Read the general immigrant investor briefing overview
Hypothetical example: Ondrej has sold a business and is comparing the immigrant investor route with the Gold Card framework from Saint-Alphonse-de-Granby. He has been shown both as prices. That is the wrong axis. One route asks him to prove where every dollar came from and what it will build; the other asks him to pass vetting and then give money away. The evidential burden, not the figure, is what should decide it.
What the investor route asks him to prove
Qualifying capital of US$1,050,000, or US$800,000 for a qualifying targeted employment area or infrastructure investment, with statutory adjustment provided for from 1 January 2027. The capital must be at risk, and its lawful source and path must be documented back to original events. At least ten full-time jobs for qualifying American workers must be created and attributable to his investment. He must be engaged in the enterprise's management or policy formulation. Success brings two years of conditional permanent residence, ended by a further petition on Form I-829 supported by evidence that the investment and the jobs are real.
What the Gold Card framework asks him to pay
A nonrefundable processing fee of US$15,000 per person, then background vetting, then, if vetting succeeds, a gift of US$1 million to the U.S. government, or US$2 million where a corporate sponsor gives for an employee, with a further fee and a further US$1 million for each accompanying spouse or unmarried child under 21. The gift runs from him to the U.S. government; nothing is given to him. There is no enterprise, no job-creation test and no return. Applicants proceed under existing EB-1 or EB-2 classifications, so eligibility, admissibility and visa availability still govern the outcome.
Two different exposures, and neither is a purchase of status
Under the investor route his exposure is the project: capital at risk for years, jobs that may not materialize on schedule, and a second petition to support on facts that can change. Under the Gold Card framework his exposure is eligibility and finality: money that cannot be recovered and a classification he must independently satisfy. They should never be described as the same product at different prices, and the gift should never be called an investment. Before either, Ondrej should have a licensed United States immigration attorney confirm current amounts, current official terms and his own admissibility, and he should read the official pages himself on a dated copy.
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.