IN THIS GUIDE · Assess the gift commitment independently of commercial investment expectations
Start with the GOLD CARD eligibility and application overview
Identify the actual applicant and sponsorship terms
Hypothetical example: an employer offers to sponsor an employee under corporate terms while the household has read only individual terms. Compare the actual proposal with the current official FAQ. Do not assume individual and corporate obligations or family costs are interchangeable.
Separate the gift from a commercial asset
A gift under the program should not be presented as an EB-5 investment, ownership interest or promised financial return. Identify what is nonrefundable and when obligations arise under the current official process. Do not import investor expectations into a different route.
Review the immigration basis and household
The described route uses EB-1 or EB-2 classifications as determined by the responsible agencies and remains subject to visa availability and admissibility. Review each accompanying person’s eligibility and current official terms. A principal’s financial plan is not the complete household analysis.
Verify current instructions before payment
Use the official government process and confirm current terms before any commitment. Preparation should record unresolved legal and financial questions rather than imply that a fee or gift guarantees approval, a decision date or immediate residence.
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.
Read the official framework, not the summary
The official FAQ states that additional State Department fees may apply, with instructions for visa-related fees and the required medical examination. A determination follows under either the EB-1 or EB-2 immigrant classification, subject to visa availability, and an interview or a request for further documents can come after it. The applicant still has to be eligible for the immigrant classification the authorities determine, admissible to the United States under ordinary law, and within visa availability. Immigrant chargeability is generally based on birthplace, subject to specific exceptions requiring assessment. Money paid to a consultancy is not paid to any government and forms no part of what the framework requires; whether it can be refunded depends on the private contract. Do not rely on third-party summaries, claimed shortcuts, or a business sponsor’s assurance when an official instruction says otherwise. A company ledger can show its internal authorization, but it does not establish that a payment has reached the government through the required channel. A third party’s estimate or a promotional summary cannot substitute for the programme’s actual payment direction.
Keep vetting and legal eligibility separate from either process
The gift, made when instructed after successful vetting, serves as evidence of the specified benefit the program relies on. An intermediary who supplies banking details by message, asks for urgency, or offers to hold funds in an account of their own is describing an arrangement that the official process does not require. A deposit to a private account before any official fee is paid is not a stage the page describes, and the applicant should ask the intermediary to point to where it is. A replacement case needs its own identity, eligibility, screening, and instructions. Keep private reimbursement, employment and tax questions in separate records because they do not alter the official recipient or create a conventional visa.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.