United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has finalised a rule that more than doubles the government filing fees for the EB-5 immigrant investor visa, effective 30 November 2026. The fee for Form I-526, filed by individual investors who fund and manage their own commercial projects, rises from $3,675 to $7,615. The initial Form I-526E fee, used by investors applying through USCIS-approved regional centres that pool capital from multiple investors to fund larger developments, rises from $3,675 to $7,850. Investors who file before 29 November 2026 can still do so under the current, lower fees.
The steepest increase falls on regional centres themselves. The initial Form I-956 application for regional-centre designation rises from $17,795 to $44,115, and the related Form I-956F, used to seek approval of a specific investment in a commercial enterprise, rises from $17,795 to $42,675. The fee for Form I-829, filed by investors seeking to remove conditions on their permanent residence once their investment and job-creation requirements are met, rises from $3,750 to $5,000. Initial I-526 and I-526E petitions will also carry a new $75 technology fee, and regional-centre investors must separately pay the programme’s investor integrity fee. One fee is falling: the annual Form I-956G fee paid by regional centres drops from $3,035 to $2,165.
USCIS said the increase is required under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022, which directs the agency to set fees that fully recover the cost of running the programme, including case processing, background checks, and fraud-detection measures such as site visits and compliance audits. In a press release, USCIS said: “This means the cost of reviewing applications, conducting background checks, verifying eligibility, detecting fraud, and maintaining programme operations must be paid by those who use the immigration system.” The Department of Homeland Security first published the fee proposal in October 2025, concluding a review that ran for over a year.
References
CNBC TV18 – US to more than double EB-5 investor visa fees from November 30 / News Mobile – US Raises EB-5 Investor Visa Fees From November 30
