Yes, a direct EB-5 investment in an enterprise the investor manages is permitted. He must invest the qualifying amount, currently US$1,050,000 or US$800,000 in a targeted employment area, from lawful funds, create at least ten full-time jobs for qualifying US workers employed by the enterprise, and be engaged in its management or policy formulation.
Direct cases trade flexibility for counting rules
The direct route suits an operator who wants to run the business, because management engagement is satisfied by actually managing. The price is a stricter job count. In a regional-centre project the economic model can count indirect and induced jobs; in a direct case only the new commercial enterprise's own full-time employees count, so the machine shop must reach ten qualifying positions itself.
Qualifying workers are US citizens, permanent residents and certain other authorized workers, not the investor, his spouse or children, and not contractors. Full-time means at least thirty-five hours a week per position, though two part-time employees can share a single full-time position in some circumstances. The targeted-employment-area determination for the lower amount depends on the shop's location and is made under the 2022 rules by the agency rather than by a state letter, so a rural or high-unemployment location should be verified against the current definition, not assumed.
Confirm the investment amount on the filing date, since the statute schedules adjustments from January 1, 2027.