EB‑5 Fees Will More Than Double on Nov. 30

Starting Nov. 30, 2026, it will cost more than twice as much to file an EB-5 investor petition.

Almost all EB-5 investors apply through a regional center, a government-approved group that pools investor money into U.S. projects like real estate. The petition they use, Form I-526E, will cost $7,850, up 114% from the current fee of $3,675. Investors who back a business directly file Form I-526, which will cost $7,615, up 107%.

Filings postmarked on or after Nov. 30 must pay the new rates.

The changes come from a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services final rule based on a Department of Homeland Security proposal from October 2025.

“The new EB-5 fee increases reflect USCIS’s effort to make the program financially self-sustaining and to fund the enhanced oversight and integrity measures Congress built into the program,” said Patrick Duckett, an immigration attorney for Manifest Law who has worked on EB-5 cases for a decade. “At the same time, EB-5 is already a significant financial commitment for immigrant investors, so higher government filing costs make it even more important that prospective investors carefully evaluate both the immigration and investment aspects of a project before committing capital.”

How much will EB-5 fees increase?

Both investor petition fees will more than double. Other fees investors pay will rise by less.

Both petition fees are lower than the $9,625 fee DHS proposed in October 2025. The I-829 fee is well below the proposed $7,860.

The petition fees include a new $75 technology fee, which pays for upgrades to USCIS's filing systems. The fee doesn't apply to I-526E amendments.

Form I-527 is a new form for investors who filed before the EB-5 reform law took effect in March 2022, which expanded USCIS’ power to shut down regional centers and bar projects. Investors who must amend their petition to stay eligible if their center is shut down or their project is barred file an I-527. It now costs $10,330, up from the proposed $8,000.

For a regional center investor, the petition and Integrity Fund fees add up to an increase of $4,275.

Why is USCIS raising EB-5 fees?

The 2022 EB-5 reform law requires USCIS to study what the program costs and set fees high enough to cover it.

USCIS says current fees fall short. The agency projects EB-5 costs of about $105 million a year for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.

At current fee levels, the program would bring in about $56.6 million, leaving a shortfall of roughly $48.4 million.

USCIS says part of the money will pay for fraud prevention, including audits and site visits. The Integrity Fund fees that support this work will rise 10%, based on the rate of inflation from 2022 to 2025.

The new EB-5 fees are lower than in 2024

A federal court blocked the EB-5 fees USCIS set in 2024. In Moody v. Noem, a case decided in November 2025, the court found the 2022 reform law barred DHS from changing EB-5 fees through its general fee rule. As a result, USCIS restored its older fees.

Compared to the 2024 fees, the new fees are less steep. From April 2024 until the ruling, investors paid $11,160 for an I-526 or I-526E. The new fees are at least $3,300 lower.

What do regional center fee changes mean for investors?

Before a regional center can offer EB-5 investments, it must get USCIS approval to operate in a specific geographic area. The cost of that application, Form I-956, is rising 148% to $44,115. Each project needs approval through Form I-956F, which rises 140% to $42,675.

Terminating a regional center, which USCIS does for not paying required fees or breaking other rules, comes at a cost to USCIS. The agency estimates this work costs about $4.8 million a year. That cost is now built into the increased I-956 and I-956F fees.

Since almost all EB-5 investor petitions go through regional centers, investors may end up sharing these higher costs.

Does this rule change the EB-5 investment amount?

The rule doesn’t change the minimum investment amount. Applicants still need to invest at least $1,050,000, or $800,000 for projects in rural areas, high-unemployment areas, or infrastructure projects.

A separate DHS proposal from July 2026 would add a $1.4 million tier for low-unemployment areas and tie the amounts to inflation, but it isn’t final.

The EB-5 investor program is authorized through Sept. 30, 2027.