You have the money. You have spoken about EB-5 at home. Perhaps you have even looked at a few projects. Starting in December feels reasonable. After all, how long can the paperwork take?
That is the part I would look at first. If you want to meet the EB-5 deadline, the question is whether your documents, project review and investment can all be ready in time. There are two dates to work back from.
Table of Contents
- EB-5 deadline 2026: the two dates that affect your budget
- Will $800,000 still be enough in January?
- Your bank balance tells only part of the story
- How much time should you leave for preparation?
- What I would ask you to do before December
- Give yourself time to make a good decision
- Frequently asked questions
EB-5 deadline 2026: the two dates that affect your budget
If you are deciding how much cash to keep aside, separate the application fees from the investment. They are changing on different dates. Paying one does not settle the other.
FIRST DEADLINE: November 30, 2026
Filing fees increase. The new initial I-526E fee is $7,850.
SECOND DEADLINE: January 1, 2027
Investment amounts are scheduled for inflation adjustment. The current qualifying minimum is $800,000.
If your plan was to start in December, the higher application fee would already apply. Under the EB-5 filing fee increase, the initial I-526E fee, for an investor applying through a regional center, rises from $3,675 to $7,850. That includes the $75 technology fee. The separate Integrity Fund fee, which pays for program oversight, rises from $1,000 to $1,100.
Together, those initial government fees go from $4,675 to $8,950. That is another $4,275 to budget for. The new fees apply to petitions postmarked on or after November 30, so ask your lawyer which fee your planned filing will attract.
Watch Paresh explain why having the money ready is only the beginning.
Will $800,000 still be enough in January?
If $800,000 is the amount you have arranged, a delay into January could mean finding more money. The current EB-5 investment amount in 2026 is $800,000 for qualifying rural, high-unemployment or infrastructure projects. For other projects, it is $1,050,000.
For your budget, the date that matters is when the petition is filed. USCIS says the inflation adjustment applies to petitions filed on or after January 1, 2027. Do not plan around a forecast of the EB-5 investment increase in 2027 as though it were a confirmed amount.
Before you transfer money, ask your lawyer whether a properly filed petition before January is realistic. Reserving a place in a project or sending the investment alone does not secure the current requirement.
Your bank balance tells only part of the story
You know where your savings came from. The person reviewing your application does not. Your EB-5 source of funds file has to show how you earned the money and how it reached the investment.
Take a property sale. The sale proceeds may be sitting in your account today, but your lawyer will need the records behind that deposit. Start with the ownership, purchase, sale and bank documents. Then check whether the story holds together on paper.
If a parent is gifting the money, their funds need an explanation too. USCIS requires evidence of the donor’s lawful source. Money used for administrative costs and fees also needs lawful-source evidence. Our Source of Funds guide will help you prepare for that first discussion.
How much time should you leave for preparation?
Before you tell your child or spouse that the application will be filed this year, have someone look through the documents. Allow four to six weeks or longer as a preparation buffer. That is planning advice, not a USCIS timetable.
An old bank statement may be missing. A property payment may have passed through several accounts. These are the things you want to discover while there is still time to sort them out.
The project needs attention alongside the paperwork. Who is building it? Where is the rest of the funding coming from? What supports the job projections, and how is repayment expected to happen? Our EB-5 project due diligence checklist explains what to examine.
Speak to your bank early as well. Our guide to sending EB-5 money from India covers the transfer preparation. You do not want the bank asking its first questions when your lawyer is waiting to file.
What I would ask you to do before December
If you are considering an EB-5 visa for Indians, bring the lawyer, bank and investment adviser into the discussion early. I would start with these questions:
- Which money will you use, and do you have the records behind it?
- Are any deposits or transfers still unexplained?
- Have you reviewed the project’s risks and asked for the missing answers?
- Has the bank checked the proposed transfer?
- Have you allowed separately for fees and charges?
- When can your lawyer realistically complete and file the petition?
Agree on a working date earlier than the EB-5 application deadline. A little room to correct a document can make a big difference to how calmly you make the decision.
Planning EB-5 for your family?
Source of Funds, project selection, and timing all interact. An Acquest advisor can walk you through where you stand.
Give yourself time to make a good decision
An EB-5 Green Card is a serious family decision. I would not rush you into a weak project to save a filing fee. I would ask you to start the preparation early enough that you do not have to make that choice.
If December is when you hoped to begin, bring the documents out now. Let us see what is ready and what still needs work.
About Acquest Advisors
Acquest Advisors is a trusted immigration consultancy. We work with HNI Indian families, business owners, and CXOs on residency and citizenship by investment across the US, Europe, and the UAE. Our advisory combines chartered accounting, corporate banking, and immigration expertise. That depth lets us handle Source of Funds planning, EB-5 project due diligence, documentation, and foreign remittance end to end.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have until December 31 to file?
There are two dates to discuss with your lawyer. The EB-5 deadline for the earlier filing fee is before November 30, 2026, while the investment adjustment applies to petitions filed on or after January 1, 2027.
Will transferring $800,000 secure the current amount?
No, the transfer alone does not secure it. Your lawyer needs to check that your petition meets the requirements that apply when it is properly filed.
Can we finish the Source of Funds work in a week?
Let us look at the documents before promising a date. Four to six weeks or longer is a sensible preparation allowance, especially if records are missing or the money has moved through several accounts.
To Learn more about EB-5
About Paresh Karia
Paresh Karia is the CEO of Acquest Advisors. Chartered Accountant by training and a former senior banker at HDFC, ICICI Bank, and ABN Amro, he brings over two decades of experience across global finance, real estate, and investment immigration. That dual lens, financial structuring on one side and immigration strategy on the other, is what lets Acquest evaluate Source of Funds files and EB-5 projects with a depth most pure immigration consultancies cannot match. Read more about Paresh.