What Is the EB-5 Visa
The EB-5 visa is a path to a U.S. green card based on investment. A qualifying investor places the required capital into a U.S. business, that business creates at least 10 full-time jobs for American workers, and in return, the investor, their spouse, and their unmarried children under 21 can become lawful permanent residents.
Because it is an investment-based immigrant visa, EB-5 is often described as the investment visa EB-5 route. It is self-petitioned, so unlike most employment visas, it does not require an employer to sponsor you, and it leads directly to permanent residence rather than a temporary stay.
The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program Explained
The EB-5 immigrant investor program is a United States government program that Congress created in 1990 to encourage foreign investment and job creation. It has been a recognized route to a green card ever since.
The core idea is simple: an EB-5 investment into a job-creating U.S. enterprise earns the investor and their immediate family the right to live in the United States permanently.
Most investors take part through a USCIS-designated regional center, which pools capital from several investors into a larger project. We explain that route, and the alternative, further down.
EB-5 Visa Benefits in 2026
An EB-5 green card gives you and your immediate family the right to live, work, study, and settle anywhere in the United States, with no sponsor to depend on and no lottery to enter. When you invest through a regional center, there is also no requirement to manage the business on a day-to-day basis. A single qualifying investment can cover the whole immediate family. The EB-5 investment green card starts as a two-year conditional card and becomes permanent once the program's requirements are met, after which permanent residents can pursue U.S. citizenship under the normal rules. For many skilled professionals, particularly families from India who face long waits in the EB-2 and EB-3 categories, EB-5 is one of the few employment-based routes where a reserved set of visas can move more quickly. We cover those reserved categories below.
EB-5 Visa Programs: Regional Center or Direct Investment
There are two EB-5 visa programs, or paths, to choose from.
Through a regional center.
A regional center is an entity designated by USCIS to sponsor EB-5 projects and pool capital from several investors. This is the route most EB-5 investors take. A practical advantage is the way jobs are counted: regional center projects can include indirect and induced jobs (the wider economic activity a project generates) toward the 10-job requirement, calculated using an approved methodology. Investors are also not required to run the business themselves.
Direct investment.
You invest in and actively manage your own business, and only direct jobs count toward the requirement. This route carries more hands-on responsibility and more documentation.
Polaris EB-5 Regional Centers operates as a USCIS-designated regional center across 6 different states: CA, AZ, TX, LA, IN, and IL, so the rest of this page focuses mainly on the regional center route.
EB-5 Visa Requirements for Investors in 2026
EB-5 visa requirements come down to three core conditions. Each one has to be documented carefully, and this is where most cases are won or lost.
A qualifying investment.
You invest the required amount (as covered in the next section) in a new commercial enterprise.
A lawful, traceable source of funds.
You have to show where every dollar came from and how it was allocated to the investment. Savings, business income, the sale of property, inheritance, and gifts can all qualify, but the paper trail has to be complete.
Job creation.
The investment must create or preserve at least 10 full-time jobs for qualifying U.S. workers, generally within about two years of you receiving conditional residence.
Your capital also has to stay "at risk" until the job requirement is met, which means it cannot be guaranteed or left sitting idle. This is a legal requirement of the program itself, not a choice made by any one project.
EB-5 Visa Cost in 2026
The EB-5 visa cost has two parts: the investment itself, which is the large number set by law, and the smaller government and professional fees on top.
The EB-5 investment amount
The EB-5 investment amount is set by federal law. As of 2026, there are two levels: $800,000 for a project in a Targeted Employment Area (TEA), which includes rural areas, areas of high unemployment, and certain infrastructure projects. $1,050,000 for a project outside a TEA. If you have searched for the EB-5 visa investment price, these two figures are it. They were set by the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 and have not changed for fiscal year 2026. Under the same law, the figures are scheduled to be adjusted for inflation on January 1, 2027, and every five years thereafter. Industry estimates put the next TEA figure in the range of $900,000, though the official number depends on inflation data that has not yet been published.
