Keep the alternatives explicit until the actual case is selected: US$1 million individually or US$2 million corporately, plus processing.
Do not blend incompatible assumptions
Include relevant family additions and corporate conditions where applicable. A private reimbursement cap should not be used to invent a lower official gift requirement. The processing charge is US$15,000 per person and nonrefundable; follow the actual official payment instructions.
Build two budgets until the arrangement is chosen: the individual path and the separate corporate-sponsorship terms. On the individual path, the applicant files online and pays DHS the nonrefundable US$15,000 processing charge; on the corporate path, the corporate sponsor files online and pays that charge per employee. Once payment settles, USCIS asks for the supporting I-140G immigrant petition. Only completed vetting produces instructions for an individual applicant to make the US$1 million government gift. Record family additions, private reimbursements, and government obligations independently, and confirm current portal directions before sending funds. The gift is not recoverable business equity or EB-5 capital, and the programme relies on EB-1 or EB-2 classification rather than purchasing a conventional visa outcome.
Hypothetical example: a Magog ceramics-studio founder may apply individually or accept sponsorship from a larger design company that offers to cover costs. Her worksheet should state each alternative’s official processing, gift, family, and corporate conditions without averaging them into one invented principal amount. She should choose the sponsor structure first, then follow the corresponding instructions. Neither a reimbursement cap nor an internal company budget changes what the government requests.