IN THIS GUIDE · Ask what the payment buys, and what it does not, before any transfer
Start with the GOLD CARD eligibility and application overview
State what the program is in one sentence
The official framework describes a processing fee, a vetting stage and a gift, followed by processing in an existing employment-based immigrant category. It is not a purchase of residence, not a purchase of citizenship and not an EB-5 investment with a job-creation requirement or a prospect of repayment. The gift is treated as evidence for the applicable EB-1 or EB-2 basis, but remaining eligibility, admissibility and visa-availability requirements still apply. Write that sentence down and share it with anyone in the company who is being asked to fund the process.
Individual and corporate arrangements differ
Per the official FAQ as checked on September 7, 2026, the processing fee is US$15,000 per person and the principal gift after vetting is US$1 million for an individual applicant or US$2 million for an employee sponsored by a company. The corporate terms also describe an annual maintenance charge of one percent and a five-percent transfer fee with a new background check if the sponsorship is moved to a replacement employee, and reuse of a corporate gift for a different person is not automatic. These are the figures to re-verify, and the differences between the two tracks are the reason the owner and the company cannot simply pick the cheaper one.
Questions for the company before it pays
Who is the applicant, and does the company or the individual hold the relationship with the program? What is the company's recourse if vetting fails, given that the processing fee is described as nonrefundable? How will the official gift be treated as evidence under the applicable EB-1 or EB-2 basis, and who will prepare the remaining case? What happens to the sponsorship if he leaves for another production company? Is the payment a benefit, a loan or an advance, and how is it documented for tax purposes? None of these are immigration questions in the narrow sense, and all of them need answers before a transfer.
Family members are counted separately
The official FAQ describes each accompanying spouse and unmarried child under twenty-one as adding a processing fee and a further gift, including under corporate sponsorship. A crew member with a spouse and two children therefore involves four fees and four gifts, not one. State Department and medical costs may apply on top. A company offering the program as a benefit should confirm in writing whether it covers the family, and the individual should confirm the family's own eligibility and admissibility, which the payment does not resolve.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.