EB-5 Investor Visa for Bangladeshi Investors: Amounts, Regional Centers, Source of Funds and Exchange Control in 2026

The EB-5 investor visa for Bangladeshi investors in 2026

The EB-5 investor visa gives a Bangladeshi investor, the investor's spouse and unmarried children under 21 a route to a US green card that needs no employer, no labour certification and no lottery. The price is a statutory investment of $1,050,000, or $800,000 in a targeted employment area or infrastructure project, kept at risk in a US business that creates at least ten full-time jobs.[1] For investors from Bangladesh the US petition is rarely the hardest part. The hardest part is proving where the money came from and moving it out of Bangladesh lawfully.

This guide covers the investment amounts and the January 2027 inflation adjustment, regional centers under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act 2022, set-aside visas and the visa bulletin for Bangladesh, Forms I-526E and I-829, the November 2026 fee rule, source of funds, and Bangladesh's exchange controls. It also explains the E-2 treaty investor visa, which is open to Bangladeshi nationals on their own passports, the Bangladesh Bank permission both routes require, and the status of the Trump Gold Card. Our guides to US immigration from Bangladesh and the employment-based green card categories cover the wider system.

Summary: An EB-5 investor visa requires $1,050,000, or $800,000 in a targeted employment area or infrastructure project, invested at risk in a new US commercial enterprise that creates ten full-time jobs. Investors file Form I-526E through a regional center or Form I-526 for a direct investment, receive two years of conditional residence and then file Form I-829. For Bangladeshi residents, exchange control is the binding constraint: Bangladesh Bank does not allow investment-based immigration to be funded from Bangladesh, so the capital usually has to come from lawful funds already held abroad.

Key point: Bangladesh Bank's consolidated circular of 30 September 2026 lets banks remit immigration fees, and lets them fund accounts abroad for applicants going overseas for work or immigration, but it tells them to make sure that facility is not used for immigration under investment categories. A Bangladeshi resident who sends EB-5 capital out through hundi or an unapproved channel risks prosecution under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act 1947 and a US finding that the funds were not obtained through lawful means.

At a glance

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Table of Contents

How the EB-5 investor visa works after the 2022 reforms

EB-5 is the fifth employment-based preference under section 203(b)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, codified at 8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(5). It receives 7.1 per cent of the worldwide employment-based visa numbers each year.[1] The EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022, signed on 15 March 2022, rewrote much of the category: it fixed the investment amounts in the statute, created reserved visas for rural, high unemployment and infrastructure investments, reauthorised the regional center program and added detailed integrity and source-of-funds rules.[1] [3]

The statutory bargain: capital, risk and ten jobs

The investor must have invested, or be actively in the process of investing, the required capital in a new commercial enterprise, and the capital must be expected to remain invested for at least two years.[1] The enterprise must benefit the US economy by creating full-time employment for at least ten US citizens, nationals, permanent residents or other work-authorised immigrants, not counting the investor and the investor's family.[1] Full-time means at least 35 hours a week.[3] The money must be genuinely at risk. A guaranteed return of principal or a redemption right that removes the risk is fatal.

Direct investment or regional center

There are two models. In a direct, or standalone, investment the investor usually runs the business, and the new enterprise must create the ten jobs itself. In a regional center investment the investor typically buys a limited partnership interest in a project sponsored by a USCIS-designated regional center. Jobs may then be direct or indirect, and up to 90 per cent of the requirement may be met with indirect jobs shown through an economic model, falling to 75 per cent where the job creation relies on construction lasting less than two years.[3] Most Bangladeshi families choose the regional center model because it is passive and does not require relocating to run a business.

