The new immigrant case has its own eligibility, admissibility and availability requirements.
Separate past travel permission from the new classification
A prior visa can be relevant history without deciding the new case. Do not describe it as permanent residence or assume that the same review applies to a different immigration purpose.
Treat the visitor visa as travel history, not as a qualification finding for the new program. The official sequence begins with an online Gold Card application and a US$15,000 nonrefundable DHS processing fee. After the processing-fee payment settles, USCIS prompts Form I-140G, the “Immigrant Petition for the Gold Card Program”; the US$1 million gift to the United States is requested only after successful vetting under official instructions. The case proceeds through EB-1 or EB-2 classification, so eligibility, admissibility, and visa availability need their own review. Citizenship and Canadian permanent residence must be recorded as different facts. This gift framework is not EB-5 investment capital, and all instructions should be rechecked immediately before money moves.
Hypothetical example: A documentary filmmaker in Rivière-Éternité has used a visitor visa for lawful short trips and now considers Gold Card. She inventories her travel and status history, then separately assesses which EB-1 or EB-2 basis could support Form I-140G. She does not call the visa a prior immigrant approval or send a US$1 million payment with the initial online submission. Only the processing fee accompanies that first stage. Any later gift follows successful vetting and a verified government request.