IN THIS GUIDE · Keep a corporate replacement proposal separate from the current employee’s case
Start with the GOLD CARD eligibility and application overview
Identify the employee the company actually proposes
The corporate route concerns a sponsor applying for one or more employees. Document the real proposed arrangement and distinguish the current candidate from a possible future replacement. Neither a job vacancy nor an internal nomination establishes the new person’s immigration eligibility. Obtain the current corporate terms before promising portability to an employee. A replacement case needs its own identity, eligibility, screening, and instructions. The business decision is whether the sponsor is prepared for a new process if the selected person changes, not whether a prepaid amount can be treated as a reusable employment benefit.
Understand current and continuing payments
Current published processing is US$15,000 nonrefundable per person. After successful vetting and instructions, the corporate principal gift is US$2 million; the individual principal amount is US$1 million. Corporate terms include an annual 1% fee and a 5% transfer fee that includes a new background check. A transfer charge is not a guarantee of replacement approval. Separate each stage on a payment ledger: application processing, vetting outcome, official payment instruction, and any continuing corporate charge. Preserve the issuer, date, recipient, and purpose for every transfer. This avoids a common error in which an intermediary invoice is mistaken for evidence that the required gift payment has been made.
Keep individual and household conditions in scope
Gold Card remains subject to EB-1 or EB-2 eligibility, admissibility and visa availability. Identify the intended eligible spouse and unmarried children under 21 initially. Each joining eligible relative adds US$1 million and US$15,000. Do not assume a successor employee has the same family composition or case circumstances as the first candidate. Review the intended family list before a household commits to an amount. Age, marital status, the relationship, and the timing of joining can affect who is eligible under the published terms. The decision is whether the proposed family plan matches the route being pursued, not whether a company has budgeted a single headline figure.
Follow the official payment sequence and individual amounts
Follow the official instructions received for the gift instead of sending assets to a wallet address supplied by an unverified message. The framework operates through existing employment-based permanent residence classifications rather than creating a new one, with successful applicants proceeding under the first or second employment-based preference. Anything read here, or in any brochure, should be checked against the official government programme page and its frequently asked questions immediately before a payment is authorised, and a dated copy of that page should be kept with the file. The applicant must be eligible for the immigrant classification the authorities assign, must pass background vetting, must be admissible to the United States and must have a visa number available. Prior immigration history, criminal records and health grounds are examined in the vetting the program describes.
Identify whether the individual or corporate track applies
Take everything you have been sent and split it into three columns: claims the official instructions state today, claims about a tier that has not been released, and claims you cannot trace to either. The official instruction, receipt, and identity of the donor settle the gift record; the underlying EB-1 or EB-2 evidence still settles whether an immigrant visa or adjustment can be granted consistent with law. Keep invoices, notices, and payment proof tied to the actual payer and recipient; a projected corporate contribution is not the same as an individual's completed payment. Every amount and term must be re-verified on the official page before money moves.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.