USA EB-5 Investor Visa 2026: Green Card Through Investment Guide

The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program grants a US green card to foreign nationals who invest capital in a qualifying US business and create at least 10 full-time American jobs. In 2026, the minimum investment is $800,000 in a Targeted Employment Area (TEA — generally a rural area or one with high unemployment) or $1,050,000 for a standard project. These thresholds were set by the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 and are scheduled for periodic inflation adjustments.

At a glance

• Grants a conditional green card, converting to a permanent green card after 2 years.
• Covers your spouse and unmarried children under 21 as well.
• The Regional Center option lets you count indirect and induced jobs toward the 10-job requirement, not just direct hires.
• Source-of-funds documentation is genuinely rigorous — expect to prove the lawful origin of your investment capital in detail.

Investment thresholds

Investment type	Amount
Targeted Employment Area (TEA) / Regional Center	$800,000
Standard (non-TEA)	$1,050,000

The process

1. Source a qualifying project — either a direct investment or through a Regional Center.
2. File Form I-526 (the immigrant petition).
3. Wait for visa number availability — backlogs apply for some countries of birth, notably China and India.
4. Complete a consular interview or adjustment of status.
5. Receive the conditional green card.
6. After 2 years, file Form I-829 to remove conditions and receive the permanent green card.

How it compares to other US routes

For those with extraordinary professional achievement rather than capital, the O-1 visa and the EB-1A green card avoid the investment requirement entirely. For a lower-cost, lottery-based option, see the DV Lottery guide. For routes that don’t require a sponsor at all, see Can I Move Abroad Without a Job Offer?

Practical tips

• Do serious due diligence on any Regional Center before investing — track record and project viability matter enormously, and EB-5 has a real history of failed projects.
• Source-of-funds documentation can take months to assemble properly — start early rather than under time pressure.
• Applicants born in China or India face significant visa-number backlogs regardless of how quickly their petition itself is approved.

The EB-5 is one of the more certain US green card routes for those with capital, but the investment size and the rigor of source-of-funds review make it a serious commitment — generally worth considering only once employment-based routes like the O-1 or EB-1A aren’t viable for your situation.