Read the general immigrant investor briefing overview
A project update can justify a business discussion without establishing permission to relocate. Build the household calendar from the actual immigration event and document for each traveller.
Label the event the update actually records
Hypothetical example: a project reports a construction milestone while the investor receives a petition notice. Record both, but do not mark either as the date residence began. EB-5 conditional residence starts with immigrant-visa admission or adjustment approval. The ordinary I-829 window is the 90 days before that residence date’s second anniversary. Keep the actual admission or adjustment record with the calendar; a financial reporting period cannot supply that date.
Keep the investment decision separate from the trip
EB-5 requires lawful capital committed at risk and its documented path, management or policy participation, and at least ten qualifying permanent full-time jobs per investor under the applicable standalone or regional-center method. The September 2026 minimum is US$1,050,000, or US$800,000 for a qualifying targeted employment area or infrastructure project; statutory adjustments begin January 1, 2027 under filing-date rules. Contractual investor repayment rights and guaranteed rates of return are excluded from qualifying capital. An enterprise-only discretionary buyback option has a statutory exception subject to sustainment and the other conditions. Neither petition approval nor I-829 filing guarantees repayment.
Read a Gold Card instruction for the action it requests
A request for supporting documents is different from an instruction to make the government gift. The official sequence is a nonrefundable US$15,000 processing fee per person, vetting, then the instructed gift after successful vetting: US$1 million for an individual principal or US$2 million for a sponsored employee. Each eligible joining spouse or unmarried child under 21 adds US$15,000 and US$1 million, including corporate cases; initial family inclusion is recommended. This gift is not EB-5 investment capital or a promised return. EB-1 or EB-2 eligibility, admissibility and available visas remain necessary.
Resolve the household’s next booking decision
Before purchasing a ticket intended for relocation, identify the actual immigration document and remaining official step for that person. Immigrant derivatives enter with or after the principal; one relative’s completed document does not authorize everyone’s move. A corporate sponsor should separately account for 1% annual maintenance and a 5% transfer charge with a new background check. Reusing a prior gift does not automatically approve a new employee. If permission is unresolved, record that uncertainty in the travel plan rather than assigning a guaranteed completion date.
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?Editorial source review: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.