IN THIS GUIDE · Distinguish successful vetting from the remaining official process
Start with the GOLD CARD eligibility and application overview
Identify the actual official instruction
Hypothetical example: an applicant is asked to send the gift after successful vetting. Preserve the instruction and follow its actual payment details. Do not describe a payment request as proof that every remaining immigration step is complete.
Preserve the current amounts
Processing is US$15,000 nonrefundable per person. The instructed principal gift is US$1 million individually or US$2 million for a corporate-sponsored employee. The gift follows successful vetting and official instructions; it is not EB-5 capital or a promised return.
Keep eligibility and family conditions visible
EB-1 or EB-2 eligibility, admissibility and visa availability remain applicable. Intended eligible joining family should be identified initially, with US$1 million and US$15,000 added for each eligible spouse or unmarried child under 21. One person’s stage does not automatically establish everyone’s outcome.
Retain corporate process conditions
Corporate sponsors may apply for employees. Current terms include 1% annual maintenance and a 5% transfer fee with a new background check. Reuse of a prior gift for a new employee does not guarantee replacement approval or eliminate the applicable review.
Restate the payment sequence from current instructions
Under the official terms checked September 7, 2026, each applicant first pays a nonrefundable US$15,000 processing fee and undergoes vetting. After successful vetting and government instructions, the gift is US$1,000,000 for an individual or US$2,000,000 for a corporate-sponsored employee. Every eligible joining spouse or unmarried child under 21 has a separate US$15,000 fee and US$1,000,000 gift. Corporate sponsors must also verify the 1% maintenance and 5% transfer provisions, while every applicant remains subject to EB-1 or EB-2 eligibility, admissibility and visa availability.
Sequence the business sale against the fee, the vetting and the instruction
Hypothetical example: a Martensville couple who own an electrical-contracting company plan to sell it to fund a Gold Card application and ask whether the sale should close before they apply. A US$15,000 nonrefundable processing fee applies to each person at the outset and is lost if vetting fails. Only after successful vetting and an official instruction does the US$1,000,000 individual gift become due; a sale closed too early leaves proceeds waiting, while one still open may leave the planned funding unavailable when requested. The second decision comes before the fee: corporate sponsorship costs US$2,000,000 per employee and adds 1% annual maintenance and transfer conditions, while a sale may change who controls the company's sponsorship decisions. For an eligible joining spouse or unmarried child under 21, budget another US$15,000 and US$1,000,000 before the sale. The gift is a government gift rather than invested capital, and Gold Card is not a separate statutory visa category: EB-1 or EB-2 adjudication, admissibility and visa availability remain. Re-check official terms before paying or selling.
Re-verify the official terms immediately before any money moves
A legitimate commercial adviser can explain a transaction, but cannot convert a private fee into the U.S. government payment described by the program. Anyone describing the payment as an investment, or comparing it to EB-5 as though the money behaves the same way, is describing something other than the official framework. Confirm the official instruction, payer and amount before sending money, separately from an adviser’s service charge. Because the program is recent, its official terms and procedures should be re-verified on the government source immediately before any money moves, and a licensed United States immigration attorney should confirm the position for the specific household. 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.