No private benefit waives the published addition for an eligible included spouse.
Confirm coverage and eligibility separately
Each eligible included spouse or child adds US$1 million plus US$15,000 nonrefundable processing, including corporate cases. The employer’s willingness to pay does not establish the family member’s eligibility. Eligible children generally must be unmarried and under 21; assess any applicable CSPA protection on the individual case facts.
Assess each relative’s relationship, age, marital status, admissibility, and visa availability before budgeting programme amounts. The principal first submits the online application and pays DHS a nonrefundable US$15,000 processing fee. Once settlement occurs, the next USCIS prompt concerns I-140G, the immigrant petition used for this programme. Successful vetting must occur before the government requests the principal’s US$1 million contribution; included eligible relatives carry the published additional gift and processing obligations. An employer family benefit waives none of them. Re-verify portal instructions before money moves. Gold Card uses EB-1 or EB-2 classification, not EB-5 investment rules, and payment cannot make an ineligible spouse, a child who remains over 21 after any applicable CSPA calculation, or a married child qualify.
Hypothetical example: a Magog renewable-energy engineer’s employer offers a relocation allowance covering her husband’s legal expenses. The couple should keep that allowance separate, collect their marriage record, and confirm his inclusion and programme charges before paying. Her I-140G evidence remains the principal case record. The employer’s generosity neither replaces her husband’s official processing and gift steps nor guarantees immigrant eligibility.