EB-5 visa fees and other costs
Beyond the investment, plan for EB-5 visa fees (the USCIS charge for each form) plus separate legal and administration fees that vary by case. The main USCIS filing fees commonly cited in 2026 are below.
| Form | Purpose | USCIS filing fee |
|---|---|---|
| I-526E | Investor petition (regional center) | $3,675 plus a $1,000 Integrity Fund fee |
| I-485 | Adjustment of status (filing from inside the U.S.) | About $1,140 per applicant |
| DS-260 | Immigrant visa application (filing from abroad) | About $325 per applicant |
| I-829 | Removal of conditions | $3,750 |
On top of government fees, plan for immigration attorney fees and, in regional center deals, project administration fees. Your attorney can prepare a full cost breakdown for your specific case.
The EB-5 Visa Process & Timeline in 2026
The EB-5 visa process runs in three main stages. The same sequence is the EB-5 green card process, since each stage moves you closer to permanent residence.
How to apply for the EB-5 visa
Here is how to apply for the EB-5 visa, step by step.
Stage 1:
File Form I-526E. After you choose a project, document your source of funds, and make your investment, your attorney files Form I-526E, the Immigrant Petition by Regional Center Investor. This is where USCIS reviews your funds and the project's job-creation plan. For regional center projects, the project's filing (Form I-956F) generally must be approved before your petition is assigned for review.
Stage 2:
Obtain your conditional green card. Once the petition is approved and a visa is available, you receive conditional permanent residence. If you already live in the United States, you file Form I-485 to adjust status. If you are abroad, you go through consular processing using Form DS-260. The green card at this stage is conditional and lasts two years.
Stage 3:
File Form I-829. In the 90 days before your two-year conditional residence ends, you file Form I-829 to remove the conditions. Once USCIS confirms the investment was sustained and the jobs were created, you and your family will receive permanent green cards.
One note for investors already in the U.S.: when visas are available, you may be able to file Form I-485 at the same time as your I-526E. That concurrent filing can provide a work permit and travel document within months, while the rest of the case is pending.
EB-5 processing time
EB-5 visa processing time depends heavily on the type of project and your country of birth, and the figures move around, so treat any number as an estimate rather than a promise. As of mid-2026, USCIS averages for Form I-526E have been roughly two and a half years, while rural set-aside projects receive priority processing and have often been adjudicated considerably faster. After petition approval, the conditional green card step (Form I-485 or consular processing) adds several more months. Two factors shape your EB-5 green card processing time more than anything else: Project category. Rural TEA projects carry both priority adjudication and a reserved share of visas, which is why many investors choose them when speed matters. Country of birth. Each country is limited to about 7 percent of the annual EB-5 visas. For high-demand countries such as India and China, the wait for a visa number can extend the total timeline beyond the petition processing time alone. Because these timelines shift, the most reliable sources are the USCIS processing-time page and the Department of State Visa Bulletin, which we recommend reviewing with your attorney.
Reserved (Set-Aside) Visa Categories
The 2022 reform set aside a share of the roughly 10,000 EB-5 visas issued each year for specific kinds of projects:
These set-asides matter most for investors from backlogged countries, because they can offer shorter waits than the general (unreserved) category. Rural projects in particular pair a reserved visa share with priority processing.
What the September 30, 2026, Date Means
You will see a lot written about the date September 30, 2026, so here is what it means. The regional center program is currently authorized through September 30, 2027. Under the 2022 law, any EB-5 petition properly filed on or before September 30, 2026, is "grandfathered," meaning it continues to be processed under today's rules even if the program were to lapse later. Filing before that date also locks in the current investment amounts ahead of the scheduled 2027 inflation adjustment. We mention this so you have the full picture, not to rush you. EB-5 is a significant, long-term decision. The right approach is to take the time to document your funds properly and choose a project carefully.
How the EB-5 Program Is Regulated
EB-5 sits under two layers of U.S. federal oversight, and understanding that framework is part of investing wisely.
USCIS (immigration)
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services administers the immigration side. It designates regional centers, reviews investor petitions, and adjudicates each stage from I-526E through I-829.
SEC (securities)
Most EB-5 offerings are securities, so they fall under U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rules. Responsible sponsors structure their offerings and investor communications to comply with those rules.
