EB-5 Investment Amount History: $500K → $800K → ?
TL;DR
EB-5's minimum investment has changed: $500K (original TEA, 1990-2019) → $900K (briefly in 2019-2021) → restored to $500K (court vacatur in 2021) → $800K (RIA 2022). The next inflation adjustment is scheduled for 2027.
Understanding the investment-amount history helps investors interpret older marketing materials, court decisions, and policy news. The $800K Rural TEA / $1.05M non-TEA structure under RIA 2022 is current and will adjust every 5 years for inflation.
- •1990-2019 — Original program: $500K (TEA) / $1M (non-TEA). Stable for 29 years.
- •November 2019-June 2021 — Trump-era Modernization Rule raised TEA to $900K and non-TEA to $1.8M. Brief 19-month window.
- •June 2021 — Federal court vacated the Modernization Rule (Behring Regional Center v. Mayorkas). Amounts reverted to $500K / $1M.
- •March 2022 (RIA) — Reform & Integrity Act set new amounts: $800K (Rural TEA), $800K (Urban High-Unemployment TEA), $1,050K (everything else). Inflation adjustments every 5 years.
- •Next adjustment: scheduled for January 2027. Likely modest upward adjustment based on CPI.
- •Why this matters: investors who locked in earlier amounts (pre-RIA) sometimes carry questions about which rules apply to their petitions. Post-RIA filings (March 2022 onward) use the $800K / $1,050K structure.
The 2027 inflation adjustment is the next planning consideration. Filing in 2026 locks in the $800K Rural TEA minimum, bypassing any 2027 increase.
Beyond Paradise 1 is structured at the current $800K Rural TEA minimum — investors filing in 2026 lock that amount in regardless of the 2027 inflation adjustment.
Related
Rural TEA vs Urban TEA vs Direct EB-5
Rural TEA = $800K + 20% visa set-aside + priority processing. Urban TEA = $800K + 10% set-aside. Direct EB-5 = $1.05M, no Regional Center.
What is the EB-5 Reform & Integrity Act (RIA) 2022?
The RIA reauthorised the Regional Center EB-5 program through 2027, created reserved-visa set-asides (20% rural, 10% urban TEA, 2% infrastructure), reduced the sustainment period from 5 to 2 years, and added integrity measures (audits, source-of-funds reviews, I-956F project approval).
EB-5 Visa Cost in 2026: Total Investor Spend Breakdown
Total EB-5 cost in 2026: $800K investment (Rural TEA, refundable per offering terms) + USCIS filing fees (~$15K) + Integrity Fund fee ($1K) + attorney fees ($25K-$50K) + admin fees ($30K-$80K). Plan ~$870K-$945K total cash outlay.
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