Start with the GOLD CARD eligibility and application overview
Identify programme payments person by person
The nonrefundable processing charge is US$15,000 per person. After vetting, the instructed gift is US$1 million for an individual principal or US$2 million for a corporate principal. Each eligible included spouse or child adds a US$1 million gift and US$15,000 processing charge, including corporate cases. Confirm the household composition before funds are sent. The stated programme terms use a processing charge and instructed gift for the principal, with further amounts for each eligible spouse or child. Passport identity records, relationship records, and the current official instruction should be reconciled with the payment plan. A private adviser cannot change the eligibility of an included family member or turn a future family change into a completed payment. The practical decision is whether to include the person under the applicable instructions now or plan for the separate consequences of a later change.
Keep services separate from immigration decisions
Corporate annual maintenance and transfer charges are additional under the programme terms, including 1% annual and 5% transfer charges with applicable conditions. A private provider cannot waive EB-1/EB-2 eligibility, admissibility or visa availability. The gift is not EB-5 capital or a commercial share purchase. No private bundle guarantees approval, completion time or citizenship. Eligible children generally must be unmarried and under 21; assess any applicable CSPA protection on the individual case facts. 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. Re-verify the official terms before any money moves. Keep corporate participation distinct from the individual applicant’s case. Corporate annual maintenance and transfer charges do not erase the underlying individual eligibility requirements, admissibility questions, or visa availability. The payment is a gift made by the applicant to the U.S. government under the official process; it is neither an equity investment nor a conventional visa that can be purchased from an intermediary. The file should identify the applicant, the source of funds where relevant, and each official payment record instead of relying on marketing materials. Sequence commitments only after vetting and official instructions have clarified the stage. The nonrefundable processing payment, instructed gift, and any private services invoice have different purposes and should not be merged in a single description. No adviser can promise approval, citizenship, or a particular processing period. A sound review also separates this route from EB-5: EB-5 concerns capital placed into an investment with job-creation requirements, while this framework concerns the stated gift and separate eligibility conditions.
What the official framework actually describes
Even under a gift-based program, admissibility, background checks and the immigration status actually conferred remain governed by U.S. immigration law. The official program operates through EB-1 or EB-2, as appropriately determined by the responsible agencies and subject to visa availability. Follow verified official instructions rather than sending a gross estimated sale value. The FAQ describes conditional reuse of a prior gift for a new employee without another US$2 million gift; that financial mechanism does not approve the replacement person.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.