IN THIS GUIDE · Distinguish employer sponsorship decisions from government classification and vetting
Start with the GOLD CARD eligibility and application overview
Identify the principal and stated payment structure
The programme states US$15,000 nonrefundable processing per person. After successful vetting and official instructions, the gift is US$1 million for an individual principal or US$2 million per corporate-sponsored employee principal. An internal nomination is not itself an instruction to make the gift or a completed immigration decision.
Calculate eligible family members separately
Each eligible joining spouse or unmarried child under 21 has a separate US$15,000 processing fee and US$1 million gift, including corporate cases. Initial inclusion is recommended. A nomination letter describing family benefits does not waive those charges or determine each relative’s eligibility.
Read the continuing corporate framework
Corporate terms include 1% annual maintenance and a 5% transfer charge with a new background check. Reuse of a gift is conditional and does not automatically approve a replacement employee. A company selection policy cannot turn those terms into unrestricted permission for anyone later chosen.
Keep the government’s conditions explicit
The government determines EB-1 or EB-2 classification; eligibility, admissibility and visa availability remain required. The programme guarantees neither approval, citizenship nor timing. The gift is not EB-5 investment capital or a promised return, and additional official visa, medical or case costs may apply. A company award or nomination should not be presented as the government’s decision.
Follow the official payment sequence and individual amounts
The framework operates through existing employment-based permanent residence classifications rather than creating a new one, with successful applicants proceeding under the first or second employment-based preference. The program's requirements, amounts and family provisions have been announced and revised through official channels, so a description accurate one month may be incomplete the next. The applicant must still be eligible for permanent residence under an EB-1 or EB-2 classification as determined by the authorities, admissible under the ordinary grounds, and able to obtain a visa number under the Visa Bulletin. Follow the official instructions received for the gift instead of sending assets to a wallet address supplied by an unverified message. Sending the instructed amount correctly, with the correct reference, through a channel the receiving process accepts, resolves a payment question and nothing more. Criminal history, prior immigration violations, misrepresentation and health-related grounds are assessed under the general rules, and an applicant with a complication in any of those areas should get that assessed before considering a program whose principal cost is a payment. Comparing that notice with bank confirmations prevents a private invoice or intermediary receipt from being mistaken for proof of an official payment. The most damaging mistake available to an applicant is to pay someone other than the official channel; a gift that never reaches the U.S. government is simply lost money, and the program has not been applied for at all.
Verify the current official framework
The described EB-1 or EB-2 framework remains subject to agency determination and visa availability. Read the current official instructions immediately before action and record the applicable path, covered people and payment stage. Executive Order 14351 directs the agencies to treat the Gold Card gift as evidence of eligibility under the specified EB-1 or EB-2 basis, so the program should not be described as requiring an additional, independent conventional career showing. Confirm the official request, payee, portal instructions, and applicant identity, and re-verify every term before funds move. Gold Card materials should be read as the official program describes them, not as a conventional visa category. A payment made to a consultant's account on the promise that it will be forwarded is a different transaction with a different risk profile, and it should not be described as participating in the program. If an adviser offers a private payment route, compare it against the official source before sharing money or documents. A private reimbursement agreement cannot change the government's process or the sponsor's obligations.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-08. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.