IN THIS GUIDE · Working out what a household actually pays, and which direction the money travels
Start with the GOLD CARD eligibility and application overview
The money goes from the applicant to the U.S. government, never the other way
Under the current published framework, an applicant pays a nonrefundable processing fee of US$15,000 per person and, after vetting is completed, makes a gift to the U.S. government of US$1,000,000 where the applicant funds it personally, or US$2,000,000 where a corporation sponsors an employee. The word gift is used deliberately in the official material, and it describes a payment made by the applicant to the government. Nothing is granted, disbursed or awarded to the applicant. Any adviser who describes it the other way round has either misread the program or is describing something else entirely, and that is a reason to stop the conversation rather than to continue it. The processing fee is not refunded if the application does not proceed, which is the first number a household should plan around.
Every accompanying family member adds a fee and a further million
The arithmetic scales per person rather than per household. Each accompanying spouse and each unmarried child under twenty-one adds a further processing fee and a further gift of US$1,000,000. For Aurélie, her spouse and two children under twenty-one, that is four processing fees at US$15,000 each and four gifts of US$1,000,000, which is a materially different proposition from the single figure the broker mentioned. Families frequently receive the individual number and then assume it covers everyone, and that assumption changes a decision. It is also worth asking early which children will still be under twenty-one when the payments are due, because a child who crosses that line is not an accompanying family member for these purposes and needs a route of their own.
It runs through existing immigrant classifications and is not an investment
The framework operates through classifications that already exist in employment-based immigration, in the first and second preference categories, rather than creating a new visa of its own. That matters because the underlying category's requirements and processes still apply and should be understood on their own terms. It also means the Gold Card is not an investment programme and must never be discussed as though it were interchangeable with EB-5. An EB-5 investor places capital at risk in a commercial enterprise, must create at least ten qualifying jobs, and can lose the money if the business fails; a Gold Card gift is a payment to the U.S. government that buys no equity, creates no jobs by itself and returns nothing. Program terms have changed since the framework was announced, so re-verify the official page and its FAQ before any money moves.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.