US EB-5 visa fee hike: What Indian investors seeking Green Cards need to know

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has drastically increased fees for the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Programme which remains one of the most reliable ways for Indian entrepreneurs and families to obtain Green Card.

The revised fees are set to take effect from November 30, 2026, under a final rule issued by the Department of Homeland Security.

The fee for Form I-526, filed by standalone immigrant investors, will increase to $7,615 from $3,675, while the fee for an initial Form I-526E petition filed by investors participating through an approved regional centre will rise to $7,850 from $3,675.

Both initial I-526 and I-526E petitions will also attract a $75 technology fee.

Regional-centre investors will additionally have to pay the programme's investor integrity fee.

The fee for Form I-829, through which investors seek to remove conditions on their permanent resident status, will increase to $5,000 from $3,750.

USCIS will also substantially raise charges associated with regional centres.

The filing fee for Form I-956, seeking regional-centre designation, will rise to $44,115 from $17,795.

The fee for Form I-956F, used to seek approval of an investment in a commercial enterprise, will increase to $42,675 from $17,795.

The annual fee for Form I-956G, however, will be reduced to $2,165 from $3,035.

The final rule also creates Form I-527 for certain investors seeking to amend older Form I-526 petitions. The new filing will cost $10,330.

USCIS said the fee changes are intended to ensure that EB-5 fees fully cover the cost of operating the programme, help meet statutory processing time goals and support integrity measures such as compliance reviews, audits and site visits.

The EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 directed USCIS to conduct a programme-specific fee study and set fees at a level that recovers the full cost of administering the programme.

The law also established processing time goals and strengthened measures to prevent fraud and abuse.

USCIS is largely funded through filing fees rather than taxpayer dollars.

The agency said the costs of reviewing applications, conducting background checks, verifying eligibility, detecting fraud and maintaining programme operations therefore need to be borne by users of the immigration system.

Created by Congress in 1990, the EB-5 programme allows foreign investors and their immediate family members to become eligible for US lawful permanent residence by making a qualifying investment and creating jobs for American workers.

Under current rules, applicants must invest $1.05 million in a qualifying business or $800,000 in a Targeted Employment Area or infrastructure project and create at least 10 full-time jobs.

Once the requirements are met, the investor, spouse and qualifying children can apply for Green Cards.

As demand from India has increased dramatically over the past decade, a backlog has developed that affects how long investors may wait for a Green Card.