Payroll expenditure and qualifying job evidence must be evaluated under the actual methodology.
Keep capital and employment measures distinct
General capital is US$1,050,000 or US$800,000 for qualifying TEA or infrastructure investment, with statutory adjustment from January 1, 2027 and filing-date review. Meeting a capital amount or reporting a large payroll total does not automatically satisfy the separate job requirement.
Maintain separate ledgers for qualifying capital, operating expenditures, payroll, and job creation. The ordinary investment threshold is US$1,050,000; a reduced US$800,000 applies to infrastructure or targeted-employment-area projects, but reaching either amount does not establish ten full-time jobs for qualifying US workers. Conversely, high payroll spending may include overtime, contractors, part-time hours, excluded family, or positions that do not satisfy the applicable methodology. Trace the investor’s lawful source and complete path of funds into the new commercial enterprise, then verify how each claimed job is supported. Select Form I-526 for a direct case or Form I-526E for regional-center participation. Budget for the later conditional-residence period and its Form I-829 evidence cycle without treating operating costs as government charges. The usual error is presenting one impressive dollar total as proof of two legally distinct requirements.
Hypothetical example: A metal-fabrication entrepreneur from Sainte-Rose-du-Nord studies a direct project with a large annual payroll. She requests employee-level positions and hours, removes contractor invoices from the job analysis, and separately traces her investment transfers. Spending explains operations, while qualifying jobs and capital retain their own evidence trails.