EB-5 Visa Fees 2026: Complete Guide to the New Rates

EB-5 Visa Fees 2026 rise sharply on 30 November 2026, when a final rule published by the Department of Homeland Security takes effect and more than doubles some of the most common filing charges for immigrant investors. Published in the Federal Register on 30 September 2026, the rule resets the fee schedule for the employment-based fifth preference programme and adds a new form for investors whose earlier petitions are caught up in a regional centre termination.

The EB-5 programme allows foreign investors, together with their spouses and unmarried children under 21, to apply for lawful permanent residence in the United States after investing in a new commercial enterprise that creates jobs. Even so, the new EB-5 Visa Fees 2026 mean the difference between filing before and after 30 November runs into thousands of dollars.

What Changes on 30 November 2026

The Department of Homeland Security published the final EB-5 fee rule in the Federal Register on 30 September 2026, as 91 FR 61940 (FR Doc. 2026-20016). It takes effect on 30 November 2026, from which date every EB-5 application, petition or request must carry the new fee. This is a final rule, not a proposal, so the amounts below are the amounts USCIS will charge.

The department says the rule affects about 16,600 EB-5 form filings a year, with form fees rising by roughly 70.7 per cent on a weighted-average basis, about $2,945.90 per filing. That average hides wide variation: some fees rise modestly, while others more than double. The scale of EB-5 Visa Fees 2026 is therefore wide, and regional centres and their clients will feel the change most.

The rule covers the core EB-5 forms used by investors and regional centres, and introduces a new $75 EB-5 Technology Fee, included in each new form fee rather than charged separately. The full text is in the Federal Register final rule, and the programme is described on the USCIS EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program page.

The New EB-5 Visa Fees 2026 at a Glance

The headline change is the jump in the two investor petition fees. Form I-526, the Immigrant Petition by Alien Investor used by standalone investors, rises from $3,675 to $7,615, an increase of $3,940 that more than doubles the previous fee. Form I-526E, the Immigrant Petition by Regional Center Investor, rises from $3,675 to $7,850 for an initial filing, an increase of $4,175.

The regional centre route carries an extra charge. The EB-5 Integrity Fund fee paid with an initial I-526E rises from $1,000 to $1,100, so a regional centre investor filing Form I-526E on or after 30 November 2026 pays $7,850 plus $1,100, a total of $8,950 to USCIS. The Integrity Fund fee supports programme oversight introduced under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022.

Investors who need to amend a regional centre petition face a new charge of $7,775 for a Form I-526E amendment. This is a fresh fee, not a revised version of an old one, and it applies to amendments filed on or after the effective date. Anyone considering an amendment should check whether filing before 30 November is possible.

The fee for removing conditions on permanent residence also rises. Form I-829, the Petition by Investor to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status, goes from $3,750 to $5,000, an increase of $1,250. Investors file it near the end of the conditional residence period to show the investment was sustained and the required jobs were created. Under EB-5 Visa Fees 2026, families filing for several members should budget for this later-stage cost.

Each new form fee includes a $75 EB-5 Technology Fee, so the figures above are the full amounts payable for the forms concerned. Investors should still confirm the exact amount on the USCIS fee schedule before sending payment, because a filing with the wrong fee can be rejected.

Why the Postmark Date Decides Everything

The single most important detail is the cut-off. Any EB-5 application, petition or request postmarked on or after 30 November 2026 must carry the new fees. The postmark date decides, not the date the form was signed and not the date USCIS receives it. For filings sent by courier, the shipping date is the date that counts.

That gives investors a clear, if narrow, window. A petition posted before 30 November with the old fee should be accepted at the old amount, provided it is otherwise complete and properly filed. A petition posted on or after that date with the old fee risks rejection for incorrect payment, which can cost weeks and far more than money. Under EB-5 Visa Fees 2026, the postmark is the line between the two schedules.

The practical lesson is to plan the filing around the postmark, not the calendar. Investors who are ready to file should aim to post the package well before 30 November, allowing time for a courier delay or a last-minute document problem. Those who cannot file before the deadline should budget for the new fees and check the payment matches the new schedule exactly.

