is a U.S. residence by investment program that grants a lawful permanent resident Green Card in exchange for a substantial investment in a new commercial enterprise.

After five years of lawful permanent residence, Green Card holders can apply for U.S. citizenship.

In this article, we explain what an EB-5 visa is, as well as how you can get one, and how it can lead to U.S. citizenship.

The EB-5 Visa – Your Ticket to U.S. Citizenship

An EB-5 visa is a U.S. Green Card issued through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program that grants holders lawful permanent resident status. EB-5 stands for “employment-based fifth-preference” visa.

Getting permanent residence via an EB-5 visa is currently one of the fastest routes to obtaining U.S. citizenship. However, an EB-5 visa is only intended for foreign nationals who can invest at least $1,050,000, or $800,000 in a targeted employment area (TEA).

Also, investment funds must be lawfully sourced. Investors and their eligible family members must be able to pass routine criminal, financial, and political background checks.

In exchange for a single financial investment, an international investor, their spouse, and all of their unmarried children under the age of 21 can obtain U.S. Green Cards granting lawful permanent residence through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program.

Foreign nationals may apply for U.S. citizenship after five years of established permanent residence in the United States.

Nearly any international investor can apply for U.S. permanent residence and, eventually, U.S. citizenship through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program.

Investors do not have to demonstrate “extraordinary ability” to apply. They do not need to have a family sponsor, permanent job offer, or skilled work experience.

What About the Trump Gold Card?

On September 19, 2025, the Trump administration issued an executive order establishing a new immigration initiative known as the “Gold Card.” The program attracted immediate global attention as a high-profile pathway designed for affluent foreign nationals willing to make a substantial financial contribution to the United States. While the stated goal is to expand Green Card access for well-resourced applicants, the program remains tightly bound by existing immigration laws and limitations.

Under the executive order, Gold Card cases are processed within the existing EB-1 and EB-2 employment-based immigrant visa frameworks. As a result, standard statutory rules—including per-country visa caps—continue to apply.

This means that applicants from high-demand countries, particularly India and China, are still subject to significant backlogs in these categories. In practice, the Gold Card does little to meaningfully reduce the long waiting periods already faced by nationals of oversubscribed countries.

It is also important to note that the Gold Card does not replace or alter the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program. The two programs operate independently, and EB-5 remains fully active alongside the Gold Card as a separate, congressionally authorized path to U.S. permanent residence.

EB-5 remains a strong and practical alternative for Indian and Chinese nationals. By investing in rural EB-5 projects that qualify for priority processing, applicants from oversubscribed countries may be able to secure permanent residency in a matter of months rather than years.

Additionally, EB-5 requires a lower minimum investment of $800,000 when placed in a TEA, and investors may be able to recoup their capital along with potential returns. By contrast, the Gold Card requires a nonrefundable payment of $1,000,000, plus processing fees.

It is important to note that the most crucial difference between the Gold Card program and the EB-5 program is the apparent lack of any kind of job-creation requirement for Gold Card investors. For EB-5 investors, job creation is the main requirement in obtaining a Green Card.

While the Gold Card could be beneficial for applicants from countries not affected by visa backlogs, EB-5 continues to offer the most dependable and time-efficient immigration pathway for families from India and China.

Why Is Investing in the U.S. Economy With an EB-5 Visa a Great Idea?

In addition to qualifying a foreign family for both U.S. Green Cards and U.S. citizenship, an EB-5 investment itself can also be profitable.

Congress created the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program in 1990 “to stimulate the U.S. economy through job creation and capital investment by foreign investors.”

The United States is the largest economy in the world and one of the most politically stable nations. Investing in a new U.S. business can be a lucrative venture, providing foreign nationals with steady returns.

What Are Investment Requirements for U.S. Citizenship Via the EB-5 Visa?

As noted above, to obtain a Green Card, a foreign national must invest $800,000 in a new commercial enterprise located in a targeted employment area (TEA).

A targeted employment area is a geographic location in the United States that is either rural or experiencing high unemployment.

The lowered minimum investment amount for EB-5 projects located in TEAs is meant to encourage investment in underserved communities. If an EB-5 investment project is located outside a TEA, the minimum investment is $1,050,000.

An EB-5 investment must be made in a new commercial enterprise (NCE). The investment must create at least 10 permanent full-time jobs for U.S. workers, lasting at least two years.

All capital used in the EB-5 process, for investment, filing fees, administrative and immigration attorney fees, must be lawfully sourced, even if gifted or inherited. The investment capital must be financially “at risk” for at least two years with no guarantee of return.

What Are the Steps Required to Apply For an EB-5 Visa?

There are several steps required to obtain an EB-5 visa. In short, an investor must make the initial investment, and then prove that permanent jobs have actually been created and sustained over time.

