Identify which version supports the planned step
Hypothetical example: an applicant has a months-old fee worksheet while a adviser provides a newer official instruction. Record the dates and the actual source of each. Do not treat an undated screenshot or promotional summary as the controlling current process. Check the live official framework and payment directions again immediately before transferring money. Hypothetical example: a marine-insurance brokerage owner receives a private invoice that calls itself a Gold Card reservation payment. The responsible decision is to stop and compare the recipient, amount and stage against the current official instructions. An intermediary’s invoice cannot convert a private transfer into the government-required payment.
Keep the payment types distinct
The official description includes a nonrefundable processing fee and a gift after successful vetting. It is not an EB-5 investment or a promise of return. Published charges exist and should be checked directly; payment does not produce automatic residence or citizenship. Before paying, confirm who must pay, the government recipient, the payment stage, and what follow-up evidence is required. Keep a receipt together with the instruction that authorized it. A payment confirmation cannot establish all immigration requirements or an included relative’s independent eligibility.
Review the individual and family facts
Identify the applicant, current arrangement and any included family members’ own steps and costs. A change in a web page does not automatically decide an existing case; use official correspondence and applicable instructions. Avoid guessing either retroactive effects or guaranteed timing from a general update. Where family participation is contemplated, list each intended person and verify the actual relationship and age facts at the time the program requires them. Keep a separate cost and document line for each rather than spreading a household estimate across everyone. A later family change may require a new assessment, not a retroactive alteration of a prior application.
Use the current individual, corporate and family amounts
The official FAQ checked September 7, 2026 states a nonrefundable US$15,000 DHS processing fee per person. After successful vetting, the principal gift is US$1 million for an individual or US$2 million per corporate-sponsored employee. Each eligible joining spouse or unmarried child under 21 adds US$15,000 and a US$1 million gift, including in corporate cases. Corporate terms describe 1% annual maintenance and a 5% transfer fee including a new DHS background check. Reuse of a prior corporate principal gift under the official process is not automatic approval of a replacement employee. Additional State Department and medical costs may apply; verify current instructions for the actual proposal. Treat published corporate terms as distinct from an individual application. The first review should identify the sponsor, employee, funding responsibility and any later replacement proposal without assuming a company payment erases the employee’s individual screening. Preserve the official notice and all changed facts for the arrangement actually used.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.