US EB-5 fees jump: What it means for Indians seeking green cards through investment | Today’s news
For Indians looking to secure permanent residency in the US through investment, the EB-5 route will become significantly more expensive. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has finalized a fee rule that will sharply increase several fees associated with the EB-5 program for immigrants, with the changes taking effect on April 30.
The fee increase comes at a significant time for Indian applicants. Demand for EB-5 visas has increased, and India has already faced restrictions on the number of unreserved EB-5 visas available during the current fiscal year.
EB-5 fees will skyrocket
Under the new fee structure, the Form I-526 filing fee used by EB-5 investors themselves will increase from $3,675 to $7,615.
For investors applying through an approved regional center, the initial Form I-526E fee will increase from $3,675 to $7,850. Both I-526 and I-526E petitions will also require a $75 technology fee.
The fee for Form I-829, which investors use to request the removal of conditions on their permanent residence, will increase from $3,750 to $5,000.
For regional centers, the increases are significantly steeper. The fee for Form I-956, which is used to apply for a regional center designation, will increase from $17,795 to $44,115, while the fee for Form I-956F, related to approval of investment in a commercial enterprise, will increase from $17,795 to $42,675.
At the same time, the annual fee for Form I-956G will drop from $3,035 to $2,165. The new Form I-527 for certain investors who wish to amend older I-526 petitions will include a filing fee of $10,330.
USCIS said the agency is largely funded by fees it charges users. Fees cover activities including application review, background checks, eligibility verification, fraud detection and program administration.
What is the US EB-5 program?
The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program is a U.S. immigration program that allows eligible foreign investors to seek lawful permanent residence (a green card) by investing in a qualified U.S. commercial enterprise and helping to create jobs for U.S. workers.
Investment: Generally, an investor must invest $1.05 million in a qualifying commercial enterprise, or $800,000 if the investment is in a Targeted Employment Area (TEA) or certain qualifying infrastructure projects.
Job creation: The investment must result in the creation of at least 10 full-time jobs for skilled American workers.
Regional Centers: Investors may invest through USCIS-designated regional centers that pool capital for projects and may count certain indirect jobs toward the claim.
Source of Funds: Applicants must demonstrate that the investment capital came from a lawful source and provide documentation tracking the funds.
Family: An approved EB-5 investor can generally include his/her spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21 as derivative beneficiaries.
Pathway to Permanent Residency: EB-5 initially provides a path to conditional permanent residency, with conditions subsequently removed if program requirements are met.
Simply put: EB-5 is essentially an “investment for immigration” pathway: a foreign national puts qualified capital into a US business/project, the investment supports the desired job creation, and the investor can apply for a green card.
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Why the change is important for Indian applicants
The fee increase adds additional costs to an already capital-intensive immigration journey. For an Indian family considering EB-5, the total financial commitment may include qualified investment, USCIS filing fees, and other expenses associated with the investment project and immigration process.
The timing is especially important as Indian applicants face increasing demand for EB-5 visas.
In June 2026, the State Department announced that the FY2026 country-by-country cap for EB-5 unconditional visas for India had been reached. It said consulates could not issue additional visas in those categories for the rest of fiscal year 2026, with annual limits set to resume on Oct. 1.
This means that paying a higher application fee should not be considered a guarantee of an immediately available green card. Visa availability remains subject to statutory limits, demand and applicant priority date.
The fee increase changes the cost of filing an application, not the basic EB-5 investment rules. Applicants will still need to meet the relevant investment, job creation and source of funding requirements.
For Indian families, therefore, the immediate impact is a higher government bill at a time when visa availability has also become an important consideration.
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