Most Indian families discussing EB-5 know the headline number: $800,000. Very few know how much funds they must actually arrange before the petition can be filed and carried through to a permanent Green Card.
The real EB5 visa cost includes the qualifying investment, government charges, project administration, professional advice, banking, documentation, and later immigration filings. Some amounts are fixed today. Others depend on your family, your source of money, and where you complete the Green Card process. A separate question now matters too: what could change from January 1, 2027?
Table of Contents
- The investment amount is only the starting point
- Current government filing fees
- Project, legal, and Source of Funds costs
- Green Card processing and I-829 costs
- What could change in 2027
The investment amount is only the starting point
If your family budgets only $800,000, you may reach the filing stage and discover that the remaining expenses were never planned. USCIS currently requires $800,000 for a targeted employment area, called a TEA, or an infrastructure project. A TEA is a qualifying rural or high-unemployment location. The standard investment outside these categories is $1,050,000.
The difference between investment capital and fees matters. Your investment goes into the selected business or project. Any repayment depends on the legal documents, project performance, and exit strategy. Government, legal, administration, banking, valuation, and translation charges are expenses. They are not part of the invested capital and are generally not returned.
Before selecting a project, compare rural and high-unemployment EB-5 projects and understand why each qualifies. The cheaper threshold does not make the investment safe. That answer requires separate EB-5 due diligence. The threshold only determines how much qualifying capital the law requires.
Paresh explains the investment amount and the costs families often miss.
Current government filing fees
Families need the correct fee on filing day because USCIS can reject a petition with the wrong payment. Following a federal court order on November 12, 2025, USCIS lists the current Form I-526E filing fee at $3,675. Form I-526E is the investor petition used for a regional-center investment.
An initial I-526E filed on or after October 1, 2022 also requires a separate $1,000 EB-5 Integrity Fund fee. This makes the initial USCIS payment $4,675 for a typical regional-center investor, before any other application or family filing.
Project, legal, and Source of Funds costs
A project administration fee is separate from the $800,000 investment. The amount varies by regional center and project, so treat the figure in the offering documents as a real cost. Ask what it covers, whether any part is refundable, and what happens if the petition is denied.
Legal and professional fees also vary. A family using salary savings may have a simpler file than a business owner combining property sales, company income, gifts, loans, and investments. The harder the money trail is to explain, the more work is required to show where every rupee came from.
This is why EB-5 Source of Funds planning should start before remittance. Indian families may also incur bank charges, foreign-exchange conversion costs, tax advice, property valuations, translations, and document certification. Those amounts are case-specific, but ignoring them can delay the entire EB-5 application process.
Green Card processing and I-829 costs
The investor petition is not the last government expense. A family already in the United States may use adjustment of status, which means applying for the Green Card without leaving the country. A family abroad normally uses consular processing through a U.S. embassy or consulate. Each route can involve separate filing, medical, visa, travel, and document costs for the investor and eligible family members.
Later, each investor must plan for Form I-829, the petition that asks USCIS to remove the two-year conditions from the Green Card. Following the November 2025 court order, USCIS lists the current I-829 filing fee at $3,750. Legal fees and family-related costs at that stage remain separate.
Your working budget should therefore have three columns: investment capital, non-refundable expenses, and later-stage costs. Our detailed EB-5 investment visa cost can help your family organise those categories before funds move.
What could change in 2027
A family waiting until 2027 cannot safely assume that $800,000 will remain the qualifying amount. Under current law, investment thresholds adjust for inflation on January 1, 2027 and every five years after that.
No final 2027 TEA figure has been officially published. Do not build a plan around an assumed $900,000 amount. Wait for USCIS or DHS to publish the actual adjustment, then verify it before filing.
There is a second moving part. A DHS proposed rule published on July 2, 2026 would create a $1.4 million requirement for a designated high-employment area. That amount would apply only after a final rule becomes effective. It is not the current general EB-5 requirement.
The Regional Center Program is authorised through September 30, 2027. That gives families a legal framework today, but it does not freeze investment amounts or project expenses. If your family is comparing filing in 2026 with waiting, compare the full cost and readiness of the money trail, not only the headline investment.
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.
Fund Your EB-5 Plan Without Financial Surprises
Our professional view is simple. Do not ask whether your family can arrange $800,000. Ask whether it can arrange the investment, complete the lawful money trail, pay every filing and professional cost, and still retain enough liquidity for education, business, and family needs.
The right EB-5 budget is not the smallest number on a brochure. It is the complete number your family can fund without surprises.
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
Is $800,000 the complete EB5 visa cost?
No. It is the current qualifying investment for a TEA or infrastructure project. Government, project, legal, banking, documentation, and later Green Card costs are separate.
What is the current I-526E fee?
USCIS currently lists $3,675 for Form I-526E. An initial regional-center filing also requires a separate $1,000 Integrity Fund fee.
Has the 2027 EB-5 investment amount been confirmed?
No final adjusted amount has been published. January 1, 2027 is the scheduled inflation-adjustment date, while the separate $1.4 million high-employment proposal is not yet final.
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.