IN THIS GUIDE · Ask the intermediary the questions the official Gold Card page answers before any Boischatel money moves
Start with the GOLD CARD eligibility and application overview
Read the official page yourself, then compare it with what you were told
Hypothetical example: a Boischatel physiotherapy clinic owner is contacted by an intermediary offering to handle a Gold Card application for a package fee. Before responding, she reads the official FAQ and writes down the fee, the gift amount, the family treatment and the steps described there. Any difference between the official text and the intermediary's summary is the first question to put back to the intermediary. Official terms can change, and the page is the record, not the pitch. Hypothetical example: a Boischatel independent cinema operator is offered a reimbursement by a U.S. distributor after she makes the gift payment. Before accepting, she must establish that she will make the payment to the U.S. government, read the reimbursement promise for repayment or employment conditions, and obtain tax advice. A promotional email is not the record that settles those points; the current official instructions and the signed funding terms do.
Distinguish the gift from an investment in kind and in consequence
A gift to the U.S. government is not returned, produces no return and creates no ownership. EB-5 capital is invested in an enterprise, is at risk, and may be repaid if the business succeeds. Comparing the two as prices for the same outcome misstates both. Tax treatment, estate consequences and the effect on retirement planning differ, and a financial adviser and a tax professional should look at the gift before it is made.
Keep the legal eligibility questions separate from the payment
Paying the processing fee does not create eligibility. The applicant must still be admissible to the United States, must fit the underlying classification the program uses, and must have a visa number available. Prior immigration history, criminal records and health grounds are examined in the vetting the program describes. Nobody should be told, and no Boischatel applicant should assume, that a payment settles those questions.
Count the household and the calendar
The official page describes separate amounts for each accompanying family member. Build the total per person, then ask what happens to a payment if a family member is refused or a child turns 21 before residence is granted. Ask for the current processing description and treat any promised timeline with caution, because the program's own materials are the only reliable statement of process, and they are dated.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.