Green Card Update: New Fees and Application Changes Coming in November

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced new rules regarding the EB-5 immigrant investor program that will take effect on November 30, 2026. These updates will increase filing fees and change certain application procedures for the program, which allows foreign investors to seek U.S. permanent residence by investing a significant amount of money in a qualifying business or job-creating project.

Under the revised rule, the filing fee for the Form I-526, typically used by standalone EB-5 investors, will jump from $3,675 to $7,615. The increase includes a $75 technology fee, which is intended to fund improvements to USCIS systems used for processing, adjudicating, and archiving EB-5 filings. Regional center investors will also face higher fees, with the initial filing fee for Form I-526E increasing from $7,850 to $7,850, plus a separate EB-5 Integrity Fund fee that will rise from $1,000 to $1,100.

The technology fee does not apply to amendments to Form I-526E. The Form I-829, used by qualifying investors to request the removal of conditions on their permanent resident status, will see its fee increase from $3,750 to $5,000. An investor may generally include an eligible spouse and children on the petition; however, family members not included may need to file separate petitions, depending on the circumstances.

Other fees are also increasing, such as the initial Form I-956 application for regional-center designation, which will cost $44,115, and Form I-956F, which will cost $42,675. Regional centers will face higher annual Integrity Fund fees, with more than 20 qualifying investors paying $22,000 and those with 20 or fewer paying $11,000. Failure to pay the fee and any applicable penalty by December 30 could result in the termination of the regional center's designation.