All EB-5 investors need the minimum amount of investment capital to begin the EB-5 process. The current threshold investment amount is $1,050,000, while the reduced amount for projects in targeted employment areas (TEAs) stands at $800,000. The actual investment capital is the only official financial requirement of the EB-5 program. However, realistically speaking, the investor will need a larger sum due to the necessary legal costs, filing fees, and administration fees.
All EB-5 investors are advised to start the EB-5 process with the aid of an immigration attorney. An experienced attorney will help investors through the process and ensure they comply with all requirements. Hiring an immigration attorney will incur costs of its own, which generally range from $15,000 to $50,000. In addition, the various petitions that need to be submitted as part of the EB-5 process come with substantial filing fees.
To begin with, the I-526, Immigrant Petition by Standalone Investor, has a filing fee of $11,160. For the more common I-526E, Immigrant Petition by Regional Center Investor, the filing fee is $12,160. The I-485 petition, which is filed by nonimmigrant visa holders to adjust their status to permanent resident, has a general filing fee of $1,440. Form I-829, which is filed by investors seeking to remove the conditions from their permanent resident status, has a filing fee of $9,525. These fees are correct as of June 2024 but are subject to change. For up-to-date information, see the USCIS All Forms page. In some cases, additional expenses may apply.
For investors investing through a regional center, there is also an administration fee. It is charged by the regional center for the service of managing the project. The precise amount depends on the specific regional center and the project the investor chooses to invest in.
Furthermore, an EB-5 investor who invests through a regional center must have accredited investor status. To qualify for accredited status, the investor must have a net worth of $1 million, either individually or jointly with a spouse, or have earned at least $200,000, or $300,000 jointly with a spouse, in the past two years consecutively and be expecting to earn as much in the current year.
