EB-5 source of funds in 2026: how to move $800,000 to the US legally

For an EB-5 green card, US immigration checks two things: where the $800,000 came from and how it reached the project. Salary, the sale of a business or property, a gift from parents and a loan secured on your own assets all work if every step is on paper. From India the money goes under the $250,000 annual scheme per person, from the UAE without currency control, and from Korea after a report to the central bank.

In detail

What US immigration checks: the source and the path

An EB-5 petition is reviewed on two questions. The first is the source: how you earned the money. The second is the path: how the money travelled from that source to the project in the US. A gap in either one is the most common reason for a request for more evidence, so the file is built before the transfer, not after it.

The petition lists every source with documents, plus tax returns for the last 5 years in every country where you filed them. If the money passed through several accounts, each account needs statements for the dates of the transfers. The same rules apply to the $800,000 investment and to the regional center fee.

The full requirements of the programme, the fees and the visa bulletin are on the EB-5 visa page.

Which money works and what proves it

Almost any lawful money works. What matters is that each source has its own set of papers.

Several sources can be combined: for example, the sale of a flat plus savings plus a gift from parents. Each part of the sum is traced separately.

Gifts and loans: how to use them correctly

A gift from parents, a spouse or other relatives is one of the most common sources of an EB-5 investment. It works when three things are in the file: a written gift agreement, the giver's own lawful source of the money and a clear path from the giver's account to yours. US immigration looks at the giver almost as closely as at the investor.

A loan works when it is secured on your own assets, such as a house, a flat or shares, and the value of the collateral covers the loan. A loan secured on the assets of the project itself does not count. An unsecured loan from a friend is also weak: it is better to turn it into a gift or a secured loan before filing.

From India: $250,000 per person per financial year

A resident of India sends money abroad under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme of the Reserve Bank of India: up to $250,000 per person per financial year, from April to March, through an authorised bank. Investing in a US project is one of the permitted purposes.

• Family limits. Each family member, including children, has their own $250,000. For an investment, the limits of several family members are combined when each of them is a co-owner of the investment, so the structure is agreed with the project in advance.
• The limit resets on 1 April. The investor can send $250,000 in March and another $250,000 in April, so two financial years give $500,000 within a few weeks.
• Tax collected at source. On overseas investment the bank collects 20% of the amount above ₹10 lakh a year. This is not a final cost: it is credited against your income tax when you file your return, and the excess is refunded. The family keeps enough cash for the months until the refund.
• Documents. Income tax returns for 5 years, salary certificates from employers, property sale deeds and the tax on capital gains, statements of the accounts the money passed through.
• If you already live abroad. Money on a non-resident external account can be sent freely. From a non-resident ordinary account you can send up to $1 million per financial year after tax, with a chartered accountant's certificate (Form 146, formerly Form 15CB).

From Pakistan: through an authorised bank under State Bank rules

A resident of Pakistan invests abroad through an authorised bank under the foreign exchange rules of the State Bank of Pakistan. The money must be lawful and tax-paid, and an investment in a foreign project such as EB-5 is made with the State Bank's approval, so the bank and the file are prepared in advance.

• Income tax returns and wealth statements for the last 5 years.
• Sale deeds for property or a business, salary and business income records.
• Statements of every account the money passes through.

If the money was earned abroad, for example in the Gulf, it is documented in the country where it was earned and sent to the US from there.

From the UAE: no currency control, but a full paper trail

The UAE has no currency control, and a large sum leaves the country by an ordinary bank transfer. The challenge is different: there is no personal income tax, so there are no tax returns to show. The source of the money is proved by other papers.

• Employment contract, salary certificates and the end-of-service gratuity statement.
• For business owners: the trade licence, company accounts and dividend decisions.
• For property: title deeds and sale contracts.
• Statements of UAE bank accounts for the whole period.
• A tax residency certificate from the UAE Federal Tax Authority confirms where you were resident.
• If you lived in another country before, tax returns there for the years when you filed them.

From South Korea: a report to the Bank of Korea before the transfer

Under Korean foreign exchange rules, an investment in a US project is a capital transaction. Before the transfer the investor reports it to the Bank of Korea through the bank that handles their foreign exchange, and the bank then sends the money. Since 10 February 2025 a person leaving Korea to settle abroad, including on EB-5, sends more than $100,000 after this report to the Bank of Korea; a tax office certificate on the source of funds alone is no longer enough for them. All routes are covered in how to transfer money out of Korea.

The source of funds is proved with income and tax certificates from the National Tax Service, property sale contracts and bank statements.

From mainland China: money already held abroad

Each person in mainland China converts up to $50,000 a year into foreign currency for travel, study and other personal needs, and each person uses only their own quota. So an EB-5 investment is planned well in advance: investors usually use money they already hold outside the mainland, with records of how it got there.

How the money travels to the project

The regional center or your own US company gives the account details for the investment, often a special account where the money waits for the petition decision. The transfer goes in dollars from an account in your name.

• Send from your own account, not from the account of a friend or a company that is not part of the file.
• Keep the transfer confirmations and statements for every step.
• Send the money before filing: the investment has to be made or committed when the petition is filed.
• Pay the regional center fee by a separate transfer with its own documents.

How dollars reach a US account, with the account details and times: how to send money to the USA. All lawful ways to move capital: capital relocation.

When to start: the dates that matter

Collecting and checking the source-of-funds file usually takes 1-3 months. The earlier you start, the more likely the petition goes in at the current fees and amounts.

Common mistakes that delay a petition

• Cash deposits without history. Cash put into an account shortly before the transfer needs its own proof.
• Money through other people's accounts. Every account on the path must belong to the investor or a documented giver.
• A loan secured on the project. It does not count as the investor's own capital.
• A missing tax year. A gap in returns needs an explanation and other proof of income.
• Different spellings of names across passports, contracts and statements.
• Transfer first, documents later. A path that is planned in advance is easy to prove.

How we help

We review every source of money, choose the project type and quota for your country of birth, plan the transfer under the rules of your country and prepare the file with a US attorney. You see the plan, the documents list and the timeline before the first transfer.

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