That is a judgement call, but the US$15,000 processing fee is non-refundable and is charged for each person included. Paying first means committing money before knowing whether admissibility is a real obstacle. Request a written quote for the history review and compare that scope with the US$60,000 processing component for four people.
Sequencing the spend
A family of four following the individual route reaches US$4,060,000 in fees and gifts combined, with immigrant visa costs, medical examinations and professional fees on top of that. Representation can normally be quoted in writing before you commit, so ask what a history review covers and what it excludes. Only the US$15,000 processing fee is expressly described as non-refundable; treat other amounts on their own terms.
Payment splitting does not change the published gift or processing amounts. In EB-5 the money is placed in a commercial enterprise, must remain at risk through the conditional period, must generate ten jobs and may be returned if the project succeeds; the investor also pays administrative and legal fees and takes commercial risk. The processing fee is nonrefundable by its own terms, which means it is spent whether or not vetting is passed and whether or not the application succeeds. Obtain the official instructions, the identity of each applicant or included relative, and a written breakdown that distinguishes government charges from private services.