The lower US$800,000 amount applies only if the enterprise is principally doing business in a targeted employment area or is an infrastructure project under the current rules; otherwise the standard amount applies. Fees and professional costs are extra in either case.
Check the designation before assuming the lower figure
As verified September 7, 2026, the EB-5 capital requirement is US$1,050,000, reduced to US$800,000 for an investment in a targeted employment area, meaning a qualifying rural area or an area of high unemployment designated under the 2022 reform rules, or in a qualifying infrastructure project. A Torbay dentist investing in a dental-support organization should obtain the designation evidence for the location where the enterprise will principally do business before deciding how much capital to commit; a determination made under older rules, or for a nearby but different census tract, does not carry over. The thresholds are scheduled for inflation adjustment from January 1, 2027, so the filing date matters. On top of the capital come the petition fee in Form G-1055, the immigrant-visa fee, the later Form I-829 fee, professional fees for the petition and the source-of-funds work, and the cost of obtaining practice-sale and historical records. None of those counts toward the investment; hold them in reserve.
Hypothetical example: a Torbay investor budgets the qualifying EB-5 capital for a U.S. packaging business but pays the filing and source-document work from the same account. The first review should separate qualifying capital from government charges, professional fees and personal reserves; only the capital placed at risk in the enterprise addresses the investment requirement. It should also compare the hiring plan with the conditional-residence timeline, because job evidence—not the size of the cheque—will be reviewed later. Do not commit based on a location label until the governing designation evidence is in the file.