Follow the official sequence rather than the employer’s internal payment schedule. The government gift is requested after successful vetting and official instructions.
Identify the next actual instruction
The nonrefundable US$15,000 processing fee per person starts a different stage from the later gift. Keep supporting-document requests, vetting and payment instructions distinct. A private signature cannot accelerate visa availability or authorize work or residence before the applicable immigration process permits it.
A safer sequence is: confirm admissibility, pay the fee, complete vetting, make the gift only when asked, receive status, and then take tax advice on the date of U.S. residency and its Canadian consequences before disposing of property. What is not optional is re-verifying the official terms immediately before each irreversible step, because a recently created framework can publish clarifications that change amounts, sequence or eligibility. Sequence the decision by confirming the live product first, then having counsel identify the immigrant classification and evidence available, before restructuring assets or making commitments. The program's timing, application steps and any changes are published by the government, and a decision this large should follow verification and independent legal advice, not a deadline someone else sets.