Yes, gifted funds can be qualifying capital, provided the gift is genuine and the parent's lawful source of the funds is documented. The investor must then invest the full amount personally and be exposed to its loss.
Gifted capital is allowed; undocumented capital is not
Hypothetical example: a Mission physiotherapist's father offers to give her the difference between her clinic proceeds and the required investment. The gift is acceptable in principle, but two conditions follow. First, the father must be prepared to document how he lawfully acquired the money, in the same detail expected of the investor, whether through decades of farming income, a property sale or retirement savings.
Second, the gift must be unconditional; an arrangement under which she repays him from project distributions is a loan, and a loan is treated differently, including as to what security stands behind it. Once given, the funds are hers, and she alone must be at risk of losing them in the enterprise. The required amount depends on the project's targeted-employment-area or infrastructure designation, so confirm that before deciding how large the gift must be.
Hypothetical example: A Canadian optometrist plans to invest sale proceeds and a parent-funded gift in a project that advertises indirect jobs. The first review should separate the required capital from the administrative charge, trace both personal and donor funds, and obtain the project's job-creation methodology. Lawful-source records and the offering documents settle those points.
EB-5 requires qualifying capital placed at risk and an employment outcome meeting the program's standard; it is not established by a signed subscription alone. Confirm that the project qualifies for the claimed targeted-employment-area or infrastructure amount before wiring funds, rather than accepting a marketing summary.