EB-5 Regional Centers: How They Work in 2026

A regional center is one of two routes to a green card through the EB-5 immigrant investor program. The other is a direct investment in a business the investor helps run. This guide explains how regional centers work under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA), what the investment amounts are today, and what to check before you commit capital.

What is an EB-5 regional center?

A regional center is an economic unit that USCIS has designated, through Form I-956, to promote economic growth by sponsoring EB-5 projects in a defined geographic area. The center does not usually receive the investor’s money itself. Instead, investors buy an interest in a new commercial enterprise (often a limited partnership) associated with the center. That enterprise then invests in or lends to a job-creating entity, such as a developer building a hotel, housing or a manufacturing plant.

USCIS publishes a list of approved regional centers; it listed 567 as of May 11, 2026. Approval of a center is not approval of any particular project, and it is not a government endorsement of the investment.

How much do you have to invest?

• $1,050,000 standard minimum investment.
• $800,000 for a project in a targeted employment area (TEA), meaning a qualifying rural area or high-unemployment area, or for a qualifying infrastructure project.
• These amounts adjust for inflation for petitions filed on or after January 1, 2027. The reduced amount will remain 75% of the standard amount, and DHS publishes the new figures.

Older articles cite $500,000, $900,000 or $1.8 million. Those figures no longer apply. Under the RIA, USCIS, not state governments, decides whether a project area qualifies as a TEA. Most regional center projects also charge a separate administrative or syndication fee, which is not part of the qualifying investment.

How the regional center process works

1. Project filing. The regional center files Form I-956F to get USCIS approval of the specific investment offering and its business plan and economic analysis.
2. Investment. The investor subscribes to the new commercial enterprise and transfers lawfully sourced funds, which must be fully invested and at risk.
3. Petition. The investor files Form I-526E with source-of-funds and path-of-funds evidence. If a visa is immediately available, an investor in the U.S. can file Form I-485 at the same time.
4. Conditional green card. After approval and visa availability, the investor and qualifying family members receive two-year conditional residence.
5. Removing conditions. In the 90 days before the second anniversary of conditional residence, the investor files Form I-829 showing the investment was sustained and the required jobs were created or will be created within a reasonable time.

How job creation works in a regional center

Every EB-5 investor must create at least 10 full-time jobs for qualifying U.S. workers. A direct investor generally has to show 10 jobs on the business’s own payroll. A regional center investor can also count indirect and induced jobs estimated with a reasonable economic methodology, such as jobs at suppliers or jobs supported by construction spending. Under the RIA, indirect jobs may account for no more than 90% of the required jobs. Our EB-5 job creation guide explains these rules in more detail.

Program dates and investor protections

• Authorization. The regional center program is authorized through September 30, 2027, and Congress must act to extend it after that date.
• Grandfathering. Regional center petitions filed on or before September 30, 2026 will continue to be processed if the program later lapses.
• Visa set-asides. The RIA reserves 20% of EB-5 visas for rural projects, 10% for high-unemployment areas and 2% for infrastructure projects. Set-aside visas can shorten waits for investors from backlogged countries such as China and India.
• Integrity rules. Regional centers must file annual Form I-956G statements, follow fund-administration and disclosure rules, and can be sanctioned or terminated. If a center is terminated or debarred, affected investors generally get 180 days to associate with a new center or a new enterprise, or to make a qualifying new investment.

Pros and cons of a regional center investment

• Indirect jobs count. Investors do not have to hire 10 employees themselves, which makes job creation easier to show for large projects.
• Passive role. Investors are usually limited partners with limited voting rights, so they can live and work anywhere in the United States. Investors who want to run a business may prefer a direct EB-5 investment or another employment-based green card route.
• Lower minimum in TEA and infrastructure projects. Many regional center offerings are structured to qualify for the $800,000 amount and for the visa set-asides.
• Capital is at risk. There is no guaranteed return, and a guaranteed buyback or redemption makes the investment ineligible. Projects can fail, run late or fall short of jobs, which can affect both the money and the green card.
• Less control and more fees. The center and developer make the business decisions, and fees reduce any return.

What to check before choosing a regional center project

• Whether the center is on USCIS’s current approved list and whether the project’s Form I-956F has been filed or approved.
• The center’s track record of I-526/I-526E and I-829 approvals and repayments.
• How many jobs the economic report projects compared with the number needed, since a larger cushion lowers the risk of a shortfall.
• Construction status, senior financing, the loan or equity terms, and the exit plan.
• Whether the TEA or infrastructure designation is documented, and whether a set-aside category fits your country of birth.
• Independent legal review of the offering documents. Your immigration lawyer should represent you, not the project.

Official sources: USCIS EB-5 regional centers, USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 6, Part G, and 8 U.S.C. § 1153(b)(5).

Updated September 29, 2026. This article is general information, not legal or investment advice. EB-5 rules and amounts change; confirm the rules in force before investing or filing.