Read the general immigrant investor briefing overview
A Léry household may compare an EB-5 project with Gold Card using a single available-funds figure. Identify the transaction and eligible people first; similar amounts do not create the same financial or immigration conditions. Begin by writing down which people are involved in each option, because the two are counted differently: an EB-5 case has one investor with derivatives, while the Gold Card amounts are stated per person from the outset.
Preserve the EB-5 investment requirements
Current capital is US$1.05 million or US$800,000 for a qualifying targeted-employment-area or infrastructure case, with statutory adjustments from January 1, 2027 under applicable petition-filing-date rules. Establish lawful source and path, capital at risk, ten qualifying full-time jobs per investor and management or policy participation. Eligible derivatives are not separate principal investors merely because they accompany. Note also what the money does in each case. EB-5 capital goes into a commercial enterprise and stays exposed to loss, which is the point of the requirement, so it cannot be treated as a reserve the household might later draw on.
Use the official Gold Card sequence and amounts
Processing is US$15,000 nonrefundable per person. Successful vetting and official instructions precede the principal gift of US$1 million individually or US$2 million for a corporate-sponsored employee. Intended eligible family should be identified initially; each joining eligible spouse or unmarried child under 21 adds US$1 million and US$15,000. EB-1 or EB-2 eligibility, admissibility and visa availability remain applicable. Hypothetical example: a household whose funds came from selling a hydrographic survey business assumes vetting can begin while the sale's final payment is outstanding. Record what is actually available today, since the sequence proceeds on official instructions rather than on a household's expectations.
Keep later obligations and outcomes separate
Corporate terms include 1% annual maintenance and a 5% transfer fee with a new background check, without guaranteed replacement approval. The gift is not a promised investment return. EB-5 conditional residence begins through immigrant-visa admission or adjustment approval; I-829 is generally filed in the 90 days before its second anniversary. A payment or filing does not itself guarantee repayment or removal of conditions. Ask what each option requires after the initial payment as well: continuing obligations, further amounts and the evidence each of those would need. An option chosen on its entry figure alone can be the more expensive one over the period that matters.
Build two separate funding worksheets
For the EB-5 proposal, record the investor’s actual commercial commitment, any project administration charges, the source of each transfer and the amount still available for household needs. For Gold Card, record the named principal and intended relatives, their processing charges and the later gifts separately. Add an explicit line for funds already committed elsewhere. A bank balance should not be counted twice simply because two options are being compared. Leave uncertain releases or refunds marked as unresolved until the actual agreement and transaction support them. Finally, mark every figure on the worksheet as confirmed or estimated, with the date it was checked and its source. A worksheet that mixes the two silently is the one that produces a shortfall at the moment the money is required.
What else is on your mind?
Does an EB-5 immigration review tell me whether an investment is good?Is the Gold Card another name for EB-5?Should I assume one Gold Card payment covers my family?Editorial source review: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.