USCIS Finalizes New EB-5 Fee Schedule and Integrity Fund Changes

• USCIS has issued a final rule increasing many EB-5 filing fees, establishing a new Form I-527 for certain investors, adjusting Integrity Fund fees and introducing new penalties for regional centers that fail to pay annual Integrity Fund fees in a timely manner.  

What Employers, Investors and Regional Centers Need to Know 

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has published a final rule updating fees across the Employment-Based Fifth Preference (EB-5) immigrant investor program. The agency says the changes are intended to recover program administration costs, support statutory processing-time goals, and strengthen program integrity measures established by the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022.  

The rule is scheduled for publication on September 30, 2026, and will become effective 60 days later. Applications and petitions postmarked on or after the effective date must include the new fees.  

Key EB-5 Fee Changes 

USCIS is increasing fees for several EB-5 petitions and applications, including: 

• Form I-526 (Standalone Investor Petition): increases from $3,675 to $7,615.
• Form I-526E (Regional Center Investor Petition): increases from $3,675 to $7,850 for initial filings.
• Form I-829 (Petition to Remove Conditions): increases from $3,750 to $5,000.
• Form I-956 (Regional Center Designation): increases from $17,795 to $44,115 for initial filings.
• Form I-956F (Application for Approval of Investment in a Commercial Enterprise): increases from $17,795 to $42,675.

Some fees will decrease: 

• Form I-956 Amendment: decreases from $17,795 to $9,835.
• Form I-956G (Regional Center Annual Statement): decreases from $3,035 to $2,165.

USCIS estimates the revised fee schedule will increase filing fees by an average of approximately 70.7% across existing EB-5 forms.  

New Form I-527 Introduced 

The final rule creates Form I-527, Amendment to Legacy Form I-526, with a filing fee of $10,330.

The new form is intended for certain pre-EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act investors seeking to preserve eligibility when a regional center is terminated or a project entity is debarred. USCIS states that filing Form I-527 will not be treated as filing a new immigrant petition and investors may retain their original priority date.  

EB-5 Integrity Fund Fees Increase 

USCIS is increasing Integrity Fund fees by approximately 10% to account for inflation.  

Updated fees include: 

• I-526E Integrity Fund Fee: $1,100 (up from $1,000).
• Regional Center Integrity Fund Fee (20 or fewer investors): $11,000 (up from $10,000).
• Regional Center Integrity Fund Fee (more than 20 investors): $22,000 (up from $20,000).

New Regional Center Late Payment Penalties 

The rule formally establishes penalties for late payment of annual Integrity Fund fees. Regional centers must pay annual fees by October 1 each year.  

Penalties include: 

• 10% penalty if payment is made between November 1 and November 30.
• 20% penalty if payment is made between December 1 and December 30.
• Termination of regional center designation if required fees and penalties remain unpaid after December 30.

New EB-5 Technology Fee 

USCIS is also implementing a new $75 EB-5 Technology Fee for Forms I-526 and initial I-526E filings. The agency says the fee will help fund technology improvements supporting EB-5 adjudications and case processing.  

Looking Ahead 

USCIS states that the final rule is designed to address an estimated gap between EB-5 program costs and fee revenue while supporting adjudication, fraud prevention, compliance activities and statutory processing time goals.  

Envoy Global will continue monitoring EB-5 program developments and provide updates as additional guidance becomes available. 

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