Read the general immigrant investor briefing overview
A Stony Plain applicant may use family funds for either route, but the recipient and legal purpose remain different. A parental gift to the applicant is not itself the Gold Card government gift or a completed EB-5 investment.
Trace the EB-5 contribution
Identify the actual funding agreement and lawful source, then follow the capital to the enterprise. Current EB-5 capital is US$1,050,000, or US$800,000 for a qualifying targeted employment area or infrastructure project; statutory adjustments begin January 1, 2027, so use the amount for the filing. Establish lawful at-risk capital, at least ten qualifying permanent full-time jobs per investor under the applicable direct or regional-center method, and managerial or policy-formulation participation. Direct positions require at least 35 hours weekly; contractors, nonimmigrants and the investor, spouse, sons or daughters are excluded from qualifying employees. Gifted or borrowed capital needs lawful-source evidence and a good-faith arrangement that does not circumvent restrictions on permissible capital sources. Contractual repayment rights and guaranteed rates of return are excluded. An option exercisable solely at the enterprise’s discretion has a narrow exception: its exercise requires petition withdrawal unless sustainment and the other statutory requirements have been fulfilled.
Identify the instructed government payment
Current official terms are US$15,000 nonrefundable processing per person, followed after successful vetting and instructions by a US$1 million individual-principal gift or US$2 million per corporate-sponsored employee. Each intended eligible joining spouse or unmarried child under 21 adds US$15,000 and a US$1 million gift, including corporately; initial inclusion is recommended. Corporate terms include 1% annual maintenance and 5% transfer with a new background check; a replacement employee is not automatically approved. The EB-1 or EB-2 result remains subject to eligibility, admissibility and visa availability. Preserve the actual post-vetting instructions and recipient; a private family transfer does not replace them. The government gift is not commercial capital with a promised repayment or yield.
Keep the family and residence stages separate
Petition approval or payment is not residence or present work permission. EB-5 conditional residence begins at immigrant admission or adjustment approval; I-829 is generally filed in the 90 days before its second anniversary. A funding parent does not become an EB-5 derivative merely by providing capital. Derivative relationships generally concern an eligible spouse and unmarried children under 21, subject to applicable age protection. Neither family funding nor a government payment promises immigration approval, investment success or a tax result.
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: 2026-09-08. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.
- USCIS — EB-5 investor program
- USCIS — business and investment visa overview
- USCIS — Child Status Protection Act
- Department of State — Visa Bulletin
- USCIS — fee schedule
- Current EB5 capital statute; not obsolete regulatory thresholds
- Direct qualifying employees and full-time positions
- Official U.S. government Gold Card FAQ