On October 23, 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a draft of new regulations regarding EB-5 immigrant visa fees in the Federal Register.
This revision includes multiple optimizations and adjustments in key areas such as application fees, processing efficiency, and investor rights protection, showing a clearly favorable trend overall. Let's take a look together with the WorldWay Group.
Favorable News:
Comprehensive Reduction of EB-5 Main Application Fees
According to the draft, EB-5 application fees will be reduced, with specific reductions as follows:
• I-526/I-526E: Reduced from $11,160 to $9,625, a 14% reduction;
• I-829: Reduced from $9,525 to $7,860, a 17% reduction;
• I-956 (Initial Designation of Regional Center): Reduced from $47,695 to $28,895, a 39% reduction;
• I-956 Amendment: Reduced from $47,695 to $18,480, a 61% reduction.
Additionally, I-526/I-526E will also require a technical fee of $95 (included within the $9,625), aimed at digital infrastructure to transition traditional paper applications to an electronic process, which in the long run will help improve processing efficiency.
New I-527 Form:
Extending Immigration Qualifications for Old Investors
For old investors who submitted I-526 before March 15, 2022, the new regulations introduce the I-527 form specifically to address immigration qualification issues following the closure of regional centers or the failure of investment projects.
According to the provisions of the bill, if the original project is terminated, but the investment is completed and jobs have been created, investors can achieve through I-527:
• Transferring funds to other eligible regional centers;
• Adding funds to meet required employment positions;
• Merging with other reputable NCEs.
The application fee for I-527 is $8,000 and needs to be submitted separately. Although this introduces an additional fee, it is very significant — helping investors legally continue their status and avoid being passive due to project termination.
New Integrity Fund Regulations:
>More Detailed and Transparent
Since its launch in 2023, the EB-5 Integrity Fund has been an important tool for ensuring project compliance. This new regulation further clarifies:
• Base fee: Investors pay $1,000 when submitting I-526E; regional centers are categorized based on the number of investors: $10,000/year for 20 or fewer investors, $20,000/year for 21 or more investors.
• Inflation adjustment: Based on an approximately 8.25% increase in the CPI-U from 2022 to 2024, a fee increase of about 10% is anticipated, with final fees potentially being $10,825 and $21,650.
• Late penalties: 31-60 days overdue, an additional charge of 10%; 61-90 days overdue: an additional charge of 20%; failure to pay beyond 90 days will result in direct cancellation of regional center qualifications and the issuance of a "Notice of Intent" in advance.
This mechanism establishes clear compliance requirements for regional centers, helping to reduce project risks and protect investor rights.
In the event of the main applicant's death or abandonment:
New Rules for Dependent Applicants I-829 Clearly Stated
The EB-5 process is lengthy, and during this period, if the main applicant passes away or abandons the application, there has been a lack of clear regulations on how dependent applicants should submit I-829. The new regulations provide guidance:
• If the main applicant passes away: the spouse and children may jointly submit one I-829 without the need to apply separately;
• If not due to death: dependent applicants who are not included due to reasons other than death must submit separately;
• Submission deadline: The submission deadline for dependent applicants aligns with the original deadline for the main applicant, with no extensions or reductions.
EB-5 Team Expanded by 55%
Approval Speed Improvement is Expected
The immigration agency also announced a significant increase in personnel: the EB-5 team will expand to 334 members (up from 216 in 2022, a 55% increase), including:
• IPO (Case Review Main Force): 237 members
• Fraud Detection and National Security Division: 86 members (doubling from 2022)
• AAO Appeals Office: 9 members
• Chief Counsel: 2 members
The simultaneous expansion of case review and fraud detection teams indicates that future EB-5 cases are expected to improve in both security and efficiency, significantly reducing investor waiting times for approvals.
It is worth noting that this rule is a proposed draft, currently in the public comment phase (ending December 22, 2025), and the final implementation version and timing are yet to be determined. The WorldWay will keep monitoring, and any new updates will be shared promptly with everyone.
Overall, this reform has released positive signals indicating a favorable trend for EB-5 policies, stabilizing regulations, and improving processing efficiency. Against the backdrop of continuous policy optimization, EB-5 investment immigration remains one of the important pathways to achieve U.S. status while balancing asset planning and family development. In the future, as policies are progressively implemented, EB-5 is expected to enter a more standardized and efficient development phase. Now is the best time to seize the favorable opportunity of EB-5 immigration.
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Assisting Investors to Secure Green Cards Steadily, Accurately, and Quickly
• "Florida Jewish Community" EB-5 Rural Project: Three approvals of I-956F, I-526E, and green card;
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Only a limited number of slots are available globally, first-come, first-served.
