USCIS Finalizes EB-5 Fee Changes Effective November 30, 2026
September 30, 2026
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has finalized changes to EB-5 filing fees, effective November 30, 2026. The new schedule more than doubles the principal investor petition fees and substantially increases certain regional center application fees. Investors and regional centers should review upcoming filings and update their budgets ahead of implementation.
The changes implement the fee-study requirements of the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022. USCIS states that the revised fees will fund program administration, support statutory processing goals, and pay for enhanced oversight, including audits and site visits. The rule follows the agency’s October 2025 proposal, with revisions to the proposed amounts.
For investors, the immediate consequence is a higher cost at both the initial petition and removal-of-conditions stages.
| Investor filing | Current fee | New fee | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form I-526: Standalone investor petition | $3,675 | $7,615 | $3,940 |
| Form I-526E: Initial regional center investor petition | $3,675 | $7,850 | $4,175 |
| Form I-829: Petition to remove conditions on permanent resident status | $3,750 | $5,000 | $1,250 |
The initial I-526 and I-526E figures include the new $75 technology fee. Regional center investors must also pay a separate Integrity Fund charge, which increases from $1,000 to $1,100. Accordingly, the combined USCIS charges for an initial I-526E filing will be $8,950, compared with $4,675 under the current schedule. That total excludes the investment itself, legal fees, project charges, and other immigration applications.
Final-rule fee table | Additional fee details
The correct comparison is with the fees USCIS currently collects. Following a November 2025 court ruling staying the EB-5 fee increases imposed under the 2024 fee rule, USCIS reinstated earlier rates. Although several new fees are lower than the 2024 amounts, they represent substantial increases over the reinstated schedule. Comparing the new fees only with the 2024 rates would therefore understate the additional cost facing applicants today.
DHS explanation of the current fee baseline
Regional centers will also need to distinguish between initial applications and recurring compliance filings. The initial Form I-956 designation fee increases from $17,795 to $44,115, while Form I-956F, seeking approval of an investment in a commercial enterprise, increases from $17,795 to $42,675. Conversely, the I-956 amendment fee falls to $9,835, and the I-956G annual statement fee falls to $2,165. These differences warrant reviewing budgets by filing type rather than applying a uniform percentage increase.
Regional center fee comparison
Filing timing requires attention, but readiness should drive the decision to submit.
Published analyses of the final rule identify the postmark date as the trigger for the new fees: covered filings postmarked on or after the effective date must include the revised amount. Applicants considering a filing before November 30 should confirm the applicable USCIS instructions, required evidence, signatures, and payment requirements.
Applicants with pending petitions should separately assess whether they anticipate an amendment or a later filing, including Form I-829. An initial petition budget does not capture every fee that may arise during the immigration process.
The agency’s processing objectives also require careful interpretation. Statutory targets are not guaranteed adjudication deadlines, and higher filing fees do not assure approval or visa availability. Investors should therefore evaluate the fee changes separately from their expected immigration timeline.
Before implementation, investors and regional centers should reconcile each planned filing with the updated fee schedule and form instructions. Any decision to accelerate a submission should account for the completeness of the petition, the applicable filing window, and the consequences of rejection—not simply the potential fee saving.