IN THIS GUIDE · Identify the immigration decision before planning travel around a payment
Start with the GOLD CARD eligibility and application overview
Follow the official application sequence
Current processing begins with a nonrefundable US$15,000 fee per person. The principal gift follows successful vetting and official instructions: US$1 million individually or US$2 million corporately. A receipt is evidence of payment, not a government eligibility decision.
Preserve the substantive conditions
EB-1 or EB-2 eligibility, admissibility and visa availability remain relevant. Describe actual immigration history accurately. A Canadian address or recurring travel pattern does not remove those conditions or guarantee a favorable decision.
Identify intended eligible family initially
The official FAQ directs intended eligible joining spouse and unmarried children under 21 into the initial application. Each adds a US$1 million gift and US$15,000 processing fee. A shared travel plan does not establish each person’s eligibility or progress.
Keep corporate and private arrangements distinct
Corporate terms include 1% annual maintenance and a 5% transfer charge with a new background check, without automatic replacement approval. The gift is not EB-5 commercial capital or a return promise. Private employment or payment terms require their own appropriate advice.
Follow the official payment sequence and individual amounts
The official FAQ recommends including the spouse and eligible unmarried children under 21 who intend to join as part of the initial application. Each adds a nonrefundable US$15,000 processing fee and a US$1,000,000 gift, including under corporate sponsorship. This recommendation does not establish that a later addition is automatically available, free or prohibited; follow the actual instructions for a changed household.
Verify the payee and instruction stage before transferring funds
The official programme describes email instructions and use of a my.USCIS.gov account for case activity. The Gold Card framework uses a gift to the U.S. government, not an EB-5 investment, and does not create a separate conventional statutory visa classification; successful cases use EB-1 or EB-2. Confirm the official request, payee, portal instructions, and applicant identity, and re-verify every term before funds move. The Gold Card is an administrative program using existing employment-based immigrant classifications; it does not establish a standalone conventional visa classification. The applicant is the payer and the U.S. government is the recipient; neither a business nor an intermediary receives the payment. The applicant should not treat a broker’s request, a company reimbursement or a private escrow as an official instruction. The central financial question is not whether an asset will produce a return: the framework describes a payment by the applicant to the U.S. government, rather than an investment in an operating business. A private reimbursement agreement cannot change the government's process or the sponsor's obligations.
Follow verified payment instructions
The applicant must still be eligible for permanent residence under an EB-1 or EB-2 classification as determined by the authorities, admissible under the ordinary grounds, and able to obtain a visa number under the Visa Bulletin. Anything read here, or in any brochure, should be checked against the official government programme page and its frequently asked questions immediately before a payment is authorised, and a dated copy of that page should be kept with the file. Follow verified official instructions for the amount and payment method instead of assuming an exchange quotation proves the required sum was credited. Do not assume that a private adviser or one partner has completed an official update without confirming the actual action. Compare the documents required for the claimed EB-1 or EB-2 basis with the route actually claimed, then resolve admissibility and visa availability before treating a payment instruction as a result. The most damaging mistake available to an applicant is to pay someone other than the official channel; a gift that never reaches the U.S. government is simply lost money, and the program has not been applied for at all.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.