IN THIS GUIDE · Compare business contributions with the official gift framework
Identify the applicant and payer separately
Hypothetical example: a business owner is comparing an individual proposal with a corporate-funded arrangement. Define who would apply, who would pay and which official terms apply. Do not assume personal ownership of a business makes individual and corporate obligations interchangeable.
Verify current official instructions
Use the official FAQ and current instructions for the actual framework and family treatment. Identify unresolved obligations before commitments. An adviser’s short comparison should not replace the governing terms or present old figures as current without verification. The FAQ recommends initial inclusion of the spouse and eligible unmarried children under 21 intended to join. It does not establish an automatic right to add relatives later or waive their individual requirements.
Keep the gift separate from an investment asset
Gold Card should not be described as an EB-5 capital contribution, enterprise ownership or recoverable commercial investment. EB-5 has its own capital-at-risk and job requirements. Compare the legal nature of each payment rather than grouping everything under a generic investment heading.
Assess the individual outcome and present activity
Review classification, vetting, admissibility and visa availability alongside the proposal. A payment plan is not approval and does not authorize U.S. work or residence. Current permission governs present activities while any future process remains unresolved.
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. Conditional reuse of a prior gift does not approve a replacement employee.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.