St. Andrews guide: identify principals and family members before comparing totals

Read the general immigrant investor briefing overview

THE SHORT ANSWER

A household may contain an investor, an eligible spouse and other adults with separate plans. Identify the actual application structure before comparing an EB-5 project budget with Gold Card funding.

Identify whose EB-5 contribution is being assessed

Hypothetical example: an investor and adult relative both contribute to a broader family plan. Review actual principal cases, lawful source and path, capital at risk and the applicable job method, requiring at least ten qualifying full-time jobs per investor. A combined invoice does not automatically establish every independent investor’s requirements or make a relative an eligible derivative.

Apply the official gift terms to the actual people

Gold Card uses a government gift after successful vetting and official instructions, with EB-1 or EB-2 eligibility, admissibility and visa availability remaining relevant. Separate the actual individual or corporate principal and eligible joining spouse or unmarried children under 21. Shared funding does not broaden the official family framework; the gift is not EB-5 commercial capital promising returns.

Coordinate without assuming common permission

EB-5 residence and removal-of-conditions stages remain distinct from project funding. Corporate Gold Card maintenance and transfer-related terms are conditional rather than automatic rights to substitute relatives or employees. Each person’s actual eligibility and process matter; one applicant’s progress does not authorize every adult’s work or travel.

Assign principal and family obligations before totaling the household

Name the EB-5 investors separately from eligible derivatives. Each investor needs the applicable US$1,050,000 or qualifying US$800,000 targeted employment area or infrastructure capital and ten qualifying permanent full-time jobs under the appropriate method, without duplicate allocation. Petition-date statutory adjustments start January 1, 2027. Gold Card has a different denominator: each person owes a nonrefundable US$15,000 processing fee, followed after successful vetting and instructions by a US$1,000,000 individual principal gift or US$2,000,000 per sponsored employee. Every eligible joining spouse or unmarried child under 21 adds a US$1,000,000 gift and US$15,000 fee. Verify corporate maintenance and transfer terms rather than spreading one charge across unrelated adults. For EB-5, calculate the usual 90-day I-829 filing window before the second anniversary of conditional residence beginning at immigrant admission or adjustment approval. One person’s payment or progress cannot guarantee another’s eligibility, admissibility, visa availability or timing.

KEEP EXPLORING

What else is on your mind?

Does an EB-5 immigration review tell me whether an investment is good?Is the Gold Card another name for EB-5?Should I assume one Gold Card payment covers my family?

SOURCE NOTES

Editorial source review: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.