A private administrative service is separate from the programme’s processing fee and gift.
Identify the payment and the work it covers
Published processing is US$15,000 nonrefundable per person, with the later instructed principal gift after vetting of US$1 million individually or US$2 million corporately. Do not assume a service invoice pays those amounts or guarantees that every official contact field has been updated.
Place the private vendor’s invoice on a separate ledger from government-program payments. An online Gold Card application and a nonrefundable US$15,000 DHS fee come first; USCIS then asks for the Gold Card Form I-140G petition. After vetting, an individual receives instructions for the US$1 million gift to the United States. A consultant’s charge for changing contact information pays for that private service and does not satisfy either official amount. The case still needs EB-1/EB-2 classification, admissibility, and an available visa. The common mistake is relying on a vendor receipt whose payee or purpose differs from instructions. Gold Card is not EB-5, and its gift is not EB-5 investment capital. Re-verify directions before remitting funds.
Hypothetical example: A software founder in L’Anse-Saint-Jean pays a records-management company to migrate messages and update a client portal. He should ask for an itemized invoice, keep it with expenses, and compare its payee with official application and gift instructions. No label such as “Gold Card administration” turns that invoice into the DHS processing fee. Confirmations for the submission, I-140G step, and later request keep private and official payments distinct.