Residency & Golden Visas / United States / Route
United States · Investment route
Invest USD 800,000 in a targeted employment area, rural or infrastructure project. As at October 2026 the EB-5 set-aside categories are the only employment-based route with no India queue at all.
Last updated: 2026-10-01
Programme overviewنظرة عامة
The USA EB-5 TEA Investment route provides a path to U.S. residency and Green Card through a lower investment of $800,000 in a Targeted Employment Area. This route allows location-specific projects, often via Regional Centers, and promotes job creation in rural or high-unemployment regions.
What you getالمزايا
Residency in the U.S. through TEA investment
Pathway to permanent Green Card and citizenship
Self-petition route – no employer sponsorship required
Children under 21 study as US permanent residents, eligible for in-state tuition under each state's residency rules
Freedom to live, work, and operate a business anywhere in the U.S.
Investment & costsالتكاليف
Qualifying investment
Minimum investment — TEA, rural or infrastructure project
Invested, or actively being invested, when Form I-526E or I-526 is filed · Capital must remain at risk; there is no guaranteed return
Form I-526E or I-526 filing fee
On filing · From about 29 November 2026 the I-526E falls to USD 7,850 and the I-526 to USD 7,615, under the final rule published 30 September 2026
EB-5 Integrity Fund fee
With each Form I-526E · Applies on top of the I-526E filing fee
Form I-829 filing fee
To remove conditions at the end of the 2-year conditional period · Falls to USD 5,000 from about 29 November 2026
Figures are indicative and exclusive of professional fees. Your advisor confirms an exact, written cost breakdown for your family size.
Eligibilityالأهلية
Requirements
Investment of $800,000 in a qualifying TEA, rural or infrastructure project
Creation of at least 10 full-time jobs for U.S. workers
Proof of legal source of funds
Keep the investment at risk for the sustainment period required by the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022
Proof of funds
Who cannot apply
Applicants with criminal background or fraud records
Undocumented or unlawful sources of funds
Failure to meet minimum investment or job creation requirements
The processكيف نعمل
Consultation & Project Selection
Assess your profile and select a qualifying TEA, rural or infrastructure project with an immigration attorney
Prepare Source-of-Funds Documentation
Gather audited documents, business records, inheritance, or property sale records
Invest USD 800,000
Place the capital, at risk, in the new commercial enterprise of the chosen project (regional centre or direct)
File Form I-526E or I-526 with USCIS
I-526E for a regional centre investment, I-526 for a standalone investment. While the set-asides are current for India, applicants lawfully in the US can file Form I-485 at the same time
Conditional Green Card
Apply via Form I-485 or DS-260; receive a 2-year conditional Green Card
Maintain investment & create 10 jobs
Keep the investment at risk and meet the 10 full-time job requirement
File Form I-829 to remove conditions
File before the 2-year conditional Green Card expires, with evidence of the investment and job creation
Apply for Citizenship
Eligible for U.S. citizenship after 5 years with permanent residency
Document checklistالوثائق
Identity Documents
All documents must be valid and translated if not in English
- ✦Passport copies
- ✦Birth certificates
- ✦Marriage certificate if applicable
Financial Documents
Must clearly prove lawful source of funds
- ✦Bank statements
- ✦Business ownership documents
- ✦Property sale deeds
- ✦Inheritance papers
Compliance Documents
Background checks required for all applicants
- ✦Police clearance certificate
- ✦Medical examination reports
Your XIPHIAS advisor prepares a personalised document list at onboarding. The checklist above is indicative and may vary by family size.
Family scopeالأسرة
All eligible dependants can be included in one application or added after approval.
Age limits, dependency definitions, and addition fees vary by jurisdiction. Your advisor confirms exact rules at onboarding.
Risk notes
The set-aside categories are current for India today. They are a capped quota — rural 20%, high unemployment 10%, infrastructure 2% of roughly 9,940 annual EB-5 visas — and a quota that is current can stop being current.
The unreserved EB-5 category is a different proposition: India sits at 1 December 2023, a wait of about 2 years 10 months. Make sure you know which category your project qualifies for before you invest.
Capital must be genuinely at risk. There is no guaranteed return and no guaranteed repayment, whatever a project’s marketing says.
USCIS processing times for Form I-526E vary and change frequently; XIPHIAS confirms the current published time when your petition is filed.
Premium processing is not available for any EB-5 form.
Compliance
Minimum investment USD 800,000 for a targeted employment area, rural project or infrastructure project, creating 10 full-time jobs for qualifying employees.
Set-asides under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022: rural 20%, high unemployment 10%, infrastructure 2%.
Concurrent filing of Form I-485 with the I-526E is available where a visa is immediately available — which, for India in all three set-aside categories, is the case as at the October 2026 Visa Bulletin.
Priority date retention and good-faith investor protections apply under INA section 203(b)(5)(M) if a regional centre is terminated or an entity is debarred.
Filing fees fall from about 29 November 2026: I-526E initial from USD 11,160 to USD 7,850, I-829 from USD 9,525 to USD 5,000. An EB-5 Integrity Fund fee of USD 1,000 per I-526E applies separately.
The investment thresholds are statutory. The figures still printed in 8 CFR 204.6 (USD 1,800,000 and USD 900,000) are the vacated 2019 amounts and do not apply.
Questionsأسئلة شائعة
This route, answered.
The required investment is $800,000 in a targeted employment area (rural or high unemployment) or an infrastructure project.
Start the United States route.
A senior advisor will confirm the exact costs, timeline and documents for your case — privately, and entirely off the record.