EB-5 investment amounts: $1,050,000, $800,000 and the 2027 adjustment

The standard amount is $1,050,000. For an investment in a targeted employment area or in an infrastructure project, it is $800,000.[1] Both figures apply to the capital itself. Administrative fees charged by a regional center, legal fees and USCIS fees come on top, and the source-of-funds rules apply to those payments as well as to the capital.[1]

Targeted employment areas and infrastructure projects

A targeted employment area is, at the time of investment, either a rural area or a high unemployment area designated by the Department of Homeland Security. A rural area is anywhere outside a metropolitan statistical area and outside the boundary of any city or town with a population of 20,000 or more. A high unemployment area is a census tract, or group of contiguous tracts, whose weighted average unemployment rate is at least 150 per cent of the national average.[1] Since 2022 only DHS may designate a high unemployment area, so a state letter no longer settles the question. Infrastructure projects are capital projects administered by a governmental entity and run through the regional center program.[3]

The 1 January 2027 inflation adjustment

From 1 January 2027, and every five years after that, the $1,050,000 figure adjusts automatically for petitions filed on or after the adjustment date. The adjustment follows the cumulative change in the consumer price index since 1 January 2022 and is rounded down to the nearest $50,000. The reduced amount then resets to 75 per cent of the new standard figure.[1] As at late September 2026 no agency had published the adjusted figures.[3] A Bangladeshi investor who wants the current amounts must have a properly filed petition in by 31 December 2026, and because the source-of-funds file is the longest lead item, that decision has to be made now.

Regional centers under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act 2022

A regional center is a USCIS-designated entity that sponsors EB-5 projects and pools investors' capital. The regional center program has repeatedly expired and been revived; the 2021 lapse froze regional center cases for months. The 2022 Act reauthorised the program and made visas available through it through 30 September 2027.[1] Direct EB-5 investments do not depend on that authorisation and continue regardless.[3]

The grandfathering date has passed

The Act protects investors against a future lapse, but only for petitions filed early enough. If the program's authorisation expires, DHS must continue processing regional center investor petitions and I-829 petitions filed on or before 30 September 2026, and may not deny them because of the lapse.[1] That date is now behind us. A Bangladeshi investor filing an I-526E today does so without that statutory protection, and the case could stall if Congress does not reauthorise the program before 30 September 2027.[3] The risk is not a reason to avoid regional center investment, but it should be priced in and discussed with US counsel before any money moves.

Integrity measures and project diligence

The 2022 Act added an EB-5 Integrity Fund paid for by annual regional center fees and a fee on each regional center investor petition, gave USCIS powers to sanction, suspend and terminate regional centers, and barred people with certain fraud histories from involvement.[1] It also protects good-faith investors when a regional center or project is terminated or debarred, generally allowing a petition or conditional residence to remain valid while the investor finds a new qualifying investment.[1] On 2 July 2026 DHS published a proposed rule to implement the Act; it was still a proposal, not final, in autumn 2026.[3]

None of this replaces commercial diligence. Before signing a subscription agreement, the investor should know whether the project's Form I-956F has been filed, how the money is held in escrow, what job-creation buffer the economic model shows, when and how capital is to be returned, and whether the administrative fee can rise.

Set-aside visas and the visa bulletin for Bangladesh

The 2022 Act reserves EB-5 visa numbers each fiscal year: 20 per cent for investors in rural areas, 10 per cent for high unemployment areas and 2 per cent for infrastructure projects. The rest are unreserved. Unused reserved visas carry over within the same category for one year and then fall into the general pool.[1] USCIS must also prioritise the processing of rural petitions.[3]

Where Bangladeshi investors stand in October 2026

Visa availability is charged to the country of birth, and investors born in Bangladesh fall in the "All Chargeability Areas" column. In the October 2026 visa bulletin, the first of fiscal year 2027, the unreserved EB-5 category was current for that column, as were the rural, high unemployment and infrastructure categories for every country. By contrast, unreserved EB-5 had final action dates of 1 December 2016 for mainland China and 1 December 2023 for India.[3] For a Bangladeshi investor, therefore, the visa bulletin does not currently add a queue. The timing turns on USCIS adjudication, the Dhaka consular stage and the source-of-funds file.

That can change. The visa bulletin is published monthly, and heavy demand from backlogged countries moving into set-aside projects could create cut-off dates. Check the current bulletin before choosing between an unreserved and a set-aside project, and read our explanation of priority dates in the guide to a US green card from Bangladesh.

