What is the EB-5 visa?

The EB-5 is the United States immigrant investor visa: a green card path for those who make a substantial investment in a commercial enterprise that creates jobs for workers in the country. It was created to stimulate foreign investment in the American economy and to support the development of projects.

The core logic is an exchange of capital for permanent residence. The investor puts resources into a new business and must demonstrate that the investment creates jobs for workers in the U.S., directly or indirectly. Unlike visas tied to employment or family relationships, here the driver of the process is the investment itself and its economic impact.

There are, broadly speaking, two paths to qualify:

• Invest directly in your own enterprise, which you help manage.
• Invest through a designated regional center, which pools and administers investment projects.

Each path has its own requirements, and both the minimum investment amount and the number of jobs required are set by regulation and reviewed periodically. For that reason, do not rely on figures from memory: confirm the current requirements at the official USCIS source and assess the viability of your investment with a trusted specialist before filing.

About the author

Victoria Harper

Editor-in-Chief

Meet the author

As a journalist and lead editor at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps ensure that immigration topics are covered in a clear, trustworthy, and easy-to-understand way. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.