US EB-5 fees rise on 30 November 2026: what investors will pay

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will introduce a new EB-5 fee schedule on 30 November 2026. Any EB-5 application, petition or request postmarked on or after that date must include the new fee. The change affects investor petitions, removal-of-conditions filings, regional-centre applications and related EB-5 submissions.

The Department of Homeland Security’s final rule changes government filing charges. It does not change the minimum EB-5 investment amounts, which remain $1,050,000 generally or $800,000 for a qualifying targeted employment area or infrastructure project.

What are the new EB-5 fees from 30 November 2026?

The principal investor-facing fees in the final rule are:

The Form I-526 and initial Form I-526E amounts include a $75 USCIS EB-5 technology fee. The rule also requires a separate $1,100 petition fee for individuals filing under INA section 203(b)(5)(E). Applicants should check the revised USCIS Form G-1055 fee schedule immediately before filing because several charges can apply to the same submission.

What changes for regional centres and promoters?

The final schedule also sets these fees:

Annual EB-5 Integrity Fund charges rise to $22,000 for a regional centre, or $11,000 where the centre has 20 or fewer qualifying investors under the rule’s definition. Late-payment penalties apply after 31 October, and USCIS may terminate a regional centre that has not paid the fee and applicable penalties by 30 December.

Which fee applies if an application is prepared before 30 November?

The postmark controls the transition. A filing postmarked on or after 30 November 2026 must carry the new fee. Preparing, signing or dating a form earlier does not by itself preserve the previous charge.

People planning to file close to the deadline should confirm the accepted payment method and exact amount on the official USCIS fee schedule. A filing submitted with an incorrect fee can be rejected, and individual cases may involve more than one charge.

Do the EB-5 investment thresholds change?

No. This rule concerns USCIS programme and filing fees. The Federal Register states that EB-5 eligibility still generally requires an investment of at least $1,050,000, or $800,000 in a targeted employment area or qualifying infrastructure project, together with the programme’s job-creation and other requirements.

The government says the new schedule is intended to cover programme administration, fraud and security work, compliance audits and technology improvements. DHS estimates that the rule will affect about 16,600 EB-5 filings a year and increase existing form fees by a weighted average of about 70.7%.

What should prospective EB-5 investors do now?

• Identify the exact form or combination of forms required for the case.
• Check whether the filing will be postmarked before or on or after 30 November 2026.
• Separate USCIS filing fees from the investment capital and professional costs.
• Use the current Form G-1055 fee schedule immediately before submitting anything.
• Take case-specific advice where eligibility, project structure or filing timing is uncertain.

For broader planning, see Babylon’s guides to U.S. visas and residence, starting a business in the United States and moving to the United States.

Official sources

• Federal Register: USCIS EB-5 Fee Rule, published 30 September 2026.
• USCIS Form G-1055 Fee Schedule.

Last verified: 2 October 2026. This article explains published government fees and is not individual immigration, legal or investment advice.

Featured image: USCIS headquarters groundbreaking in Camp Springs, Maryland, 30 October 2017. Official DHS photograph by Jetta Disco; U.S. federal-government work in the public domain.