USCIS is raising the price of its EB-5 investor visa program. Starting November 30, 2026, the EB-5 visa fee increase will push the main immigrant investor petition fee from $3,675 to $7,615. That more than doubles the cost for foreign nationals seeking US permanent residency through investment. A related fee for investors who route their capital through EB-5 regional centers will rise to $7,850. USCIS has tied both increases to a broader set of fee adjustments for fiscal year 2027, the agency’s budget cycle that began October 1, 2026. The change is real but not yet in force. It lands in about eight weeks.
EB-5 Visa Fee Increase: What Changes on November 30
The EB-5 visa fee increase applies to Form I-526E. This is the petition most EB-5 investors file to request conditional permanent residency. USCIS confirmed the fee moves from $3,675 to $7,615 on November 30, 2026. That is an increase of $3,940. It works out to more than 107 percent, according to a Newsweek report on the fiscal year 2027 fee schedule.
Investors who file before the effective date pay the current, lower fee. Petitions filed on or after November 30, 2026 must include the new amount. USCIS has not announced further EB-5 fee changes for 2027 beyond this adjustment, at least not yet.
The timing matters for anyone mid-preparation. Eight weeks is enough time to finish a filing already underway. It is a tight window to start one from scratch.
The Investor Visa Program’s New Price Tag
The EB-5 investor visa program lets foreign nationals and their immediate families seek a US green card by investing in a new commercial enterprise that creates American jobs. Investors typically route that capital either directly into a project or through a USCIS-designated regional center. Full program details sit on USCIS’s EB-5 program page. The filing fee is separate from the investment itself. It covers USCIS’s cost of reviewing each petition, not the capital an investor commits to a project.
USCIS periodically adjusts fees across its programs to keep pace with processing costs. The agency is fee-funded rather than tax-funded, so petition fees cover the bulk of its operating budget. A jump of this size is unusual even by that standard. Doubling a flagship investor fee in one step signals USCIS expects its EB-5 caseload, and the work of reviewing it, to keep growing through fiscal year 2027.
For investors, the fee is a small fraction of total program cost next to the required investment itself. Even so, a near-$4,000 jump adds a real, upfront expense to the filing stage specifically.
Regional Center Fee Rises to $7,850
Most EB-5 investors route their capital through a USCIS-designated regional center rather than managing a project directly. These investors file Form I-526E referencing the regional center’s project. Under the new fee schedule, the regional center investor fee rises to $7,850. That sits slightly above the $7,615 direct petition fee.
Both fees take effect the same day, November 30, 2026. They apply to different filing paths, though. Investors already working with a regional center sponsor should confirm which fee applies to their specific petition before they file. The gap between the two fees is $235, small next to the overall increase but worth checking before submission.
Fiscal Year 2027 Changes Beyond the EB-5 Fee
The EB-5 fee increase is one part of a wider set of USCIS and State Department adjustments tied to fiscal year 2027, which began October 1, 2026. The annual reset of visa number limits let several employment-based categories reopen. The EB-2 category’s Final Action Date for India moved to November 1, 2013. The EB-1 category for India advanced from October 15, 2022 to February 1, 2023.
USCIS also selected the “Dates for Filing” chart for both family-based and employment-based categories for October 2026. That chart can let some applicants submit Form I-485 earlier, ahead of their Final Action Date. It does not shrink the underlying backlog. It simply opens an earlier filing window for people who already qualify under the numbers available.
Immigration attorney Senthurjothi called the fiscal-year reset a “meaningful opportunity” for Indian applicants. Senthurjothi also cautioned it is a “reset” rather than a reduction of the underlying visa backlog. The distinction matters. A reopened Final Action Date moves the line forward for people already waiting. It does not add new visa numbers to the pool. Tamara News covered the full category movement in its October 2026 visa bulletin report, which lays out the month’s chart changes category by category.
What Investors Should Do Before November 30
Investors who plan to file Form I-526E have roughly eight weeks before the fee more than doubles. Those close to finishing source-of-funds documentation may want to complete their filing before November 30, 2026. Doing so locks in the current $3,675 rate before it more than doubles.
USCIS fee changes do not apply retroactively. Petitions already filed keep the fee paid at submission. Applicants with cases already in the pipeline owe no difference once the new rate takes hold.
Rushing a filing purely to beat a fee deadline carries its own risk. An incomplete petition can cost more in delays than the fee increase itself. Investors should weigh readiness against the calendar rather than treat November 30 as a reason to file before their documentation is solid.
Some prospective investors are weighing EB-5 against other residency routes while they plan around the deadline. Processing timelines move on separate schedules abroad, too. Tamara News has tracked Canada’s updated processing times and recent changes to the UAE’s golden visa program for readers comparing options side by side. Anyone planning an EB-5 filing should confirm current fee amounts directly with USCIS before submitting. Fee schedules can change again in future fiscal years.
EB-5 Fee Hike FAQ
When does the EB-5 visa fee increase take effect?
The increase takes effect November 30, 2026.
How much is the new EB-5 petition fee?
The main EB-5 immigrant investor petition fee rises from $3,675 to $7,615.
What is the new EB-5 regional center investor fee?
The regional center investor fee rises to $7,850, effective the same date.
Does the fee increase apply to petitions filed before November 30, 2026?
No. The increase applies to petitions filed on or after November 30, 2026.
Is the EB-5 fee increase connected to other visa changes?
Yes. USCIS grouped it with broader fee adjustments for fiscal year 2027, alongside visa bulletin movement in categories including EB-2 and EB-1 for India.
Where can applicants confirm current EB-5 fees?
USCIS publishes current fees on its EB-5 program page.
Sources
- Newsweek — Four Green Card Changes Coming Before 2027. https://newsweek.com/green-card-update-changes-happening-to-applications-in-october-12506591
- USCIS — Employment-Based Immigration: Fifth Preference EB-5. https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/permanent-workers/employment-based-immigration-fifth-preference-eb-5