New York · est. 2013Saturday, September 5, 2026
Inside Immigration

Plain-language guides to US immigration, asylum and USCIS procedure.

Forms

I-956 Application for Regional Center Designation

The application to become an EB-5 regional center, which is what allows a sponsor to pool investors and count indirect job creation. It is a business application under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022, not an individual immigration filing.

Fee
$17,795
Fee waiver
Not available
Who files
Entities seeking regional center designation.
Where to file
By mail to the USCIS Immigrant Investor Program Office.
Processing time
10.3 months (FY 2026 national median through June 30, 2026)

Usually filed with

Part of these processes

What changed in 2025 and 2026

  • Regional center designation was reset by the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022; pre-2022 designations had to be re-established.

Official page. https://www.uscis.gov/i-956. Download the form there, never from a third-party site; check the edition date and fee before filing.