The EB-5 investor visa process: I-956F, I-526E, conditional residence and I-829

An EB-5 investor visa case has four stages. For a regional center investment, the regional center first files Form I-956F for the project; the investor may file once the I-956F has been properly filed, without waiting for approval. The investor then files Form I-526E for a regional center investment or Form I-526 for a direct investment.[3] Each I-526E carries an additional EB-5 Integrity Fund fee.[1]

Consular processing in Dhaka or adjustment in the United States

After approval, an investor living in Bangladesh usually completes the case through the National Visa Center and the US Embassy in Dhaka, and enters the United States as a conditional permanent resident with the spouse and qualifying children. An investor already in the United States in lawful status may file Form I-485 to adjust status, and USCIS allows that application to be filed concurrently with the I-526 or I-526E where a visa would be immediately available on approval.[3] With EB-5 current for Bangladesh, concurrent filing can bring work and travel permission while the petition is pending. Our green card guide covers the Dhaka interview, medicals and civil documents.

Removing conditions with Form I-829

Conditional residence lasts two years. The investor must file Form I-829 during the 90 days immediately before the second anniversary of becoming a conditional resident, showing that the investment was sustained and the jobs were created or will be created within a reasonable time.[3] Missing the window can terminate status. The I-829 is where project risk becomes immigration risk: if the project has failed to deploy the capital or create the jobs, the investor's permanent residence is in question, which is why diligence at the start matters so much.

USCIS fees before and after 30 November 2026

On 12 November 2025 the US District Court for the District of Colorado, in Moody v. Noem, stayed the EB-5 fees that took effect on 1 April 2024, and USCIS reverted to the fees in force before that date.[2] A final rule published on 30 September 2026 sets new EB-5 fees for any filing postmarked on or after 30 November 2026: $7,850 for an initial Form I-526E, $7,615 for Form I-526 and $5,000 for Form I-829. The Integrity Fund fee filed with each I-526E rises from $1,000 to $1,100.[2] A package rejected at intake and refiled after 29 November pays the new fee, so the filing must be complete first time.

The steps below show the sequence for a typical Bangladeshi regional center investor.

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Source of funds: the core of an EB-5 investor visa petition

The statute requires the investor to show that the capital, and any money used for administrative costs and fees, was obtained from a lawful source and through lawful means.[1] The second limb matters for Bangladesh. Wealth that was lawfully earned can still fail if it was moved through an unlawful channel.

What the petition must contain

The petition must include, as applicable, foreign business registration records, corporate and personal tax returns of any kind filed in any country during the past seven years, evidence identifying every other source of capital or fees, and evidence of monetary judgments and pending civil, criminal or administrative proceedings against the investor in any court, inside or outside the United States.[1] For a Bangladeshi investor that means income tax returns and the asset statements filed with them, audited accounts of family companies, title documents and registered deeds for land sold, bank statements, and documents showing the conversion and transfer of each sum.

Gifts and loans from family

Bangladeshi capital often comes from parents or siblings. Gifted and borrowed funds count only if they were given or lent in good faith and not to get around the limits on permissible sources of capital, including proceeds of illegal activity.[1] Where funds are gifted or lent, the petition must include the same business, tax and litigation records from the donor or, unless it is a bank, the lender.[1] A father who gives his son the capital must therefore open his own finances to scrutiny, including his tax filings.

Building the Bangladeshi paper trail

Officers look for a continuous chain from the original earning or sale event to the US escrow account. Gaps arise most often where income was under-declared for tax, where land was sold for a price below the deed value, where cash was used, or where funds were routed through a relative's account abroad without a documented gift. Each needs to be dealt with before filing, not explained afterwards. Bangladeshi documents also need certified English translations and, frequently, notarisation.

Moving the money: Bangladesh's foreign exchange restrictions

Bangladesh keeps the capital account closed for individuals. Our guide to foreign exchange regulations in Bangladesh explains the overall regime; this section deals only with what matters for EB-5 and E-2 investors.

