EB-5 visa fee to double from November 30: How much will Indian investors seeking a Green Card have to pay? Key changes explained

Starting November 30, Indian investors in the EB-5 program face significant fee increases, with Form I-526E rising from $3,675 to $7,850.

Indian investors seeking Green Card through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program will face sharply higher government filing costs from November 30, with the main petition fee for regional-center applicants rising by more than 100%.

US to double EB-5 visa fees from November 30: Indian investors seeking Green Card face higher costs. (Representational photo) (Pexel)

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has finalized the fee rule, which will take effect on November 30, 2026. The final rule was published in the Federal Register after USCIS revised some of the proposed fees following public comments.

For Indian investors, the biggest change is the cost of filing Form I-526E, the petition used by investors participating through an EB-5 regional center.

How much will Indian EB-5 investors have to pay?

Regional-center investors also pay the separate EB-5 Integrity Fund fee, which will increase from $1,000 to $1,100.

That means a new regional-center investor will pay $8,950 in USCIS fees for the I-526E petition and Integrity Fund fee from November 30, compared with $4,675 currently.

The higher charges apply equally to Indian nationals; there is no India-specific EB-5 fee.

For investors using the standalone route, the Form I-526 fee will increase from $3,675 to $7,615, a 107% increase. USCIS describes the new I-526 amount as including the EB-5 technology fee.

The fee hike also affects investors at the later stage of the process. The fee for Form I-829, used to remove conditions on permanent resident status, will rise from $3,750 to $5,000, a 33% increase.

What does the EB-5 fee hike mean for Indians?

The higher USCIS fees are separate from the money an investor must commit to an EB-5 project.

The new rule does not increase the statutory EB-5 investment amount. Investors still need to meet the applicable investment threshold and other programme requirements.

USCIS said the final rule is intended to bring EB-5 fees closer to the cost of administering the program and to support program integrity measures.

The increases extend beyond individual investors. The fee for an initial I-956 application for regional-center designation will rise from $17,795 to $44,115, while the fee for an I-956F application will increase from $17,795 to $42,675.

Some fees, however, will decrease. The fee for an I-956 regional-center amendment will fall from $17,795 to $9,835, while the annual I-956G fee will drop from $3,035 to $2,165.

When does the new EB-5 fee take effect?

USCIS will implement the new fee schedule on November 30, 2026.

For Indian investors preparing an EB-5 application, the date matters because filings subject to the new rule will have to use the revised fees.

The changes come as the EB-5 program continues to attract high-net-worth applicants seeking a US immigration route through investment. For Indians, the immediate impact is a substantial rise in the government fees required at the petition stage, particularly for those applying through regional centers.