IN THIS GUIDE · Separate official payment instructions from private service proposals
Start with the GOLD CARD eligibility and application overview
Identify the issuer and purpose of each request
Hypothetical example: an applicant receives a private preparation quote and reads the official application instructions. Keep the two separate. Do not treat a private package price as the government’s full required amount or as proof that an application will succeed.
Use the official sequence and amounts
Current terms begin with a nonrefundable US$15,000 processing charge per person. The gift follows successful vetting and official instructions: US$1 million for an individual principal or US$2 million per corporate-sponsored employee principal. Additional intended eligible family members have separate amounts.
Preserve eligibility and individual review
EB-1 or EB-2 eligibility, admissibility and visa availability remain relevant. No private assurance or payment receipt resolves them. Provide accurate information and assess individual immigration issues rather than relying on a promise of a preferred result.
Understand corporate and family obligations
The FAQ directs intended eligible joining family into the initial application. Corporate annual maintenance and conditional transfer terms also apply, with a new background check and no automatic replacement approval. The government gift is not an EB-5 investment or a promised return.
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 principal. 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.
Use the current official financial terms
The official material describes successful Gold Card applicants being processed through the EB-1 or EB-2 employment-based immigrant categories. The official programme describes email instructions and use of a my.USCIS.gov account for case activity. The official framework describes a gift with no return, no business and no jobs test, while EB-5 is capital placed in an enterprise that must create ten jobs. Eligibility for permanent residence and admissibility must still be established; the program does not waive inadmissibility. Because public instructions can be updated, save the official page and FAQ accessed for a proposed filing, use only the designated payment mechanism, and seek appropriate regulated advice for legal, tax, and financial questions. A legitimate commercial adviser can explain a transaction, but cannot convert a private fee into the U.S. government payment described by the program. The instructed gift is paid by the applicant to the U.S. government after the applicable vetting stage; it is not a conventional visa and it is not a purchase of equity or a return-bearing asset. The program's published terms have changed as it has been implemented, so the operative requirement is procedural as well as legal: obtain the current official terms, record the date and the source, and confirm them again immediately before any payment is made.
Match each payment to official instructions
A personal decision, an adviser’s file closure and an official case action are different events. Do not assume an adviser’s updated address book changes the government’s records or that an unread message automatically pauses a deadline. Verify the official recipient and instructions at the time of action. A Gold Card gift is a payment to the U.S. government; it is not returned, it creates no ownership in anything, and it is not measured by jobs. Ask for the official procedure before offering a start date, ending sponsorship, or announcing a replacement. A bank confirmation can establish that money is available, but it cannot establish that payment is due or that a private intermediary is authorized to receive it. The official notice determines the payment destination; a promotional document does not change it.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.