FERA 1947 and the capital account

Under section 4 of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act 1947, a person resident in Bangladesh may deal in foreign exchange only through an authorised dealer, or with Bangladesh Bank's general or special permission. Residents may buy foreign exchange for current account transactions, while Bangladesh Bank, in consultation with the government, specifies which capital account transactions are permitted.[12] Section 5 then bars a resident, without Bangladesh Bank exemption, from making any payment to a non-resident or any payment connected with acquiring property outside Bangladesh.[12] An EB-5 subscription, an E-2 business purchase and a citizenship-by-investment contribution are all capital transfers of this kind.

What the 2026 Bangladesh Bank circular allows and excludes

Bangladesh Bank's FEPD-1 Circular No. 40 of 30 September 2026 consolidates the rules on outward current account remittances and is valid for one year. Authorised dealers may remit immigration visa processing and evaluation fees demanded by foreign immigration authorities, and right-of-landing or permanent residence fees for residents finally migrating, on production of the demand and supporting documents.[13] Banks may also fund accounts abroad for Bangladeshi nationals going overseas for skilled employment or immigration, up to the amount the foreign authority requires. But the circular directs banks to be satisfied that this facility will not be available for immigration under investment categories.[13]

The practical result is clear. USCIS filing fees can usually be paid from Bangladesh through a bank against the demand, but the investment itself cannot be remitted under these general permissions. The emigration rules in the foreign exchange guidelines point the same way: accounts and securities of Bangladeshis who emigrate are treated as blocked, and payments of a capital nature due to emigrants may be made only into blocked accounts.[14]

Lawful funding routes for Bangladeshi investors

In practice, compliant EB-5 investor visa cases from Bangladesh are funded in one of these ways:

• Earnings held abroad. Salary or business income earned and kept outside Bangladesh by a Bangladeshi working overseas. Section 5(2)(b) of the Act expressly preserves payments made with foreign exchange received as salary or for services not arising from business in Bangladesh.[12]
• Resident foreign currency deposit accounts. Foreign exchange that a resident brought back from abroad with the required customs declaration may be held in an RFCD account, and RFCD balances are freely transferable abroad. Export proceeds and commissions from business deals in Bangladesh cannot be credited to these accounts.[14]
• Family funds already abroad. A documented gift or loan from a relative whose own money was lawfully earned and held outside Bangladesh.
• Specific Bangladesh Bank approval. Theoretically available for a capital transfer, but there is no general permission for investment immigration, and the 2026 circular points the other way.

Why hundi and informal channels destroy the case

Contravening the Act, attempting to or abetting a contravention is punishable with imprisonment of up to seven years, a fine or both. The tribunal, which is the Sessions Judge, may also confiscate the currency or property involved.[12] On the US side, money moved through hundi or a money changer's informal network is not money obtained "through lawful means".[1] A petition built on such a transfer is open to denial, and a misrepresentation about the route can lead to a finding of fraud that follows the investor into every later application.

The E-2 treaty investor visa and Bangladesh

The E-2 visa lets a national of a treaty country enter the United States to develop and direct a business in which the national has invested, or is actively investing, a substantial amount of capital.[10] It is a nonimmigrant visa and does not lead to a green card on its own, but it has no fixed minimum investment, no job quota and no annual cap.

Bangladesh is an E-2 treaty country

A point often misstated online: Bangladesh is an E-2 treaty country. The United States and Bangladesh signed a bilateral investment treaty in Washington on 12 March 1986, which entered into force on 25 July 1989. Article II(4)(a) entitles nationals of either party to enter and remain in the other's territory to establish, develop, direct, administer or advise on an investment to which they have committed a substantial amount of capital.[5] The State Department's reciprocity schedule for Bangladesh lists E-2 visas, and records "No Treaty" for E-1 treaty traders.[6] A Bangladeshi national can therefore apply for an E-2 visa on a Bangladeshi passport.

What the E-2 requires

The investment must be capital placed at risk to generate a profit, irrevocably committed and not obtained, directly or indirectly, through criminal activity.

