A regional centre project ordinarily charges a separate administrative fee that is not part of the qualifying investment. Add government filing fees per the published schedule, immigration counsel, independent project diligence, accounting work to document the source of funds, and any tax advice on the disposition of Canadian assets.
Two of these are larger than people expect
The administrative fee is charged by the project rather than by the government, is typically substantial, and does not count toward the qualifying amount. Source-of-funds documentation is the other underestimated item: assembling years of corporate records, obtaining a defensible valuation, reconciling accounts and preparing a coherent written explanation is professional work measured in weeks, not hours. Independent diligence on the project itself, including a review of the job creation methodology and the offering documents, costs money that investors resent spending and later wish they had spent more of.
Government fees are set out in the published schedule and change periodically, so that schedule is the reference. Underneath everything sits the capital itself, which must be at risk, meaning it can be lost. Any advice suggesting otherwise should end the conversation.