Intended job creation must be detailed on the initial immigration application and proven on the final form to remove conditions from the investor’s conditional Green Card.

Make an Investment

Investors can make a standalone or “direct investment” by themselves, or pool their money with other EB-5 investors through a USCIS-sanctioned EB-5 regional center. EB-5 regional centers can safely connect foreign investors with trusted EB-5 projects available for investment.

Standalone or direct investors may only count full-time workers employed directly by the NCE towards their required minimum of 10 permanent jobs. Regional center investors may also count indirect and induced jobs sustained by doing business with the NCE, such as vendors or local businesses.

An EB-5 investor also must work in the daily management of the NCE. Direct investors must take a more direct managerial role. Regional center investors can satisfy this requirement by simply being a board member or similar.

File an Immigration Petition

After investing, foreign investors must file an immigration petition with USCIS, providing evidence of their lawfully-sourced qualifying investment and job creation.

Direct investors file Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by a Standalone Investor. Regional center investors file Form I-526E, Immigrant Petition by a Regional Center Investor.

Form I-526 / I-526E has a filing fee of $3,675.

Conditional Permanent Residence

Once an investor’s I-526 or I-526E petition is approved, they can apply to be granted two-year conditional permanent resident status.

As a conditional Green Card holder, an investor, their spouse, and unmarried children under 21 can all live, work, and study anywhere in the United States during this time.

Investors already legally residing in the United States on a different visa, such as the H-1B, can file Form I-485 to adjust their visa status at the same time that they file their I-526 or I-526E petition.

Form I-485 has a filing fee of $1,440 for adults, and $950 for children under 14 applying with a parent. A separate biometrics services fee for fingerprinting is also required.

Investors living outside of the United States must file Form DS-260 with the U.S. Department of State to receive their initial immigrant visa from their local U.S. embassy or consulate. They must wait to receive I-526/I-526E approval from USCIS before filing Form DS-260. Form DS-260 has a filing fee of $325.

Conditional permanent resident status lasts two years.

Permanent Residence & U.S. Citizenship

In the last 90 days of an investor’s two-year conditional permanent residency, they must apply to remove conditions from their Green Card.

Investors must file Form I-829 with USCIS to prove that their investment met all the requirements of the EB-5 program, especially that the investment created and sustained at least 10 permanent full-time jobs for U.S. workers lasting at least two years.

Form I-829 has a filing fee of $3,750. A separate biometrics services fee is also required.

Once the I-829 petition is approved, the investor, their spouse, and their unmarried children under 21 will have conditions removed from their Green Cards. They will now be full permanent residents of the United States.

Apply for U.S. Citizenship

After five years of established permanent residence (this includes the two-year conditional residence), Green Card holders may apply for U.S. citizenship by submitting Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. This application can be filed online.

The criteria you must meet to be able to obtain citizenship are:

• You have maintained continuous residence in the United States for the past five years.
• During that time, you were physically present in the country and did not spend extended periods of time abroad.
• You have lived within your current district for a minimum of three months.
• You can demonstrate basic proficiency in English, including the ability to read, write, and speak at a fundamental level.
• You are able to show that you possess good moral character.
• You do not have a criminal history that would disqualify you.
• You have a foundational knowledge of U.S. history and government.
• You support and uphold the values and principles set forth in the U.S. Constitution.
• You are willing to take an Oath of Allegiance to the United States.

The Benefits of Becoming a U.S. Citizen

U.S. citizenship offers a number of benefits, including:

• Protection from deportation: Lawful permanent residents are deportable in cases of criminal conviction or other activities. U.S. citizens cannot be deported.
• Petition for family members: U.S. citizens can petition the immigration of additional family members, such as their aging parents or married adult children. Lawful permanent residents may only apply for their spouses and unmarried young children.
• Being able to vote in elections: Lawful permanent residents cannot vote in federal, state, and local elections in the United States.
• Better earning opportunities: Studies have also found that U.S. citizens tend to earn 50 percent or more economically over noncitizens. Citizens are also eligible to hold U.S. government jobs.
• Travel benefits: Lawful permanent residents may only travel outside of the United States for up to one year at a time. U.S. citizens have no restrictions on their travel.

Naturally, U.S. citizenship confers even more benefits than lawful permanent resident status.

Start Your Journey to U.S. Citizenship With EB5AN

An EB-5 investment is a real investment that carries the possibility of financial risk or real reward. Although an EB-5 visa is an expensive undertaking, it is a proven route to a U.S. Green Card and eventually U.S. citizenship.

EB5AN has helped more than 2,700 families from 70+ countries become lawful permanent residents of the United States. Our expert team has more than a decade of experience and offers clients first-rate, low-risk EB-5 regional center projects with a 100% USCIS project approval rate.

If you would like to know more about your EB-5 investment options, book a free call with our expert team today.