# USCIS Finalizes EB-5 Fee Rule, Effective November 30, 2026: I-526E Rises to $7,850

> The Federal Register published the EB-5-specific final fee rule on September 30. The initial I-526E fee rises from $3,675 to $7,850, the Integrity Fund fee to $1,100, the I-829 to $5,000, and the I-956F to $42,675 — lower than the October 2025 proposal. The change is separate from the January 1, 2027 inflation adjustment of investment amounts.

- URL: https://eb5policy.com/news/uscis-eb5-fee-rule-nov-2026/
- Language: en
- Category: news
- Published: 2026-10-08
- Updated: 2026-10-12
- Tags: USCIS, fees, I-526E, Integrity Fund, RIA, Federal Register

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on **September 29** and published in the Federal Register on **September 30** (FR Doc. 2026-20016) the **final EB-5-specific fee rule**. The new schedule applies to filings on or after **November 30, 2026**.

## Background

The rule follows the EB-5 fee proposal DHS published on October 23, 2025. The EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA) requires DHS to complete a program-specific fee study before adjusting EB-5 fees — the same reason the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado stayed the 2024 EB-5 fee increases in *Moody v. Noem* in November 2025. USCIS has charged the pre-April 2024 fees ever since.

DHS projects annual EB-5 program costs of about $105 million against roughly $56.6 million of revenue at current fees — a gap of about $48.4 million. The new fees are designed to close it and fund adjudications, regional center audits, site visits, and anti-fraud work.

## Main changes

| Item | Current | From Nov 30, 2026 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| I-526E initial filing | $3,675 | **$7,850** (includes $75 technology fee) |
| I-526 (standalone) | $3,675 | $7,615 |
| EB-5 Integrity Fund fee (with I-526E) | $1,000 | $1,100 |
| I-829 removal of conditions | $3,750 | $5,000 |
| I-956 designation (initial / amendment) | $17,795 | $44,115 / $9,835 |
| I-956F project application | $17,795 | $42,675 |
| I-956G annual statement | $3,035 | $2,165 |
| Regional center Integrity Fund annual fee | $20,000 / $10,000 | $22,000 / $11,000 |

The most direct effect for investors: **government fees for an initial I-526E filing rise from $4,675 to $8,950**, an increase of $4,275.

## Lower than proposed

The October 2025 proposal had set the I-526 at $9,625. Industry commenters including IIUSA argued the proposed levels were out of step with investors' realities; the final rule sets the I-526 at $7,615 and the I-526E at $7,850. IIUSA's September 30 statement called the reduction "a win for the industry and for the investors the program is designed to serve."

The rule also creates **Form I-527** ($10,330), allowing pre-RIA I-526 petitioners to amend their petition and preserve eligibility when their regional center is terminated.

## Two different "price increase" dates

1. **November 30, 2026 — USCIS filing fees change.** An I-526E properly filed before this date pays the current fee.
2. **January 1, 2027 — statutory minimum investment amounts are inflation-adjusted for the first time.** This is the RIA's five-year CPI-U mechanism and is unrelated to the fee rule. Today the minimum is $800,000 for TEA and infrastructure projects and $1,050,000 otherwise.

## What applicants should consider

- Investors whose project selection, source-of-funds work, and legal documents are complete may discuss timing with counsel — but filing quality should never be sacrificed to beat a fee increase.
- Higher fees fund stricter audits and oversight; scrutinize project structure, fund administration, and the regional center's long-term management capacity accordingly.
- Budget and plan separately for both dates.

Further reading: [EB-5 Fees at a Glance](/policy/uscis-fees-2024/) · [Data Hub: fees](/data/#fees) · [RIA Integrity Measures and the I-956 Form Family](/policy/integrity-measures-i956/)

## Sources

- Federal Register, FR Doc. 2026-20016 (September 30, 2026), 8 CFR 106.2(d)
- USCIS alert, "USCIS Adjusts EB-5 Fees to Cover Program Costs and Strengthen Integrity Measures" (September 29, 2026)
- IIUSA, "DHS Reduces EB-5 Fees in Final Rule After IIUSA-Led Industry Pushback" (September 30, 2026)
- ARCFE (Chinese site), "USCIS finalizes new EB-5 fee rule, effective November 30" (October 8, 2026)