The amount must be substantial in proportion to the cost of the business, and the lower the cost, the higher the proportion expected. The enterprise must not be marginal, meaning it must have the capacity, generally within five years, to generate more than a minimal living for the investor and family, or to make a significant economic contribution.[9] The investor must control the business, normally through at least 50 per cent ownership or operational control, and the business must be at least 50 per cent owned by nationals of the treaty country. The initial admission is for up to two years.[9]

The three-month, two-entry problem

The weakness for Bangladeshi nationals lies in the reciprocity schedule. An E-2 visa issued to a Bangladeshi national carries no reciprocity fee but is valid for only three months and two entries.[6] Each admission can still be for up to two years, but an investor who travels in and out to run a business, or to visit family in Dhaka, must reapply at the embassy far more often than a treaty investor from a country with longer validity. Nationals of Grenada and Türkiye, by comparison, receive multiple-entry E-2 visas valid for 60 months.[7] [8] Investors should plan travel around the embassy calendar and keep the business able to run without them while a new visa is obtained.

Bangladesh Bank permission for E-2 capital

The E-2 shares EB-5's funding problem. Buying or starting a US business is a payment to a non-resident and the acquisition of property outside Bangladesh, which a resident may make only with Bangladesh Bank's general or special permission.[12] No general permission covers an individual's E-2 or EB-5 investment, so a resident who wants to send capital from Bangladesh needs a specific approval applied for through an authorised dealer bank, and should expect a refusal unless the case is exceptional. The E-2 regulation separately excludes capital obtained, directly or indirectly, through criminal activity, so funds moved in breach of FERA undermine the visa as well.[9] [12]

A note on second-citizenship strategies

Because Bangladesh already has E-2 treaty status, a Bangladeshi investor does not need a second nationality to qualify. Some advisers still sell citizenship by investment in countries such as Grenada or Türkiye for the longer visa validity. The law makes that much less useful than it appears. A person who acquired a nationality through a financial investment, and has not previously held E status, qualifies only after being domiciled in that country for at least three continuous years.[10]

US policy is also hostile: a proclamation of 16 December 2025 restricted entry from 1 January 2026 for nationals of Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica, citing their citizenship-by-investment programmes.[11] Payment for a foreign passport is itself a capital transfer that a Bangladeshi resident cannot make without central bank exemption.[12] Bangladeshi citizenship may also be affected; see our guide to the dual nationality certificate in Bangladesh.

The Trump Gold Card: status in October 2026

Executive Order 14351, "The Gold Card", signed on 19 September 2025, directs agencies to treat an unrestricted gift to the US government as evidence supporting eligibility in the existing EB-1 and EB-2 categories. The published amounts are $1,000,000 for an individual and $2,000,000 where a corporation sponsors the applicant, plus a non-refundable $15,000 processing fee. USCIS released Form I-140G in November 2025 and began accepting applications in December 2025.[4]

Legal footing and litigation

The Gold Card is not a new visa category. Congress has not legislated for it, and petitions draw on the same EB-1 and EB-2 numbers and per-country limits as everyone else. American Association of University Professors v. Department of Homeland Security, No. 26-cv-00300 (D.D.C.), filed on 3 February 2026 and amended on 18 May 2026 to add the United Auto Workers as a plaintiff, argues that the programme lacks congressional authority and breaches the Administrative Procedure Act. The government moved to dismiss for lack of standing in April 2026. As of 5 October 2026 there was no ruling on the merits and no order pausing the programme.[4]

Why it rarely suits Bangladeshi investors

The Gold Card is a gift, not an investment: the money is spent on day one and never returned, whereas EB-5 capital is at risk but expected to come back. It rests on an executive order that a court or a future administration could undo, while EB-5 rests on statute.[4] For a Bangladeshi resident, a $1,000,000 transfer to a foreign government also runs straight into section 5 of FERA.[12] For most Bangladeshi families, a statutory, current EB-5 investor visa at $800,000 is the better instrument.

Comparing the investor routes for Bangladeshi nationals

The table sets out the main differences. On a phone, scroll it sideways.

Many treaty nationals combine the routes, entering on an E-2 to run a business while an EB-5 petition is prepared. For Bangladeshi families with children approaching 21, starting the EB-5 early matters, because E-2 dependants lose status at 21 and need a status of their own.

