Citizeo
Briefing

U.S. EB-5 Investment Minimums Will Adjust for Inflation in January 2027

Briefing summary

  • The current standard EB-5 minimum is USD $1,050,000.
  • The current reduced minimum for a targeted employment area or qualifying infrastructure project is USD $800,000.
  • Federal law automatically adjusts the amounts on 1 January 2027 using cumulative CPI-U inflation.
  • The standard amount will be rounded down to the nearest USD $50,000, and the reduced amount will be 75 percent of it.
  • USCIS has not yet published the resulting 2027 figures.

The U.S. EB-5 investor pathway is scheduled for a statutory investment-minimum adjustment, but the exact future amount depends on the inflation calculation and official publication. An investor should not use an unofficial projection as the amount needed for a petition.

How the calculation works

The Reform and Integrity Act established the current minimums for petitions filed on or after 15 March 2022. It also requires the standard amount to adjust on 1 January 2027 and every five years thereafter.

The calculation uses the cumulative annual percentage change in the unadjusted Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers for the U.S. city average from January 2022 to the adjustment date. The result is rounded down to the nearest USD $50,000.

The reduced amount for a targeted employment area or qualifying infrastructure project is set at 75 percent of the adjusted standard amount. USCIS is expected to publish both amounts in the Federal Register and on its website.

Filing date controls

The minimum is determined by the date the investor files the EB-5 petition. An investor who transfers funds or signs offering documents in 2026 but files in 2027 should not assume the current amount is sufficient.

The project structure also matters. The reduced amount is not available simply because a promoter calls an area rural or high unemployment. The investment must qualify under the federal targeted-employment-area or infrastructure rules applicable to the petition.

The amount is only one requirement

Meeting the correct minimum does not establish EB-5 eligibility. The investor must still document lawful source and path of funds, place the required capital at risk in a qualifying enterprise, meet the job-creation rules, and satisfy the direct-investment or regional-center framework.

Project, securities, construction, fraud, redeployment and liquidity risk remain even when USCIS has approved a regional center or project filing. Independent immigration, securities, tax and financial review remains important.

What Citizeo is watching

Citizeo will monitor:

  1. the Federal Register notice publishing the adjusted amounts;
  2. USCIS website and form updates;
  3. the exact filing-date transition rule;
  4. any interaction with the pending EB-5 regulatory rulemaking; and
  5. updates to project offering documents and contribution calls.

Sources