The EB-5 Integrity Fund fee for fiscal year 2025 is due on October 1, 2024. This fee is required for designated regional centers — organizations that help raise capital to fund foreign investment projects.
What Is a Designated Regional Center?
A designated regional center is an organization approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to operate within the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program. These centers pool investments from foreign nationals looking to obtain U.S. green cards and channel the funds into U.S. businesses. In turn, these businesses are required to create jobs for U.S. workers.
Regional centers make it easier for EB-5 investors to meet the program’s job creation requirements, as indirect jobs — those generated as a result of the economic activity from the investment — can be counted in addition to direct employment.
What Is the EB-5 Integrity Fund?
The EB-5 Integrity Fund, created in 2022, is primarily used by USCIS to monitor, investigate, and ensure compliance with the rules of the EB-5 program, including conducting audits and reviewing the operations of regional centers.
Who Needs to Pay?
All designated regional centers must pay the annual Integrity Fund fee. However, the fee amount differs based on the size of the regional center’s investor pool:
- $20,000 for regional centers with more than 20 investors in their new commercial enterprises during the previous fiscal year.
- $10,000 for regional centers with 20 or fewer investors during that same period.
What You Need to Know About the 2025 Payment
- Due Date: The fee must be paid by October 1, 2024.
- Amount: $20,000 for most regional centers, but smaller centers may qualify for the reduced $10,000 fee.
- Payment Method: Payments should be made on pay.gov at this link.
- Late Payment: Regional centers that do not pay their Integrity Fund fee within 30 days of the due date will need to pay a late fee. Previously, if a regional center failed to pay the fee, its designation would be terminated, but a recent court decision protects centers from losing their approval.
If you manage a regional center, mark your calendar and ensure your fee is paid before the deadline.