Resources · Glossary
EB-5 Glossary: Key Terms Explained
EB-5 comes with its own vocabulary of forms, acronyms, and legal terms. Here's a plain-language reference.
Regional Center
A USCIS-designated entity authorized to pool EB-5 capital from multiple investors into approved projects, allowing job creation to be counted using indirect and induced jobs, not just direct employment.
TEA (Targeted Employment Area)
A rural area or an area with unemployment at least 150% of the national average. Investments in a qualifying TEA reduce the minimum investment threshold from $1,050,000 to $800,000.
Form I-526E
The immigrant petition filed by an EB-5 investor for a regional-center-sponsored project, including evidence of the investment, source of funds, and the project's job-creation methodology.
Form I-829
The petition filed roughly two years after conditional permanent residency is granted, to remove conditions and receive a standard 10-year Green Card, based on documented job creation.
Conditional Permanent Residency
A two-year Green Card issued after initial EB-5 approval, "conditional" on the underlying project later demonstrating the required job creation via Form I-829.
Source of Funds
The documented, lawful origin of an investor's EB-5 capital — salary, business income, property sale, gift, inheritance, or loan — which USCIS requires be traced and verified.
Visa Bulletin
A monthly U.S. Department of State publication showing which priority dates are currently eligible to receive an immigrant visa, organized by category and country of birth.
New Commercial Enterprise (NCE)
The for-profit entity into which an EB-5 investor's capital is placed, which in turn deploys funds into the underlying project (e.g., a healthcare facility).
At Risk
A legal requirement that EB-5 capital face a genuine possibility of both gain and loss — guaranteed-return arrangements do not satisfy this requirement.
Priority Date
The date USCIS receives an investor's I-526E petition, used to determine their place in line for visa allocation under their country-of-birth category.
Job Creation Requirement
The requirement that each EB-5 investment create at least 10 full-time qualifying jobs, which can include direct, indirect, and induced jobs for regional-center-sponsored projects.
Reserved Visa Category
A statutorily set-aside pool of EB-5 visas for rural, high-unemployment, and infrastructure projects, generally processed with priority and drawn from a separate allocation than the general category.