Start with the GOLD CARD eligibility and application overview
Keep the published main amounts intact
The nonrefundable processing charge is US$15,000 per person. Following successful vetting and official instructions, the gift is US$1 million for an individual principal or US$2 million for a corporate principal. Every eligible included spouse or child adds US$1 million plus US$15,000, also in corporate cases. Children generally must be unmarried and under 21, with applicable CSPA protection reviewed individually. Confirm who is the principal, which relatives may be included, and whether the stated amount belongs to a personal or corporate principal. Keep invoices, notices, and payment proof tied to the actual payer and recipient; a projected corporate contribution is not the same as an individual's completed payment. Gold Card requires a payment by the applicant to the U.S. government under the official process, not an investment in a business. It is never a conventional visa classification, so the household should not assume that a familiar nonimmigrant filing rule supplies eligibility or work permission.
Use the actual instructions for other expenses
The official site describes additional visa-related fees and required medical-examination payment instructions from the State Department. Do not invent a universal all-inclusive amount or pay an unverified private quote as if it were the official charge. EB-1/EB-2 eligibility, admissibility and visa availability remain requirements. The gift is not EB-5 capital or equity, and paying expenses does not guarantee approval, repayment or a completion date. A sound first review produces an itemized budget with a category for amounts known from official material and a separate category for expenses that will be instructed later. It also records the evidence needed for EB-1 or EB-2 eligibility, admissibility questions, and visa availability, because payment planning cannot resolve any of them. Decide whether to wait for official direction before spending on a medical examination or travel rather than letting a private timetable control the sequence. Retain the actual notice governing each payment and confirm its recipient before sending funds; a receipt cannot convert an unqualified applicant into an eligible one.
What the program is, in the government's own terms
The current corporate FAQ describes 1% annual maintenance and a 5% transfer fee including a new DHS background check. The official FAQ says that, as appropriately determined by the agencies and subject to availability, a successful applicant receives lawful permanent resident status as an EB-1 or EB-2 visa holder. A board or committee resolution authorises the expenditure, a signed sponsorship agreement sets out what the company undertakes and for whom, and a payment instruction with its bank confirmation records what actually moved and when. Prior immigration history, criminal records and health grounds are examined in the vetting the program describes. Keep the government instruction, payment record and any intermediary correspondence in separate folders. Because the framework is new and administered through executive action, the terms should be re-verified on the official page immediately before any payment. A private adviser’s invoice is not a gift payment, and an assurance from that adviser cannot transform its own remedy into a government obligation. A private reimbursement agreement cannot change the government's process or the sponsor's obligations.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.