Minimum Investment Amounts Are Unchanged for Now

One thing the fee rule does not change is the minimum investment amount. For now, the standard minimum remains $1,050,000, and the reduced minimum for a targeted employment area or an infrastructure project remains $800,000. EB-5 Visa Fees 2026 leave the capital requirement untouched.

That stability is temporary. Under the statute, the minimum investment amounts adjust automatically for inflation from 1 January 2027. As of 14 November 2026, the adjusted figure has not been published, so no official 2027 figure exists yet.

How EB-5 Visa Fees 2026 Affect Indian Applicants

The fee rise lands at a difficult moment for Indian EB-5 applicants, who already face long waits because demand from India exceeds the number of visas available. The October 2026 Visa Bulletin gives India’s unreserved EB-5 category a final action date of 1 December 2023 and a filing date of 1 May 2024, so only applicants with a priority date before those dates can move forward.

Higher fees do not change the visa bulletin, and they do not move anyone forward in the queue. What they do is raise the cost of entering it. An Indian investor filing through a regional centre after 30 November pays $8,950 to USCIS for the I-526E and Integrity Fund fee combined, before any other costs. For families already facing a long wait, EB-5 Visa Fees 2026 add an extra cost with no reduction in waiting time.

The fee change also sharpens the timing decision for Indian applicants who are close to filing. Filing before 30 November saves $4,175 on the I-526E fee alone, plus $100 on the Integrity Fund fee. That is a meaningful saving, but it should not push anyone into filing a petition that is not ready, because a denial costs far more than the fee saving.

Readers following the visa bulletin should keep an eye on the monthly updates. The US Visa Bulletin November 2026 guide on this site explains how the bulletin works and what the latest dates mean for applicants from India and other countries.

New Form I-527 for Investors Affected by Termination

The rule also creates Form I-527, a route for investors who filed before the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 and whose position is disrupted by a regional centre termination or a project debarment. Such an investor can use Form I-527 to amend the petition and keep the case alive. The fee is $10,330. This part of EB-5 Visa Fees 2026 is a narrow remedy, and most new investors will never need it.

The fee is high, reflecting the work involved in reviewing an amended petition tied to a terminated centre or a debarred project. Investors who think they may need Form I-527 should take specialist advice before filing, because the rules around pre-2022 petitions are complex.

Note what the rule does not cover here. Figures for other EB-5 forms, including Forms I-956 and I-956F, have been reported differently by different sources. Because those numbers conflict, they are not included in this guide; investors who need them should check the official USCIS fee schedule directly.

What Investors Should Do Before 30 November

First, confirm the filing date. Anyone whose petition is ready should aim to post it before 30 November 2026 with the old fee, and keep proof of the postmark or courier shipping date. That proof is the evidence that the old fee applies, so keep the receipt and tracking record with the case file.

Second, check the fee. Anyone filing on or after 30 November must pay the new amount exactly: $7,850 for the I-526E plus $1,100 for the Integrity Fund fee, a total of $8,950 for a regional centre investor; $7,615 for a standalone I-526; and $5,000 for an I-829. Paying the wrong amount can see a filing rejected.

Third, review the investment itself. The minimum amounts are unchanged, at $1,050,000 standard and $800,000 in a targeted employment area or infrastructure project, but the source and path of the funds must be documented. A petition short on documentation will not be saved by paying the right fee.

Finally, take professional advice. EB-5 is a complex route, and the interaction between the new fee rule, the visa bulletin and the 2022 reforms is not straightforward. An immigration lawyer can confirm whether a filing is ready, whether the fee is correct and whether the timing makes sense for the applicant’s priority date.

The EB-5 route is not a job, and it offers no guaranteed visa or return on investment. EB-5 Visa Fees 2026 add thousands of dollars to the cost, but they are a small fraction of the total investment. For readers weighing other routes, our guide to visa sponsorship jobs in Canada, the UK and the USA covers employer-sponsored options that need no large capital investment, and our round-up of the highest-paying jobs in the USA and UK shows what skilled work in those markets pays.

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