Mistakes to avoid

• Remitting through hundi. It is a criminal offence in Bangladesh and makes the funds unlawful in US terms.
• Buying a second passport for the E-2. Bangladesh already has treaty status, and a purchased nationality counts only after three years' domicile.
• Remitting E-2 capital without approval. A US business purchase needs central bank permission like any other capital transfer.
• Missing 31 December 2026. Petitions filed on or after 1 January 2027 face the inflation-adjusted amounts.
• Filing an incomplete I-526E in November. A rejected package refiled after 29 November 2026 pays the new fee.
• Ignoring the regional center sunset. Petitions filed now are not protected if the program lapses after 30 September 2027.
• Under-documenting gifts. The donor's own tax and asset records are required.
• Choosing a project on the brochure. Check the I-956F, the escrow, the job-creation buffer and the exit plan.

How TRW and US counsel divide the work

On an EB-5 investor visa or E-2 matter, a US-licensed immigration attorney prepares and files the US petitions and advises on the project and on US tax. TRW works on the Bangladesh side: tracing and documenting the source of funds, reviewing tax returns, land and company records, structuring gifts and loans from family members, assessing whether funds already abroad were acquired lawfully, preparing translations and declarations, and advising on any application to the central bank. Explore our global mobility and business immigration practice and our banking and finance practice, which advises on foreign exchange compliance.

Applicants pursuing other routes should read our guides to the EB-2 NIW visa from Bangladesh and the EB-1A visa from Bangladesh.

Frequently asked questions

How much do I need to invest for an EB-5 investor visa in 2026?

$1,050,000, or $800,000 for an investment in a targeted employment area or an infrastructure project, plus regional center administrative fees, legal fees and USCIS fees. The amounts adjust for inflation for petitions filed on or after 1 January 2027.[1]

Is there a waiting list for Bangladeshi EB-5 investors?

Not in the October 2026 visa bulletin. Investors born in Bangladesh use the "All Chargeability Areas" column, where the unreserved and set-aside EB-5 categories were all current. Check the bulletin each month, as dates can move.[3]

Is the EB-5 regional center program still running?

Yes. It is authorised through 30 September 2027. Only regional center petitions filed on or before 30 September 2026 are protected if the program lapses, so petitions filed now carry some reauthorisation risk.[1]

What are Forms I-526E and I-829?

Form I-526E is the investor petition for a regional center investment; Form I-526 is used for a direct investment. Form I-829 is filed in the 90 days before the second anniversary of conditional residence to remove the conditions.[3]

What are the USCIS fees for an EB-5 investor visa after 30 November 2026?

For filings postmarked on or after 30 November 2026, $7,850 for an initial I-526E, $7,615 for an I-526 and $5,000 for an I-829, plus a $1,100 Integrity Fund fee with each I-526E.[2]

Can I send EB-5 money from Bangladesh legally?

Not under any general permission. FERA 1947 restricts residents' capital payments abroad, and Bangladesh Bank's September 2026 circular excludes immigration under investment categories from its pre-visa remittance facility. Compliant cases are usually funded from lawful money already held abroad, or from RFCD balances.[12] [13] [14]

Can my parents gift me the EB-5 investment?

Yes, if the gift is made in good faith and not to get around the source-of-funds rules. The petition must then include the donor's business, tax and litigation records, so the parents' finances are examined too.[1]

Is Bangladesh an E-2 treaty country?

Yes. The US–Bangladesh bilateral investment treaty entered into force on 25 July 1989 and gives E-2 eligibility. Bangladesh has no E-1 treaty-trader status, and Bangladeshi E-2 visas are issued for three months and two entries.[5] [6]

Do I need Bangladesh Bank permission to fund an E-2 business?

Yes, if the money is sent from Bangladesh. Investing in a US business is a capital payment to a non-resident, which FERA 1947 allows a resident to make only with Bangladesh Bank permission, and no general permission covers it.[12] [13]

Has the Trump Gold Card replaced the EB-5 investor visa?

No. EB-5 remains in the statute. The Gold Card is an executive programme inside EB-1 and EB-2 requiring a $1,000,000 gift and a $15,000 fee, and it was being challenged in federal court with no merits ruling as of October 2026.[4]