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EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program: how long does it take?

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USCIS — Case Processing Times does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route.

How long does the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program take to process in United States?

USCIS — Case Processing Times does not publish a central processing time for this route. Use the current USCIS — Case Processing Times service for the responsible mission, service centre, authority or live processing-time tool before applying.

Source checked against USCIS — Case Processing Times on 10 September 2026.

Typical wait

Not centrally published

from complete application

Government fees

I-526/I-526E USD 3,675 (plus the USD 1,000 EB-5 Integrity Fund fee); I-829 USD 3,750 — a federal court vacated the higher April-2024 fees (USD 11,160 / USD 9,525) and USCIS reverted to these amounts on 14 November 2025; a new fee rule is pending, so confirm before filing. Plus regional-center or direct-project fees set privately.

Last checked

10 September 2026

Reality vs official timing

Official clock
No central processing clock
Delay trigger
No fixed delay point - use route guidance
Source checked
10 September 2026

USCIS — Case Processing Times does not publish a central processing time. Use the current USCIS — Case Processing Times service for the responsible mission, service centre, authority or live processing-time tool before applying.

What is the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program?

Permanent residence through investment in a new US commercial enterprise that creates at least 10 full-time jobs.

The EB-5 immigrant investor program grants conditional permanent residence for qualifying investment in a new US commercial enterprise. The EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 set the standard minimum investment at USD 1,050,000, reduced to USD 800,000 for Targeted Employment Areas (TEAs) and infrastructure projects. Set-aside visa categories (rural, high-unemployment, infrastructure) provide faster pathways for qualifying regional-center projects.

  • Sponsorship: No job offer or employer sponsor is required.
  • Settlement: This route can lead to permanent residence.
  • Typical permit length: Conditional 2-year residence leading to unconditional permanent residence.
  • Indicative government fees: I-526/I-526E USD 3,675 (plus the USD 1,000 EB-5 Integrity Fund fee); I-829 USD 3,750 — a federal court vacated the higher April-2024 fees (USD 11,160 / USD 9,525) and USCIS reverted to these amounts on 14 November 2025; a new fee rule is pending, so confirm before filing. Plus regional-center or direct-project fees set privately.

Priority and fast-track options

The earlier range was removed after an official-source review because it was an editorial estimate, depended on a live/local queue, or combined separate appointment and decision stages.

Official source

USCIS — Case Processing Times

https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/

Cite or reuse this dataset

This figure is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the Visa Atlas page for the compiled, dated dataset, and cite the official source for the underlying government rule.

Suggested citation

Visa Atlas, "EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program processing time dataset", https://visaatlas.org/processing-times/us/eb-5. Last checked 10 September 2026.

Page
https://visaatlas.org/processing-times/us/eb-5
JSON endpoint
https://visaatlas.org/api/public/processing-times

Primary source (1)

Frequently asked questions

How long does the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program take to process?+

USCIS — Case Processing Times does not publish a central processing time for this route. Use the current USCIS — Case Processing Times service for the responsible mission, service centre, authority or live processing-time tool before applying.

When does the Not centrally published clock start?+

Because no central processing time is published, there is no fixed start point. Contact the relevant authority once your application is submitted.

Is there a way to speed up the decision?+

The earlier range was removed after an official-source review because it was an editorial estimate, depended on a live/local queue, or combined separate appointment and decision stages.

What makes an application take longer than expected?+

The most common reasons for delays beyond the published window are: missing or incorrect documents, a request for more information (which pauses the clock until you reply), background or medical checks, and consular appointment backlogs in your country. Submitting a complete, well-organised application on day one is the single biggest thing you can do to stay inside the published window.

When should I treat my EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program application as delayed?+

Because no central processing time is published for this route, there is no fixed point at which it counts as late. If your wait runs well beyond comparable cases, a single polite status enquiry through the official channel is reasonable. Duplicate chasing tends to slow a case rather than speed it up.

Next steps

Reviewed by , Editor and lead researcher.