MaltaResidency
- Min. investment
- €375,000+routes from €99,000
- Time to approval
- 6–8 months
- You receive
- Residence permit
Residency by Investment
EB-5 Investor Visa
The direct route to a US green card: an $800,000 job-creating investment with no sponsor or employer required.
Time to residency
2–5 years
Minimum investment
$800,000+
Figures as of August 2026, per the official program source — confirmed on application.
Program Overview
About the United States (EB-5) program
In brief
The United States (EB-5) program is a residency-by-investment program that grants the right to live in United States. The minimum qualifying investment is $800,000+, and approvals typically take 2–5 years. Presence requirement: Green card holders must genuinely reside in the US. Figures are indicative minimums for the main applicant.
The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program grants US permanent residence to investors who place at least $800,000 into a qualifying job-creating project — no employer, sponsor, or lottery involved.
Timelines are longer than any other program we advise on, and source-of-funds documentation is the most demanding; done properly, EB-5 remains the most reliable investment route to the United States.
Presence requirement
Green card holders must genuinely reside in the US
Document validity
Conditional 2-year green card, then permanent; citizenship possible after 5 years
Dual nationality
The US permits dual citizenship if you later naturalize
How it compares
United States (EB-5) against other residency programs
Where United States (EB-5) sits among the 8 residency by investment programs we advise on. The gold marker is the peer average.
Minimum investment (lower is better)$800,000
Peer average $428kAbove the peer average
Time to approval (lower is better)2–5 years
Peer average ≈ 14 monthsAbove the peer average
Investment is compared on a USD-normalized basis; the label shows this program's own currency. Time uses the upper end of the published range. Figures are indicative.
What the EB-5 green card unlocks
EB-5 leads to US permanent residence — a conditional green card first, permanent once the jobs are proven. What it changes from day one:
Capabilities follow from the status itself — citizenship or residence as the program grants it; specifics are confirmed during your assessment.
The Life It Unlocks
The green card, earned the direct way.
No sponsor, no lottery, no waiting on luck
EB-5 is the route where your own investment carries the application — the American future that doesn't depend on an employer or a draw.
Capital that builds something
Your investment must create American jobs — a green card with a balance sheet behind it.
The family lands together
Spouse and children under 21 receive green cards alongside yours — school, college, and career doors opening at once.
Investment Pathways
Targeted Employment Area Project
From $800,000
Investment in a qualifying project in a rural or high-unemployment Targeted Employment Area, typically via a regional center, creating at least 10 US jobs.
At-risk investment held through the conditional period
Standard Investment
From $1,050,000
Direct or regional-center investment outside a Targeted Employment Area, creating at least 10 full-time US jobs.
At-risk investment held through the conditional period
Explore your route
From (indicative)
$800,000
Capital treatment
At-risk investment held through the conditional period
Investment in a qualifying project in a rural or high-unemployment Targeted Employment Area, typically via a regional center, creating at least 10 US jobs.
Who comes with you
- Spouse of the main applicant
- Unmarried children under 21
Family additions are quoted individually — request your exact figure
Application Timeline
Government processing time
The United States (EB-5) authorities publish a processing time for complete files — the numbered stages below show where those months go. Here is the figure to plan around.
2–5 years
Official processing time, complete files
Plan around the top of the range — 60 months end to end leaves room for queries without changing your plans.
Your dates
Complete files are typically processed in 2–5 years.
Based on the officially published range — last re-verified August 2026. Government timelines are not guaranteed.
- 1
Months 1–3
Project selection & investment
Selection of a qualifying project, source-of-funds preparation, and capital commitment.
- 2
Years 1–2
I-526E petition
Filing and adjudication of the immigrant petition; priority processing applies to rural projects.
- 3
Following approval
Conditional green card
Two-year conditional permanent residence via consular processing or adjustment of status.
- 4
Years 3–5
Condition removal
I-829 petition evidencing job creation; conditions removed for permanent status.
Requirements
- Lawful source and path of the full investment amount, documented in detail
- Investment must create at least 10 full-time US jobs
- Investment must remain at risk through the conditional residence period
- Clean criminal record and US admissibility
Family Eligibility
- Spouse of the main applicant
- Unmarried children under 21
Required documents
The standard checklist for a single applicant. Add your family in the Grenada cost calculator and this list adapts to everyone applying with you.
Petition — Form I-526EMain applicantThe investor petition (I-526 for standalone investments).
Source-of-funds fileMain applicantThe heart of the petition: about five years of tax returns, bank statements, sale, gift or loan papers, and full path-of-funds tracing.
Project documentsMain applicantOffering documents, business plan, and the job-creation analysis for the investment.
Green-card stageEvery applicantForm I-485 adjustment (concurrent filing possible since 2022) or DS-260 consular processing.
Civil documentsEvery applicantPassports, birth and marriage certificates for spouse and children under 21.
Condition removal — Form I-829Main applicantFiled in the ninety days before the second anniversary, evidencing the sustained investment and ten jobs.
Exact formats — apostille or legalization, sworn translation, issue dates — vary by your country of origin and are confirmed document-by-document during your engagement.
What to Weigh
Honest advice includes the trade-offs. Before committing to the United States (EB-5) program, consider:
- This is the longest and most document-intensive program we advise on — source-of-funds preparation can take months on its own.
- EB-5 capital must genuinely be at risk; project failure risks both capital and immigration outcome. Project diligence is everything.
- A green card makes you a US tax resident on worldwide income — pre-immigration tax planning is essential.
Does United States (EB-5) fit you?
Three questions, scored by the same engine as our Program Finder — with an honest answer, even when it isn't this program.
What are you ultimately looking for?
What investment level are you comfortable with?
How soon do you want this in hand?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the $800,000 and $1,050,000 routes?
$800,000 applies to projects in Targeted Employment Areas — rural or high-unemployment locations — which also enjoy reserved visa categories and, for rural projects, priority processing. Most investors choose TEA projects.
Can I live in the US while my petition is pending?
If you are already in the US on a valid status, concurrent filing allows you to apply for adjustment of status and receive work and travel permits while the EB-5 petition is processed.
What happens if the project fails?
If the required jobs aren't created, the immigration outcome is at risk along with the capital. This is why we treat EB-5 project selection with securities-level diligence and independent review.
Regulatory framework
INA §203(b)(5) · 8 U.S.C. §1153(b)(5)
Immigration and Nationality Act — employment-based fifth preference
EB-5 created 1990 · RIA overhaul enacted 15 March 2022
As amended by the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-103)
The statute grants conditional permanent residence to investors who place $1,050,000 — or $800,000 in a targeted employment area or infrastructure project — into a new commercial enterprise creating at least ten full-time US jobs. The 2022 reform added integrity rules, visa set-asides for rural and high-unemployment areas, and concurrent green-card filing; conditions are removed only once the jobs are proven.
View the lawOfficial USCIS program page
Sources & verification
Program terms are set by the issuing government and may change without notice — figures last re-verified against the official source in August 2026. Investment figures are indicative minimums for the main applicant; fees, due diligence, and family additions are quoted individually. Government timelines are not guaranteed.
Alternatives
Related Programs
Families often weigh this program against these alternatives.
PortugalResidency
- Min. investment
- €500,000+routes from €250,000
- Time to approval
- 10–14 months
- You receive
- Residence permit
GreeceResidency
- Min. investment
- €250,000+
- Time to approval
- 3–6 months
- You receive
- Residence permit
Is United States (EB-5) right for your family?
A private assessment covers eligibility, total cost, and timeline for your situation — and says so if another route fits better.
United States (EB-5) · 2–5 years