The 2022 Reform and Integrity Act added further safeguards: an Integrity Fund supported by annual regional center fees, mandatory audits, regular reporting, and clear rules about who may lawfully promote EB-5 offerings. These measures exist to protect investors and the program's credibility.
Where Polaris Fits
Polaris EB-5 Regional Centers is a USCIS-designated regional center operation. What sets the team apart is straightforward: the founders are operators first. Their backgrounds are in running real businesses, such as advanced automated pharmacies, PACE centers, and more. That operator background shapes Polaris's approach to EB-5. The focus is on projects the team understands at an operational level and can help carry through, including Sacramento PACE Center and state-of-the-art automated pharmacies. Polaris currently holds USCIS regional center designations across CA, AZ, TX, LA, IN, and IL. Because Polaris is a new operation, we are not going to point you to a long list of past results we do not yet have. What we offer instead is transparency about how we work and who we are, the projects we are building, and a team that has run the kinds of businesses EB-5 capital goes into.
Understanding the Risks
EB-5 is an investment, and like any investment, it carries risk. Your capital must remain at risk by law, which means returns are not guaranteed, and you could lose some or all of your investment if a project does not perform. There is also an immigration risk: approval at each stage depends on meeting the program's requirements, including job creation. This is why source-of-funds documentation, project selection, and experienced legal counsel matter so much. Nothing on this page is legal or investment advice. Every investor should work with a qualified immigration attorney and conduct independent due diligence.
Key EB-5 Terms
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Form I-526E | The investor petition that starts a regional center EB-5 case. |
| Form I-485 | Application to adjust status to permanent resident from inside the U.S. |
| Form DS-260 | Immigrant visa application processed at a U.S. consulate abroad. |
| Form I-829 | Petition to remove the two-year conditions and obtain a permanent green card. |
| NCE | New Commercial Enterprise: the business entity that receives the investment. |
| JCE | Job-Creating Entity: the business or project that creates the required jobs. |
| TEA | Targeted Employment Area: a rural or high-unemployment area that qualifies for the $800,000 level. |
| Regional center | A USCIS-designated entity that sponsors and pools EB-5 investments. |
| At-risk capital | The legal requirement that investment funds not be guaranteed. |
| Priority date | The date your petition is filed, which sets your place in the visa queue. |
Talk With the Polaris Team
If you are weighing EB-5 for your family, the best next step is a straightforward conversation. We can walk you through how the program works, what it involves, and how our projects are structured, and point you toward independent legal counsel for your petition.
Frequently Asked Questions About the EB-5 Program
The EB-5 program (often written EB5 Program) is the United States immigrant investor program. It lets a foreign national qualify for a green card by investing the required amount in a U.S. business that creates at least 10 full-time jobs. It is sometimes called the EB-5 investment visa program, and most investors take part through a USCIS-designated regional center.
Yes. EB-5 is an investment-based immigrant visa, which is why it is often described as the investment visa EB-5 route. Unlike employment visas, which require an employer to sponsor you, this visa is self-petitioned and leads directly to permanent residence.
Yes. The EB-5 investment green card starts as a two-year conditional green card. After you file Form I-829 and USCIS confirms the investment and the jobs, the conditions are removed, and you hold a permanent EB5 green card. Permanent residents can later apply for U.S. citizenship under the standard rules.
It varies widely. EB-5 green card processing time is shortest for rural set-aside projects, which receive priority processing, and longest for investors from high-demand countries who must wait for a visa number. See the process and timeline section above for current ranges.
There are two EB-5 visa programs: investing through a regional center, which pools capital and can count indirect jobs, or investing directly in your own business, where only direct jobs count. Most investors choose the regional center route.
Yes. One qualifying investment can cover the investor, their spouse, and unmarried children under 21.
By law, EB-5 capital must remain at risk, so returns and repayment are never guaranteed. Many regional center projects describe an intended exit and repayment structure in their offering documents, but the outcome depends on how the project performs. Review these terms carefully with your advisors.
Petitions properly filed on or before September 30, 2026, are grandfathered and continue under current rules even if the regional center program lapses after its current authorization. See the section above for details.
Note: This information is general and not investment, legal, tax, or immigration advice. Consult qualified professionals about your situation.