Start with the GOLD CARD eligibility and application overview
Read the terms of the actual selected programme
Do not import a future programme’s advertised benefits into a Gold Card application. Review the applicant’s real tax and residence circumstances with appropriate advice rather than assume the gift creates a blanket exemption. Gold Card still depends on EB-1/EB-2 eligibility, admissibility and immigrant-visa availability; paying money does not settle those legal conditions. A first review should separate the evidence for the underlying immigrant classification from payment evidence, vetting information, admissibility issues, and visa availability. The practical decision is whether the applicant can document the EB-1 or EB-2 basis before paying a substantial nonrefundable amount. Marketing descriptions cannot remove statutory limits or country-specific availability concerns.
Keep the published payments and family rules clear
Processing is US$15,000 nonrefundable per person. After successful vetting and official instructions, the principal gift is US$1 million individually or US$2 million corporately. Each eligible included spouse or child adds US$1 million plus US$15,000, including corporate cases. Children generally must be unmarried and under 21, with case-specific CSPA review. The gift is not EB-5 capital, equity or a guarantee of repayment, approval, timing or a particular tax deduction. Keep official payment instructions, receipts, and the identity of the payer aligned with the selected route. A corporation paying on behalf of an individual does not turn the gift into the individual’s recoverable asset or ordinary business investment. The record should also distinguish processing fees, gift amounts, and any separate visa-related charges before money is sent.
Keep eligibility, vetting and payment as three separate steps
Beyond the first payment: a 1% annual maintenance charge, and 5% where the transfer mechanism is used; these are not ordinary initial fees. The qualifying gift has its specified evidentiary role, while permanent-resident eligibility, admissibility and visa availability still apply. A company may reuse a prior US$2 million gift to sponsor another employee, subject to fresh vetting and the transfer requirements then in force, and the Executive Order process involves the prior holder abandoning status. Because official details, availability, eligibility, and processing instructions may change, applicants should keep an official dated copy and avoid treating promotional summaries as controlling. A satisfied bank does not decide eligibility, admissibility or visa availability, and a delay can affect your ability to satisfy an instructed payment deadline even though the bank does not adjudicate immigration. Do not assume that a private adviser or one partner has completed an official update without confirming the actual action. When an official instruction calls for payment, match the named applicant, payor, amount and recipient before funds move. Keep private reimbursement, employment and tax questions in separate records because they do not alter the official recipient or create a conventional visa.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.