US green card and citizenship by investment

How the programme works

The immigrant investor programme gives a green card, meaning permanent residence, not immediate citizenship. The investor puts money into a commercial project in the US that must create at least 10 permanent full-time jobs. You can invest directly in your own business or through a regional center, a company that pools investors' money into an approved project and counts jobs using an economic model, including indirect ones.

How much to invest

Part of the annual visas is set aside for rural areas, high-unemployment areas and infrastructure, so these categories have no queues. The money must be invested at risk: the programme prohibits guaranteed returns, and repayment is possible only after the conditions are met.

Compare with all programs: second passport cost in 2026

What it costs beyond the investment

Source of funds

The most labour-intensive part of the petition is proving that the whole amount was earned lawfully and tracing the money from its source to the project. Business income, sale of property or shares, an inheritance, a gift from a relative with proof of their income, or a loan secured by personal assets all work. Each transfer is backed by statements, contracts and tax documents, and for transfers through several countries by documents on each transaction.

Documents

• Passports, birth and marriage certificates for all family members.
• Documents on the origin and transfer of funds: statements, contracts, tax returns, documents on asset sales.
• Project documents: a regional center subscription or a business plan for your own business.
• Police certificates from countries of residence.
• A medical examination by an authorised physician before the visa or adjustment of status, with the required vaccinations.
• Immigrant visa forms for each family member and photos meeting State Department requirements.

A regional center or your own business

Through a regional center the investor puts money into a ready, approved project without managing it, and jobs are counted including indirect ones, so the condition is easier to meet. In return the center charges an administrative fee, and the investor depends on the success of someone else's project. A direct investment in your own business requires actively managing it and creating 10 direct jobs on the company's payroll, but the money and decisions stay in your hands.

How to choose a project

We check that the regional center and the project itself are approved by immigration, how many jobs the project creates above the 10 per investor, where the rest of the financing comes from, when and how repayment is planned and what track record the developer or manager has. We also check whether the project falls into a set-aside category, otherwise $800,000 will not qualify and $1,050,000 will be needed.

Step by step and timelines

1. Choosing a project and checking its risks, collecting source-of-funds documents, 1-3 months.
2. Transferring the investment and filing the investor petition with US immigration.
3. Review from several months to several years, fastest in the set-aside categories.
4. An immigrant visa via a consulate or adjustment of status if you are lawfully in the US, and entry with a 2-year conditional green card.
5. 90 days before the conditional green card expires, a petition to remove conditions proving the investment and jobs.
6. After 5 years of permanent residence, an application for citizenship.

How to get approved the first time

• The lawful origin of part of the money is not proven, or the transfer path is broken.
• The project did not create 10 jobs per investor by the time conditions are removed.
• The money was invested with a guaranteed return, contrary to the at-risk requirement.
• The project is not in a set-aside category, but only $800,000 was invested.
• Transfer documents contradict each other or do not explain currency exchanges and intermediaries.
• A criminal record, past immigration violations or sanctions restrictions.

Taxes

With a green card a person becomes a US tax resident and pays federal tax on worldwide income, plus state tax where the state levies it. Foreign accounts and assets must be reported. We plan taxes in your home country and the US and the asset structure before the move, because it is harder to change once you have a green card. Large asset sales and dividend payouts are best completed before you become a US tax resident.

Family

A spouse and unmarried children under 21 receive green cards together with the investor. A child's age can in some cases be locked in at the filing date, so families with older children should file as early as possible. Children attend American schools and then apply to universities as permanent residents. Each family member has a medical examination and interview, and children aged 14 and over give fingerprints.

Rules for specific nationalities

The programme is open to every nationality on general terms. For some passports the checks, the interview location and the duties at home differ.

• Russia: checks and interview. Russian citizens take part in the programme on general terms but undergo closer checks on the source of funds, especially if money was transferred through several countries. Immigrant visas for Russians are now mostly processed not in Moscow but at US consulates in other countries, so we plan the trip to the interview in advance.
• Russia: taxes. Since 8 August 2023 Russia has suspended key provisions of its 1992 tax treaty with the US (Presidential Decree No. 585), so taxes in both countries are planned before the move.
• Russia: notification. Russian citizens must report a second citizenship to the Interior Ministry within 60 days.

What changes in 2026

From 30 November 2026 immigration service fees for investor petitions rise: from $3,675 to $7,850 for a regional center petition, more than double, and from $3,750 to $5,000 for removing conditions. The regional center programme runs until 30 September 2027; investors who filed before 30 September 2026 are protected by law, while for later filers the fate of petitions depends on Congress extending the programme. The new presidential gold card has not replaced the investor programme and is so far issued only in isolated cases amid litigation.

Life with a green card

A green card is meant for living in the US. Long trips of more than six months raise questions at the border, and an absence of more than a year can lead to losing status unless a re-entry permit is obtained in advance. Address changes must be reported to immigration, and a tax return filed every year, even if income is small.

The path to citizenship

You can apply for citizenship after 5 years of permanent residence, counting from the date of the conditional green card. Of this period you must be physically present in the US for at least half, and before filing live for at least 3 months in the state where you apply. At the interview you take an English and civics test. The US does not require giving up previous citizenship; reporting duties at home are under rules for specific nationalities.

Alternatives

Who it suits and who it does not

The programme suits entrepreneurs and investors with proven capital of at least $1 million including costs who want to move their family to the US and accept that the money will be tied up for several years. It does not suit those without documents on the source of funds, those needing a quick result or those not planning to live in the US: a green card requires genuine residence.

Money during the process

The investment stays in the project throughout review and removal of conditions and then until the project repays on its schedule: several years in total. So before filing we calculate how much free money the family will have for the move, housing and life in the US, and how exchange rates will affect the amount if the capital is in another currency.

Where to start

Send us in the chat the approximate amount you are ready to invest, a description of how the capital was earned and your family composition. We will assess whether the source-of-funds documents are sufficient, choose the project category and, together with US lawyers, draw up a plan and budget up to the permanent green card.

What we do

Murblz specialists help choose a project and check its risks, collect source-of-funds documents, work with US immigration lawyers on the petition, prepare the family for the consulate interview and support removal of conditions. A consultant calculates the cost in the chat, and we fix the estimate in writing.

Benefits of a US passport

How to get US citizenship: step by step

FAQ

187 visa-free countries with a US passport