IN THIS GUIDE · Explain cash accumulated over time before relying on its deposit as EB-5 source evidence
Start with the EB-5 eligibility and application overview
Break the balance into its real origins
Identify the actual income, sale proceeds or other sources said to make up the cash. Match the explanation to available contemporaneous evidence and dates. Do not invent a neat annual savings schedule if the underlying history is different or cannot support it. Create a separate row for each claimed source, with its owner, generating event, date, supporting record and transfer route. This exposes whether a balance contains income, a gift, a loan or proceeds that require different proof. The applicant can then decide which funds to include rather than offering one undifferentiated account total.
Address gaps directly
Explain relevant missing records and seek appropriate alternatives rather than creating retrospective receipts for transactions that cannot be substantiated. A personal narrative may organize the evidence, but it should not be presented as independent verification of itself. Assess the remaining proof gap before relying on the contribution. The lawful-source requirement also covers funds used for investment-related administrative costs and fees, not only the minimum capital. Preserve originals and obtain neutral records where they exist, such as closing statements, payroll records or tax documents. A gap should be described precisely: what is missing, why it is unavailable and what reliable substitute is offered. That record supports an informed decision about whether the evidence is strong enough to use the funds at all.
Keep the complete investment test
Current general thresholds are US$1.05 million or US$800,000 for a qualifying targeted-employment-area or infrastructure case, with statutory adjustments beginning January 1, 2027 under applicable filing-date rules. Establish lawful source and path, at-risk capital, ten qualifying full-time jobs per investor and management or policy participation. The location of the money in a bank does not resolve all those requirements. Test the project documents against the investor’s own filing posture: the selected amount, the applicable job-creation method, the investment terms and the required participation. Capital must remain at risk for the purpose of generating a return on the capital placed into the enterprise; a promised refund is not a substitute for that condition. The review should identify which requirement is settled by which executed record.
Separate preparing evidence from promising a filing date
Plan the deposit, actual investment and evidence work on truthful records; this page supplies no method of bypassing bank or reporting requirements. Conditional residence starts with applicable immigrant admission or adjustment approval. I-829 is generally filed in the 90 days before its second anniversary, not the date cash entered the banking system. Keep the immigration calendar separate from the banking calendar. After approval and immigrant admission or adjustment, EB-5 grants conditional permanent residence; evidence for removing conditions is evaluated later under the applicable rules. That separation helps the investor decide when a transfer is an evidentiary event and when residence-based deadlines actually begin.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.