No. The gift, per the official FAQ recorded September 7, 2026, is US$1 million plus a US$15,000 nonrefundable fee, given to the U.S. government and not returned. EB-5 capital is invested at risk in a job-creating enterprise and may be returned or lost.
Four columns, honestly filled
Put the two side by side under four headings: what is paid, to whom, whether it can come back, and what it produces. The Gold Card column shows a nonrefundable processing fee and a gift to the U.S. government, described as leading to an EB-1 or EB-2 classification for an eligible, admissible applicant when a visa is available; nothing comes back and nothing is earned.
The EB-5 column shows capital at the qualifying threshold placed at risk in a new commercial enterprise, plus fees and government charges, leading to two-year conditional residence and a removal-of-conditions petition based on ten jobs; the capital may be returned years later or may be lost. Add a fifth row for tax, because a gift and an investment are treated differently and a cross-border adviser is needed for either. Neither column contains a guaranteed outcome.
A consultant with a Québec business should also ask what permanent U.S. residence does to that business, since it changes where he is taxed, whichever door he uses.