EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program

Your Path to a U.S. Green Card Through Manhattan Investment

For discerning international investors, the EB-5 program offers a direct, well-established route to permanent U.S. residency — anchored by one of the world's most enduring real estate and business markets.

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$800,000TEA minimum investment
10 JobsFull-time U.S. positions
Since 1990Congressionally created

Program Overview

Understanding the EB-5 Program

Created by the United States Congress in 1990 and substantially modernized by the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022, the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program grants qualified investors — together with their spouse and unmarried children under 21 — a path to lawful permanent residency in exchange for a job-creating investment in a U.S. enterprise.

Investment Thresholds

The minimum investment is $800,000 when placed in a Targeted Employment Area (TEA) — a rural area or an area of high unemployment — or in certain infrastructure projects. Outside a TEA, the standard minimum is $1,050,000. These amounts are set by the 2022 Act and subject to future inflation adjustment.

Job Creation Requirement

Each investment must create or preserve at least 10 full-time jobs for qualifying U.S. workers. Regional center investors may count direct, indirect, and induced jobs established through economic modeling; direct investors generally count W-2 employees of the enterprise itself.

Concurrent Filing

Under the 2022 Act, investors lawfully present in the United States may file their I-485 adjustment of status application concurrently with (or after) the I-526E petition — potentially allowing them to live, work, and travel in the U.S. while the petition is pending.

Two Investment Paths

Regional center investments pool capital into large sponsored projects and are the choice of most investors seeking a more passive role. Direct investment means owning and operating your own job-creating business. Each path carries distinct obligations, control, and risk profiles.

  • The invested capital must remain "at risk" — meaning subject to potential gain or loss — for the period required by law. Returns and repayment are never guaranteed.
  • Investors must document that their capital was lawfully sourced, with a detailed paper trail reviewed by USCIS.
  • The 2022 Act introduced integrity measures, fund administration requirements, and set-aside visa categories for rural, high-unemployment, and infrastructure projects.
  • Approval of any petition rests solely with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS); no outcome can be promised by any project, professional, or website.

Why Manhattan

The Case for Manhattan & New York City

Few markets in the world combine the scale, transparency, and institutional depth of New York City. For EB-5 investors, Manhattan has long been one of the program's most active arenas.

Exceptional Deal Flow

Manhattan consistently generates some of the largest and most closely scrutinized development projects in the United States, giving investors a broad field of opportunities to evaluate rather than a handful of options.

Established Regional Centers

New York is home to some of the longest-operating USCIS-designated regional centers in the country, with multi-cycle track records across market conditions — a critical factor in any due-diligence process.

Large-Scale Development

From mixed-use towers to transit and infrastructure-adjacent projects, NYC development is frequently capitalized at a scale where EB-5 funds sit alongside major institutional lenders and equity partners.

TEA Opportunities in NYC

Targeted Employment Areas are not limited to rural America. Census-tract-based high-unemployment designations exist within New York City itself, meaning select NYC-area projects can qualify at the $800,000 threshold.

The Journey

The EB-5 Process, Step by Step

Every investor's path is unique, but the program follows a well-defined sequence. The overall journey typically spans several years from initial investment to unconditional permanent residency; actual timing varies with USCIS processing, visa availability by country of birth, and individual circumstances. No specific timeline can be promised.

  1. Select a Project & Investment Path

    Evaluate regional center offerings or a direct enterprise with independent legal, financial, and immigration counsel. Diligence the sponsor, capital stack, job-creation cushion, and exit strategy before committing capital.

  2. Document Your Source of Funds

    Assemble a comprehensive lawful-source-of-funds file — business records, tax filings, sale or gift documentation, banking history — tracing the full path of your investment capital. This is often the most labor-intensive stage.

  3. File the I-526E Petition

    Your immigration attorney files Form I-526E (for regional center investors) with USCIS. Investors lawfully in the U.S. may be eligible to file for adjustment of status concurrently, with interim work and travel authorization.

  4. Conditional Green Card

    Upon petition approval and visa availability, you and your qualifying family members receive conditional permanent residency valid for two years, either through consular processing abroad or adjustment of status within the U.S.

  5. I-829: Removal of Conditions

    In the 90-day window before the conditional card expires, you file Form I-829 demonstrating the investment was sustained and the required jobs were created. Approval results in unconditional permanent residency — the full green card.

Private Consultation

Request a Confidential Consultation

Tell us about your situation and objectives. We will connect you with experienced EB-5 immigration attorneys and vetted regional center contacts for a private, no-obligation discussion — in your preferred language wherever possible.

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Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Any foreign national who invests the required capital ($800,000 in a TEA or infrastructure project, $1,050,000 otherwise) in a qualifying U.S. enterprise that creates at least 10 full-time jobs, and who can document a lawful source of funds, may petition. There are no education, language, business-experience, or age requirements for the principal investor, though each case is evaluated individually by USCIS.

USCIS requires evidence that your investment capital — and the funds used to pay administrative fees — was obtained lawfully. Typical documentation includes tax returns, business ownership and sale records, salary history, real estate sale contracts, inheritance or gift documentation (with the donor's own source records), and bank statements tracing the funds from origin to the investment vehicle. An experienced immigration attorney assembles this file; incomplete tracing is a leading cause of delays.

Yes. One investment covers the principal investor, their spouse, and unmarried children under 21. Each receives conditional permanent residency and, following successful removal of conditions, a full green card. Children's ages are assessed under the Child Status Protection Act, which can preserve eligibility in certain circumstances — timing questions should be reviewed with counsel early.

A TEA is either a rural area or an area experiencing unemployment of at least 150% of the national average, determined under rules set by the 2022 Reform and Integrity Act. Investments in TEA projects qualify at the reduced $800,000 threshold and may benefit from set-aside visa categories. High-unemployment TEAs are defined at the census-tract level — which is why qualifying projects exist even within New York City.

Regional center investments suit investors who prefer a largely passive role: capital is pooled into a sponsored project, and indirect and induced jobs may be counted toward the 10-job requirement. Direct investment suits entrepreneurs who want to own and actively operate a U.S. business, but the enterprise itself must generally employ 10 full-time W-2 workers. The right choice depends on your risk tolerance, desired involvement, and immigration timeline — evaluate both with independent advisers.

EB-5 involves both investment risk and immigration risk. Your capital must remain genuinely at risk — it can be lost in whole or in part, and repayment is never guaranteed. On the immigration side, petitions can be denied, processing times can extend, and per-country visa backlogs can add years for investors born in high-demand countries. A project's failure to create sufficient jobs can jeopardize the I-829 stage. Thorough due diligence and independent legal, tax, and financial advice are essential; no green card outcome can be assured by anyone.

Important Disclaimer

eb5manhattan.com provides general information only. It is not a law firm, a registered broker-dealer, or an investment adviser, and nothing on this website constitutes legal, immigration, tax, or investment advice, nor an offer or solicitation to sell securities. EB-5 investments are speculative and placed at risk; invested capital may be lost, and neither returns nor green cards are guaranteed. Immigration outcomes are determined solely by U.S. government agencies. Before making any decision, consult licensed immigration attorneys, securities professionals, and tax advisers in the relevant jurisdictions.