The Gold Card does not replace the statutory definition of an adopted child. A decree and current age below 21 are not sufficient by themselves: review the age at adoption, custody and shared-residence history against the applicable definition and any exception. Paying the fee cannot cure a relationship that does not qualify.
What 'legally established' has to look like on paper
Take a Bois-des-Filion couple who adopted two children in different countries, years apart, under two different legal systems. Each adoption stands or falls on its own record. Before a US$1,000,000 gift is instructed for anyone, it is worth having both files read by a qualified representative against the current instructions, because the answer for one child does not carry over to the other and a payment does not repair a relationship that was never documented.
Gold Card eligibility still requires the applicable EB-1 or EB-2 classification, admissibility, and visa availability; a new document number neither clears prior history nor supplies work authorization. The official framework involves government vetting and an eligibility determination under an existing immigrant category, and any ground of inadmissibility, such as immigration violations, criminal history or security concerns, applies regardless of the payment.