IN THIS GUIDE · Separate provider assistance from the official decision
Start with the GOLD CARD eligibility and application overview
Identify the provider’s actual role
Hypothetical example: a company engages an adviser to organize an employee proposal. Record what documents and services are provided. A commercial engagement does not establish successful government vetting, classification eligibility or permission to work.
Follow official instructions for the gift
The government gift follows successful vetting and official instructions. EB-1 or EB-2 eligibility, admissibility and visa availability remain relevant. A provider’s invoice or completion notice should not be presented as proof that the official process has reached a later stage.
Name the actual principal and family proposal
Distinguish individual and corporate principal terms and each eligible accompanying spouse or unmarried child under 21. Provider assistance does not make additional relatives eligible or remove per-person obligations. Confirm the real proposed group rather than relying on a general package description.
Keep financial character and corporate conditions clear
The gift is not an EB-5 commercial investment promising returns. Corporate maintenance and transfer-related terms remain subject to official conditions, not a provider’s automatic-reuse promise. Assess actual funding commitments and individual process records before assuming relocation can occur.
Follow the official payment sequence and individual amounts
The September 7, 2026 official terms describe a nonrefundable US$15,000 processing fee per person, followed by vetting and a gift to the U.S. government after successful vetting and official instructions. The principal gift is US$1,000,000 individually or US$2,000,000 per corporate-sponsored employee. Each eligible joining spouse or unmarried child under 21 adds US$15,000 and a US$1,000,000 gift, including corporate cases. Corporate terms also describe 1% annual maintenance and a 5% transfer charge with a new background check, subject to actual governing conditions, not an automatic reuse right. EB-1 or EB-2 eligibility, admissibility and visa availability remain separate requirements.
Check the immigrant-category requirements still apply
The current framework is set out on the official programme page and in the executive action that created it, and it is built around a gift to the U.S. government together with a processing fee. Whether an applicant proceeds through an employer-sponsored petition, the Gold Card framework, or both in parallel, the underlying immigrant eligibility, admissibility and visa availability requirements that apply to lawful permanent residence generally still apply. The US$1 million gift is made after successful vetting, when the applicant is instructed to make it — not in advance and not to demonstrate seriousness. The applicant should make the payment directed by the official process, not route the required amount through a business, a donor, or a private intermediary. A prudent first review begins with the official programme material available on the decision date and a checklist of what it actually says about applicant eligibility, payment, vetting, family members, and the immigration category involved. Keep evidence of the applicant's payment source and identity organized, but do not imply that document collection converts an announced framework into completed immigration status. The payment is by the applicant to the U.S. government; it is not capital invested for a return and the framework is never a conventional visa. Program terms have changed since the framework was announced, so re-verify the official page and its FAQ before any money moves.
Confirm current official terms
Successful applicants proceed through existing employment-based immigrant classifications, EB-1 or EB-2, which means the ordinary requirements of those classifications continue to matter. The payment the official process describes is made by the applicant to the U.S. government, and it is none of those three; it buys no interest, no property and no claim, and nothing in it is given to the applicant by the government. Confirm the recipient, amount, timing, and written official instruction before sending money; retain the payment confirmation and the communication that authorized it. A corporate-sponsored variant is described on the official page and its terms, including the sponsor's contribution and what happens on a change of employer, should be read there directly and re-verified before any commitment.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.