EB-5: US Green Card through investment from USD 800,000

A Targeted Employment Area is either a rural area (outside metropolitan areas and towns with a population of 20,000 or more) or an area with unemployment of at least 150% of the national average. For regional centre projects USCIS designates the TEA on the centre’s application; for a direct investment you submit census-tract data. If the project is neither in a TEA nor infrastructure, the threshold is USD 1,050,000.

A regional centre is the passive route: the money is pooled with other investors, up to 90% of the jobs may be indirect, and you do not run the business. The programme is authorised by law through 30 September 2027. A direct investment is your own enterprise with 10 direct jobs and genuine management. We choose by whether you want to run a business in the US.

The law does not guarantee it and forbids guaranteeing it: the capital must be at risk, with no right to demand repayment. The minimum investment period is 2 years; after that everything is set by the project documents: timing, order of payments, security. We read them as an investment deal and talk about the risks before you sign.

Seven years of tax returns, business and corporate records, proof of asset sales, inheritance, gifts and loans (permissible if received in good faith). The whole chain is needed: where the money came from and how it reached the project account. The remittance goes under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme: USD 800,000 exceeds one person’s annual limit, so it is spread across family members or financial years, or funded from money already held abroad, with TCS factored in. We plan this before the first transfer.

There is no statutory term: Form I-526E has no premium processing, USCIS times change, and the visa number depends on the country of birth and the category. For India-born investors the Unreserved category was Unavailable in the September 2026 Visa Bulletin while the set-asides were Current. We show the current USCIS and Visa Bulletin data on the date of filing and do not quote ‘guaranteed’ timelines.

Yes, if you are in lawful status and a visa number in your category is available: Form I-526E is filed together with Form I-485 for adjustment of status, each form paid separately. Forms I-765 for a work permit and I-131 for Advance Parole are filed at the same time; they allow you to work and travel while the case is pending, independently of your H-1B employer.

The first green card is issued for 2 years on condition. In the 90-day period before it expires Form I-829 is filed with evidence that the investment was made and sustained and that the 10 jobs were created or will be created within a reasonable time. While the petition is pending the status is extended automatically. After approval the green card becomes permanent.

Immigrant visa cases for India are processed through the National Visa Center and interviewed at the US Consulate General in Mumbai. UAE residents are interviewed at the US mission in the UAE. The spouse and children attend as derivatives. We plan this at the DS-260 stage.

Yes. A permanent resident must keep a residence in the US: a long absence may be treated as abandonment, depending on the reason and the planned length of the trip. Before a long trip a re-entry permit is obtained (Form I-131). If you are not ready to relocate yet, that must be considered before the investment.

After 5 years as a permanent resident Form N-400 is filed; it may be submitted 90 days before the period ends. Continuous residence and physical presence are calculated in advance so that travel does not reset the clock. India does not permit dual citizenship, so naturalisation means giving up the Indian passport.

The CSPA age is the age on the visa availability date minus the days Form I-526E was pending. If the child is under 21 by that calculation, they must ‘seek to acquire’ the status within 1 year of visa availability. With the India backlog in Unreserved this is the key risk; if the child does not make it, we discuss their own EB-5 petition or another basis.

A permanent resident reports worldwide income in the US, including income from the investment and from assets in India. Your residential status in India under the Income-tax Act, the India–US tax treaty and the reporting of Indian assets are planned before the status is granted, not after.

No. EB-5 covers only the spouse and unmarried children under 21; the age is calculated under the CSPA with the time Form I-526E was pending deducted. Parents and children over 21 only through their own investment or another basis, and after your citizenship through a family petition.

It does not: USD 800,000 in a TEA or USD 1,050,000 is one investment for the investor, the spouse and all the children. Only the per-person fees grow (Form I-485 USD 1,440, or DS-260 USD 345 plus the USCIS Immigrant Fee USD 235) and the cost of medical examinations and translations. Form I-829 is filed once for the whole family. For Indian residents the LRS remittance can be spread across family members, which also helps fund the investment.

Yes. If the application is refused through the fault of our team or an error in building the case, we refund the company's service fee less a minimal retention for costs actually incurred. Refund terms, the payment schedule and the rules on retaining service costs are fixed in the contract before work begins. Before we start, we check your documents and risk history free of charge and tell you about any risks in advance.