Permanent residence in the United States, for the whole family.
The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program allows a qualifying investment in a US enterprise that creates American jobs to lead to a green card for the investor, their spouse, and their unmarried children under 21.
An investment that creates jobs, and a status that lasts.
EB-5 is the fifth employment-based immigrant visa category in US law. Congress created it in 1990 to attract capital into American businesses in exchange for permanent residence, and reshaped it in 2022 through the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act, which set the current investment levels, introduced reserved visa categories, and put new oversight around the projects that receive investor capital.
In practice, most families invest through a designated regional center: an entity approved by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to pool investor capital into a specific project, such as an infrastructure programme or a large development, and to count the jobs that project creates. A direct investment into a business the family operates is also possible, but is less common for families who intend to keep their existing business abroad.
The investment must be genuinely at risk, must be placed in a new commercial enterprise, and must create at least ten full-time US jobs per investor. In return, an approved investor and their immediate family receive conditional permanent residence, which becomes unconditional once the job-creation requirement is shown to have been met.
One petition. Three generations of consequence.
A single EB-5 petition covers the principal investor and their immediate family. Each derivative family member receives the same status as the investor.
The investor
The person who makes the qualifying investment and files the petition. Either spouse may be the principal applicant; the choice is a matter of planning.
The spouse
The investor's husband or wife, included on the same petition and receiving permanent residence at the same time.
Unmarried children under 21
Each unmarried child under 21 is included. A child's age is assessed under specific statutory rules at defined points in the process, which is why the timing of filing matters for families with teenagers.
What changes for a family, and especially for its children.
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Study as a resident, not on a student visa
A permanent resident applies to US universities on the same footing as an American student, with no F-1 visa to secure, renew or protect, and no obligation to leave when the degree is finished. In many states, residents may also qualify for in-state tuition at public universities, subject to each state's own rules.
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Build a career without a work-visa lottery
A green card holder may take an internship, accept a first job, change employers or found a company without needing an H-1B place, an employer's sponsorship, or a visa stamp. The first years of a career are spent building it, not defending the right to be there.
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A permanent base, with a path to citizenship
Permanent residence does not expire with a course or a contract. After the period of residence required by law, each family member may apply for US citizenship if they choose, while retaining the freedom to keep a home and a business elsewhere.
The facts, as they stand.
The figures below are the current programme terms as we understand them. They are set by US law and by USCIS and the US Department of State, not by Kingsley Group, and they change.
| Minimum investment | US$800,000 for a project in a targeted employment area (rural or high-unemployment) or an infrastructure project. US$1,050,000 otherwise. An inflation adjustment is scheduled from 1 January 2027. |
|---|---|
| Job creation | At least 10 full-time US jobs per investor. |
| Family coverage | The investor, their spouse, and unmarried children under 21. |
| Regional Center Program | Authorised through 30 September 2027. |
| Visa availability | In the September 2026 Visa Bulletin, the reserved (set-aside) categories were current for all countries. The unreserved category was unavailable for India. Project category selection therefore matters for Indian-born applicants. |
| Status granted | Conditional permanent residence for two years, then permanent residence on removal of conditions. |
| Key filings | Form I-526E (investor petition, regional center route). Form I-829 (removal of conditions). Filed by licensed immigration counsel. |
Five steps, from first conversation to permanent residence.
- 1
Confidential fit assessment
We look at eligibility, timing, family composition and the source and path of the funds to be invested. USCIS requires that funds be lawfully obtained and fully documented; this is where most of the early work is done.
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Project selection and due diligence
A short list of qualifying projects, examined for structure, job-creation cushion, category (reserved or unreserved) and the standing of the regional center. The decision is the family's own.
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Investment petition
The investment is made into the new commercial enterprise and the petition is prepared and filed with USCIS by our relationship immigration law firm.Form I-526E
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Conditional green card
Once the petition is approved and a visa number is available, the family completes immigrant visa processing at a US consulate abroad or, if lawfully present in the US, applies for adjustment of status.
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Removal of conditions
Towards the end of the two-year conditional period, counsel files to remove the conditions by showing the investment was sustained and the jobs were created. Permanent residence follows, and in time eligibility for citizenship.Form I-829
Four clocks are running. None of them are ours.
Children approaching 21
A child's eligibility as a derivative depends on age at points fixed by law. For a family with a teenager approaching university, the date of filing is not a detail.
Category selection for Indian-born applicants
In the September 2026 Visa Bulletin the unreserved EB-5 category was unavailable for India while the reserved categories were current for all countries. Which category a project falls into can decide how long a family waits.
The January 2027 adjustment
The minimum investment amounts are scheduled for inflation adjustment from 1 January 2027. The exact figures will be set by USCIS; the direction is upward.
The Regional Center horizon
The Regional Center Program is authorised through 30 September 2027. Congress has extended it before and may again, but no one should plan on the assumption that it will.
As of September 2026, subject to change. Read our note on timing.
Residency is a tax event. Plan it as one.
The United States taxes its permanent residents on worldwide income, and its estate and gift rules reach worldwide assets. The most valuable planning a family can do is done before residence begins: how existing structures are treated, when residence should start, and how the family's affairs outside the US are organised for the years after the move.
Kingsley Group does not provide tax advice. Pre-immigration tax and wealth planning is available through affiliated entities of the Swiss Finance group, working alongside the family's own advisers.
A note on regional centers and direct investment
Most families choose the regional center route because the job-creation count includes indirect and induced jobs and the family is not required to run the business. A direct investment suits a family that intends to operate a US business itself. Each route has its own risks; counsel will advise which, if either, fits.
Important information. Kingsley Group is an immigration and residency advisory. It is not a law firm and does not provide legal or tax advice. Immigration legal services, including the preparation and filing of any petition, are provided by independent, licensed attorneys at our relationship immigration law firms.
Investment risk. An EB-5 investment must be at risk to qualify. It can lose value, and capital may not be returned in full or at all. Nothing on this site is an offer or solicitation of any investment, and Kingsley Group does not sponsor, manage or recommend any project.
No guaranteed outcome. Petitions and visas are adjudicated by USCIS and the US Department of State. Approval is not guaranteed and processing times vary. Nothing here should be read as a prediction of any outcome.
Currency of information. Program terms shown are current as of September 2026 and are subject to change. Figures should be verified with licensed counsel before any decision is made.