A Graduate on OPT and a High School Student — Two EB-5 I-526E Petitions Approved on Consecutive Days

On two consecutive days, the Sophie Team saw two clients' I-526E petitions approved. Facing complicated fund flows and a tight filing schedule, we traced the path of the money, checked every supporting document, and planned the filings, turning two very different applications into clear, verifiable petitions.

On October 6 and October 7, 2026, two of the Sophie Team's EB-5 cases were approved one after the other. The two investors could hardly be more different. One is a young graduate student in the U.S., working on OPT, whose investment funds moved through overseas wealth-management products for six months before reaching the project. The other is a high school student in the U.S., whose parents assembled $800,000 in 16 days. The more unusual the source of funds, the more it tests an attorney's ability to build a complete, credible chain of evidence. Below, we walk through both approved cases.

The cases at a glance

Case 1: Complex fund flows, made easy to verify

A.'s investment was a gift from A.'s father, funded by dividends from an overseas company and several rounds of wealth-management transfers. The key was to turn records scattered across different periods and accounts into a source-of-funds showing whose parts confirm one another.

How our team prepared

• We traced the funds transaction by transaction, charted six months of activity as a numbered flowchart, and matched every step to its documents. Where each sum came from, which accounts it passed through, and how it finally reached the project all had to be clear, so the officer could check it.
• For the cross-border income, we checked the tax payment records and related certificates from each jurisdiction, explaining both the source of funds and the tax position so the documents left no gaps and no contradictions.
• We also went further back, to the source of the capital the father used to acquire the shares, completing the chain of proof behind the dividends. Careful preparation shows not only that the investment arrived, but how the money was earned and moved at every stage.

Case 2: A tight timeline, with filing and follow-up evidence coordinated

C. is a minor investor whose funds were a gift from C.'s parents, drawn from stock sale proceeds and a loan. With little time available, we had to handle the source-of-funds evidence, the gift relationship, and the filing plan all at once.

How our team moved the case forward

• We built a filing plan around the evidence already in hand: file the petition first, then submit the follow-up documents. Supporting materials showed the fund flow and linked to the later filings, so there was no gap in the evidence before and after filing. The client went from applying for the loan to completing the wire transfer in just 16 days, while our team prepared the documents and the filing in parallel.
• We documented the stock proceeds and the loan separately, showing how each sum was obtained and used. For the transfer from the parents' account to the project, we set out the gift relationship and the ownership of the funds clearly.
• Despite a complex fund structure and documents that had to follow the filing, the petition was approved in under a year. A petition filed against the clock depends even more on an attorney who keeps the documents connected and stays on top of the follow-up.

Our advice: before you file for EB-5, let us map the path of your funds

These two cases show there is no single "right answer" for the source of funds. Dividends, stock proceeds, loans, and investment returns can all be lawful sources. What matters is that every step has supporting evidence, and that the evidence is consistent.

Talk to an attorney before you move the money. Rolling over investments, transferring between accounts, or mixing in other funds is not a problem in itself, but planning ahead saves a great deal of trouble and reduces the risk of an RFE.

The Sophie Team will first help you plan the structure of your funds, then identify each step that needs proof, and finally turn a large volume of financial records into a clear petition. When time is short, we also judge the right moment to file and assess whether a priority date can be secured.

Whether you are planning a path to the U.S. for your children or thinking about your family's long-term status, please contact the Sophie Team. We will draw on our experience with approved cases to design an end-to-end immigration plan for you.