IN THIS GUIDE · EB-5 from Saint-Cyrille-de-Wendover: the amount, the jobs, and where every dollar came from
Start with the EB-5 eligibility and application overview
Which amount applies, and for how long
The standard qualifying investment is US$1,050,000. The reduced amount of US$800,000 applies where the new commercial enterprise is principally doing business in a targeted employment area — a rural area or an area of high unemployment — or where the investment is in a qualifying infrastructure project. Both figures are subject to statutory adjustment beginning 1 January 2027, so a family planning a filing near that date should confirm the amount that will apply on the day the petition is filed rather than the amount quoted when they first enquired. Designations are not permanent either: an area that qualified two years ago may not qualify now, and the reduced amount depends on the designation being current for the investment in question. Verify the basis in writing, from the project and against the official criteria, before wiring anything.
Ten jobs, counted per investor
The requirement is at least ten full-time positions for qualifying U.S. workers, attributable to each individual investor, created within the required period. In a direct investment those are the enterprise’s own employees, evidenced by payroll records, tax filings and hire dates. Where the investment is made through a designated regional centre, a defined portion of indirect and induced job creation may be counted using an accepted economic methodology, but the arithmetic still has to reach ten for every investor in the offering. A project that will employ forty people at peak but has raised capital from ten investors has not thereby satisfied everyone. Ask for the job model, the number of investors the offering contemplates, and the schedule on which those jobs are expected to exist.
Source of funds is a chain, not a statement
The petition must show that the capital was lawfully obtained and must trace its path from origin to the enterprise. A declaration of net worth proves nothing. What is required is a documented chain: the sale agreement, the tax filings that reported the gain, the bank statements showing receipt, each intermediate transfer, the foreign exchange conversion, and the final wire. Gifts and loans are permissible but attract their own evidence — the donor’s or lender’s own source of funds, the gift deed or loan agreement, and proof the transfer actually occurred. Funds that passed through a corporation, a trust or a family member need every hop documented. Begin gathering this before selling anything, because reconstructing a transaction years later is the most expensive part of an EB-5 file.
Conditional residence, the household, and removing conditions
A successful investor and their derivatives are admitted to permanent residence on a conditional basis for two years. Derivatives are the spouse and unmarried children under 21. Within the ninety days before the second anniversary, the investor files Form I-829 to remove conditions, showing that the capital remained invested and at risk and that the required jobs were created or will be created within a reasonable time. Permanent residence is not citizenship: naturalisation is a separate process with its own residence and eligibility requirements, and a green card confers neither U.S. citizenship nor the ability to pass one on. Investors must also be engaged in the management or policy formulation of the enterprise, which a limited partnership interest carrying the rights ordinarily accorded to limited partners can satisfy.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.