When can I invest $800,000 instead of $1,050,000 for EB-5?
FAQ.
Answered by Diane Rish, Deputy Director of the International Student Resource Center
Last updated: July, 2026
When can I invest $800,000 instead of $1,050,000 for EB-5?
The reduced $800,000 amount applies when you invest in a targeted employment area — a rural area or an area of high unemployment — or in a regional-center-sponsored infrastructure project. Otherwise the required EB-5 investment is $1,050,000.
The standard EB-5 investment is $1,050,000. There are two ways to qualify for the reduced $800,000 amount:
Invest in a business or regional-center-sponsored project located in a targeted employment area — that is, a rural area or an area that suffers from high unemployment compared with the national rate.
Invest in a regional-center-sponsored infrastructure project
If you invest through a regional center, the center will already have demonstrated to USCIS whether its project sits in a targeted employment area or qualifies as an infrastructure project, so you do not have to establish that yourself. If you invest directly in your own business and want the reduced amount, you must document that the company will be doing business in a qualifying rural or high-unemployment area.
These same categories also carry visa “set-asides” that can shorten the wait for applicants from backlogged countries: 20% for rural-area investments, 10% for high-unemployment-area investments, and 2% for infrastructure projects.