IN THIS GUIDE · Chargeability, multiple passports and a renamed birth country in a Boisbriand Gold Card file
Start with the GOLD CARD eligibility and application overview
A passport is not a queue position
Holding several citizenships does not let an applicant pick the most convenient waiting list. Under the official process, USCIS determines the EB-1 or EB-2 category and visa availability follows the rules of chargeability, which are applied to the facts on record rather than to whichever passport is presented first. Listing every citizenship truthfully is part of the file; it is not a shortcut to a shorter queue.
Birth history when the country's name changed
A birth record issued under a former state name is not a defect. The file should show the place as it was recorded and as it is known today, supported by the civil documents the USCIS instructions call for with Form I-140G. Where a government notice or a record conflicts with the underlying facts, raise the discrepancy and document it — notices can contain errors, and repeating one does not make it correct. The first review should place the birth certificate, any name-change record, the passport data page, and the intended chargeability analysis in one table. The decision is whether a discrepancy needs correction, explanation, or both before a filing repeats it across multiple forms.
A spouse's birthplace is not an automatic fix
Cross-chargeability exists in immigrant visa practice, but it is claimed on the record for a legally married spouse who is actually accompanying or following to join, and it is assessed by the deciding officer. Treating it as a guaranteed adjustment before anyone has reviewed the marriage evidence and the category determination is how a plan built around a date collapses. Hypothetical example: a pipe-organ builder expects to rely on a spouse’s chargeability, but the spouse may remain abroad for a separate contract. The records must establish the marriage and the actual accompanying or following-to-join plan. The decision is whether to claim cross-chargeability on those facts or plan using the principal’s own chargeability.
Money moves in dollars; the queue does not move with it
All program amounts are stated in US dollars: US$15,000 non-refundable processing per person, and a US$1,000,000 qualifying gift for an individual principal, paid only when instructed after successful vetting. Where funds sit in another currency, conversion is a banking question. It does not change category determination, chargeability or visa availability, and the qualifying gift is evidence of a specified benefit — not equity and not a return.
Compare the consequences with other permanent-residence routes
Official instructions let a corporate sponsor apply a prior US$2 million gift toward sponsoring a different employee, subject to new vetting and the transfer requirements in force at the time. Successful eligible applicants receive permanent residence through EB-1 or EB-2 as determined by the authorities and subject to visa availability.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.