Identify the actual payer, recipient, purpose and governing terms for each amount.
Reconcile the promises and receipts
A contract may cover only the provider’s own fee. Preserve actual programme records and do not imply that a private reimbursement changes the government’s nonrefundable processing charge.
Maintain separate folders and a payment ledger for private services and government steps. The official sequence begins with an online application and a US$15,000 nonrefundable processing payment to DHS; keep its portal confirmation and receipt. When USCIS issues the prompt, preserve it with filed Form I-140G and supporting EB-1 or EB-2 evidence. Only after vetting should an official request appear for a gift of US$1 million to the United States. Record payer, recipient, purpose and refund terms for every transfer. A consultant invoice or reimbursement promise is not a government receipt. Gold Card is distinct from EB-5, so never label the gift an investment. Verify instructions afresh before payment.
Hypothetical example: an agricultural-imaging researcher from the Canton of Hatley receives one bundled statement from a document provider. She asks for an itemized contract, retains the provider’s receipt separately and refuses to call that amount a DHS charge. Her government folder will contain the online confirmation, processing receipt, USCIS request, I-140G copy and, later if instructed, government gift evidence. A cross-reference table connects each amount to its true recipient. This recordkeeping prevents a private refund from being mistaken for reversal of a nonrefundable official payment.