Beyond the qualifying capital investment, expect administrative fees charged by a regional center where applicable, USCIS filing fees for the immigrant petition and adjustment or consular processing steps, and professional fees for legal and source-of-funds documentation work.
Separate at-risk capital from fees paid for services
Administrative and legal fees are not part of the at-risk investment amount and should be budgeted separately. The Reform and Integrity Act's treatment of administrative fees as relevant to source-of-funds review means the Choudharys should document the source of those fee payments as well, not only the core investment.
Treat the project contribution, administrative charges, legal work, filing costs, document retrieval, and travel as separate budget lines. Ask which payments go to the project, which are government charges, and which are professional or transaction expenses. Hypothetical example: A laboratory-supply company owner sees a headline investment figure and assumes it includes all process costs, but the project documents also disclose an administration charge and separate expenses for source-of-funds records. The decision should be based on the complete economic exposure, not a single advertised number. No one should describe capital as protected simply because an immigration purpose is involved; EB-5 capital must be at risk. Keep dated copies of the fee sources and payment instructions used for planning.
Compare written project disclosures and payment instructions before sending any money. If a charge is not clearly identified, ask who receives it, what it covers, and whether it is refundable. This is ordinary commercial diligence as well as useful preparation for an immigration record.