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CHARLEMAGNE · GOLD CARD FIELD GUIDE

Does an employer’s employee-only budget include the spouse and children automatically?

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THE DIRECT ANSWER

No. Confirm which intended eligible relatives are actually included and funded. The official FAQ says to include the joining spouse and unmarried children under 21 in the initial application.

Calculate the family separately from the employee

Each eligible joining relative currently adds US$15,000 plus a US$1 million gift, including under corporate sponsorship. Those amounts are not absorbed into the employee’s US$2 million gift, and payment does not establish each person’s eligibility.

Each joining family member carries a separate fee and gift under the published terms, and a child near 21 needs the age rules reviewed under the category used. The usual child criteria include being unmarried and under 21, with any applicable CSPA protection assessed individually. On the individual route the principal pays a processing fee and makes a gift of one million dollars; a spouse adds a further fee and a further million; each unmarried child under twenty-one does the same. A first review should separate the official charge, the required gift, each family member's expense, and any private professional fee so that a household can make a real funding decision. Review whether each family member is eligible for inclusion and whether the sponsor’s arrangement changes any private obligation without misdescribing the government sequence.

SOURCES FOR THIS ANSWER