What Is the EB-5 Visa Cost?

How much money is needed for an EB-5 visa?

The minimum qualifying EB-5 investment is $1,050,000, or $800,000 for a qualifying targeted employment area or infrastructure project, under USCIS rules for petitions filed on or after March 15, 2022. Those thresholds describe the investment, not the complete budget. Government filing charges, professional services, project costs, and expenses for accompanying family members sit alongside it.

USCIS requires capital to be genuinely placed at risk; a stated intention to invest or a guaranteed return does not meet that requirement. Under the post-March 15, 2022 rules, the capital is expected to remain invested for at least two years, subject to applicable requirements. The USCIS Policy Manual explains both the investment threshold and the at-risk test.

A useful first estimate separates four buckets: investment capital, government fees, professional and document costs, and project-specific charges. This makes the headline investment easier to compare with cash that is likely to be spent and not returned. The investment itself is not a government fee, and the sources do not establish that it will be recovered.

How much of the EB-5 visa cost is an investment, and how much is nonrefundable?

The investment is the qualifying capital placed at risk; filing and visa-processing charges are separate payments, with immigrant visa processing fees explicitly nonrefundable. Professional and project charges need their own written terms, because the available government sources do not establish that every such payment is refundable or nonrefundable.

For a practical budget, list each amount by recipient and payment type. The investment goes into the qualifying enterprise or project arrangement; fees go to agencies, counsel, document providers, or other parties. Keep “at-risk capital” separate from “spent fees” in every comparison rather than adding them into one unexplained total.

The Congressional Research Service describes the job-creation requirement: the investment must create or preserve at least 10 full-time jobs for eligible workers. Regional-center projects may pool capital and count certain indirect jobs, while standalone investments rely on direct job creation. Those structures affect how a project demonstrates eligibility, so compare the project’s documented approach alongside its charges.

What fees do I pay in addition to the $800,000 or $1,050,000 investment?

In addition to investment capital, applicants may pay USCIS petition and application fees, per-person immigrant visa fees when processing through a consulate, professional fees, and variable document, medical, travel, or project charges.

USCIS’s current fee schedule lists Form I-526 and I-526E filing fees at $3,675, and an initial I-526E filed on or after October 1, 2022 also requires a separate $1,000 EB-5 Integrity Fund fee. For adjustment of status, Form I-485 costs $1,440 by paper or $1,390 online for applicants age 14 or older; a child under 14 filing concurrently with a parent pays $950 by paper or $900 online. The USCIS Immigrant Fee is $235 for most people immigrating as lawful permanent residents. These are the amounts listed in the USCIS Fee Schedule (Form G-1055); check the live schedule before filing because amounts can change and an incorrect fee can lead to rejection.

For consular processing, the Department of State lists an employment-based immigrant visa application processing fee of $345 per person, regardless of age, and says it is nonrefundable. Applicants also need medical examinations and required vaccinations, whose costs vary by location. The State Department identifies translations, photocopying, passport and civil-document procurement, and travel to the interview as possible additional expenses.

These figures come from agency fee schedules and should be treated as dated amounts, not permanent prices: the USCIS schedule directs applicants to check current fees, while the Department of State publishes its per-person visa charge on its fee pages. USCIS also distinguishes the EB-5 petition stage from later adjustment or consular steps; its EB-5 process guidance says separate payments are needed for separate forms.

How much does a regional center charge, and can its administrative fee be refunded?

The research sources do not set a standard regional-center administrative fee or a general refund rule, so the exact charge and refundability must be confirmed in writing for the specific project. Do not treat a project’s administrative charge as part of the minimum qualifying investment unless the project documents clearly explain how the payment is classified.

Ask for a payment schedule that names each recipient, due date, purpose, and refund condition. Request a direct comparison of project-specific charges and costs associated with a standalone investment. The sources establish that regional centers can pool investor capital and use certain indirect job counts, while standalone investments rely on direct job creation; they do not publish a universal price difference between the two routes.

Use a short verification script: “Please itemize every payment beyond the investment, identify who receives it, and state in writing whether it is refundable and under what conditions.” Then verify government charges against the agency schedule rather than relying on a project summary. For documentation and source tracing, USCIS says evidence may include tax returns, business records, and other records identifying the lawful source and path of both capital and administrative fees.