U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has finalized a new fee schedule for the EB-5 immigrant investor program that will significantly increase filing costs for both EB-5 investors and Regional Centers.
The final rule is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on September 30, 2026, and the new USCIS filing fees will take effect on November 30, 2026. Applications, petitions, and requests postmarked on or after that date will be subject to the new fees.
For prospective investors considering the EB-5 visa and Green Card process in 2026, the fee increase creates an additional financial incentive to complete their filing before the end of November, if feasible.
How Much Will the I-526E Filing Fee Increase on November 30, 2026?
The USCIS filing fee for an initial Form I-526E, Immigrant Petition by Regional Center Investor, is slated to increase from $3,675 to $7,850. That represents an increase of $4,175, or approximately 114%, meaning the I-526E filing fee will more than double.
Form I-526E is the primary immigrant petition filed by investors participating in the EB-5 regional center program and seeking permanent residence through the EB-5 investment program.
The new $7,850 filing fee includes a $75 EB-5 Technology Fee, which USCIS will use to support technological improvements to systems involved in processing and adjudicating EB-5 cases. The separate EB-5 Integrity Fund fee paid by an investor when filing Form I-526E will also increase from $1,000 to $1,100.
As a result, the total USCIS fees associated with an I-526E filing will increase from $4,675 to $8,950. For prospective EB-5 investors able to file before November 30, 2026, this could mean avoiding $4,275 in additional USCIS filing fees.
How Much Will the I-829 Filing Fee Increase in 2026?
The new USCIS fee rule also increases the filing fee for Form I-829, Petition by Investor to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status. The I-829 filing fee will increase from $3,750 to $5,000.
Form I-829 is generally filed toward the end of an EB-5 investor's period of conditional permanent residence. Approval of the petition removes the conditions on the investor's Green Card and allows the investor and qualifying family members to become permanent U.S. residents without conditions attached to their immigration status. For families pursuing a Green Card through the EB-5 Investment Program, the I-829 petition represents the final major immigration filing in the EB-5 process.
How Much Will EB-5 Regional Center and Project Filing Fees Increase?
Some of the largest USCIS fee increases under the new rule will apply to EB-5 regional centers and individual EB-5 investment projects. The fee for an initial Form I-956, Application for Regional Center Designation, will increase from $17,795 to $44,115. That represents an increase of approximately 148%.
The fee for Form I-956F, Application for Approval of an Investment in a Commercial Enterprise, will increase from $17,795 to $42,675, an increase of approximately 140%. Form I-956F is particularly important for prospective EB-5 investors because it is the filing through which a Regional Center seeks USCIS approval of a specific EB-5 investment offering. Before an investor can file Form I-526E in connection with a new Regional Center investment, the applicable Form I-956F generally must first be filed with USCIS.
Annual EB-5 Integrity Fund fees for Regional Centers will also increase by 10%.
Regional Centers with 20 or fewer investors will pay $11,000, up from $10,000, while other Regional Centers will pay $22,000, up from $20,000.
How Will Higher USCIS Fees Impact EB-5 Regional Centers and Investors?
The substantial increase in Regional Center and project-related filing fees will increase the cost of developing, operating, and maintaining EB-5 investment offerings. In practice, this higher-cost regulatory environment may favor established and well-capitalized EB-5 Regional Centers that have the financial resources, compliance infrastructure, and operating experience necessary to absorb a higher cost basis.
For investors evaluating an EB-5 Regional Center or investment project, this is another factor worth considering as part of the due diligence process. A Regional Center's ability to maintain experienced immigration, securities, legal, and compliance teams; complete required USCIS filings; respond to regulatory developments; and support an EB-5 project throughout its lifecycle can play an important role in administering an EB-5 investment.
Higher regulatory costs may also increase the barriers to entry for newer or smaller operators seeking to participate in the EB-5 investment program.
Why Is 2026 an Important Year for Prospective EB-5 Investors?
The new USCIS fee schedule creates another reason for investors who have already decided to pursue an EB-5 Green Card to complete their process during 2026.
The remainder of 2026 is also an important window because EB-5 minimum investment amounts are scheduled to adjust for inflation beginning January 1, 2027. Today, the minimum EB-5 investment is $800,000 for qualifying investments in a Targeted Employment Area, or TEA, and $1,050,000 for investments outside a TEA.
Federal law requires these EB-5 investment thresholds to automatically adjust based on inflation beginning January 1, 2027. Based on currently available inflation data, the TEA investment amount could potentially increase from $800,000 to approximately $900,000 to $937,500, while the standard non-TEA EB-5 investment amount could potentially increase from $1,050,000 to approximately $1.2 million to $1.25 million. The final investment thresholds will depend on the applicable inflation calculation and the amount formally published by the federal government.
For prospective investors who have already determined that the EB-5 program fits their immigration and investment objectives, moving forward with regional center selection, EB-5 project due diligence, source-of-funds preparation, and I-526E filing by October or November 2026 may allow them to avoid both the new USCIS filing fees and the scheduled 2027 increase in minimum EB-5 investment amounts.
What Should Prospective EB-5 Investors Do Before the November 30, 2026 Fee Increase?
Investors considering the EB-5 investment program should understand that preparing an I-526E petition involves more than simply selecting a regional center EB-5 project.
Investors generally need time to evaluate an EB-5 investment, engage an experienced immigration attorney, document the lawful source and path of investment funds, complete subscription documentation, transfer the required investment capital, and prepare the I-526E petition for filing.
Investors seeking to file before the November 30, 2026 USCIS fee increase should therefore take the filing deadline into account when planning their EB-5 timeline.
At the same time, investors should not select an EB-5 regional center or investment project solely to meet a filing deadline. Immigration considerations, project risk, job creation, capital structure, repayment strategy, regional center experience, and the investor's individual circumstances should all remain important elements of the decision-making process.
Golden Gate Global continues to monitor USCIS regulatory developments affecting the EB-5 visa, regional centers, EB-5 investment projects, and investors seeking a U.S. Green Card through the EB-5 Program. We will provide additional updates as implementation guidance becomes available.