1Lawful Source of Funds
Every dollar invested must be traced to lawful sources — salary, business profits, property sales, inheritance, or gifts.
Investment Amounts
Two tiers apply under the Reform and Integrity Act (RIA) of 2022.
$1,050,000
Standard investment
Projects located outside Targeted Employment Areas
EB5Express
$800,000
TEA investment (rural or high-unemployment)
The tier EB5Express focuses on for most clients
Amounts are scheduled for inflation adjustment in January 2027 — the TEA minimum is projected to rise to roughly $900,000–$937,000.
TEA
What Counts as a Rural TEA?
A rural area is any location outside a Metropolitan Statistical Area and outside the boundary of any city or town with a population of 20,000 or more. Much of the American heartland qualifies — and Congress rewarded rural investment with the program's best incentives.
Reserved Visa Set-Asides
Of the ~10,000 EB-5 visas available each year:
- 20%rural area projects
- 10%high-unemployment area projects
- 2%infrastructure projects
Unused reserved visas carry over within their category for one year, then return to the general pool.
Core Requirements
2Capital At Risk
The investment must be genuinely at risk of loss and gain — guaranteed returns or redemption agreements are not permitted.
310 Full-Time Jobs
Each investor's capital must create at least 10 full-time positions for qualifying U.S. workers.
4Qualifying Enterprise
Funds must go into a new commercial enterprise — typically a USCIS-designated regional center project.
Typical Timeline
- 1
Month 0–2: Assessment, source-of-funds documentation, project selection
- 2
Month 2–4: I-526E petition prepared and filed with USCIS
- 3
Month 4–18: Petition adjudication (rural cases receive priority processing)
- 4
Approval: Consular processing or I-485 adjustment → 2-year conditional green card
- 5
Month 21–24 of residence: I-829 petition to remove conditions
- 6
I-829 approval: Permanent green card for the whole family