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For the past four years, $800,000 has been the price point EB-5 investors have planned around. Families have restructured assets, sold property, liquidated investments, and built their immigration plans around that threshold. But the current amount was never designed to remain in place indefinitely.

Under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022, minimum investment amounts are subject to periodic inflation adjustments, with the first adjustment approaching in 2027. While the next figure has not yet been confirmed, the direction is clear: the cost of entering the EB-5 programme is expected to rise.

Some prospective investors have continued to hope that the old $500,000 threshold could return. But the programme has moved on. The $800,000 level is now firmly embedded in the post-2022 framework, and with inflation adjustments built into the law, the trajectory is toward higher investment levels over time, not a return to the past.

What Does $800,000 Provide Today?

For qualifying investments in a Targeted Employment Area or certain infrastructure projects, an investor can currently pursue EB-5 with a minimum investment of $800,000. The programme offers qualifying investors, their spouses and unmarried children under 21 a pathway to U.S. permanent residence, provided the investment supports the creation of at least 10 qualifying U.S. jobs.

Unlike temporary immigration routes tied to employment, study or a particular period of stay, EB-5 is ultimately a pathway to a Green Card. For many families, that is the real value behind the investment: greater flexibility to live, study and work in the United States on a permanent basis.

Why Waiting Until the Increase May Be Too Late

An EB-5 filing does not come together overnight. Investors must select and review a project, establish the lawful source of their investment capital, and trace how those funds moved into the investment. For internationally mobile families, this can involve businesses, property sales, investments and banking records spread across several jurisdictions.

That preparation takes time. Waiting until a higher investment threshold is formally announced could leave investors trying to complete the same process under greater time pressure and, potentially, at a significantly higher cost.

For the past four years, investors have been asking whether they are ready to commit $800,000 to EB-5. The question now is whether they can afford to let that threshold pass, knowing that the same pathway to U.S. permanent residence may soon require a significantly greater investment.

Learn What the Increase Could Mean for You

The American Legal Center will host a free EB-5 Investor Seminar led by Shai Zamanian, Managing Director of The American Legal Center, together with our team of U.S.-licensed lawyers. The session will cover the current $800,000 investment threshold, the approaching price adjustment, project selection, source-of-funds preparation, payment options and family eligibility, followed by a live Q&A.

Location: Rove Downtown Dubai
Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026
Time: 4:00 PM
Attendance: Complimentary; advance registration required
Telephone: +971 52 446 6095
Registration: Click here to reserve your seat