Use accurate birth, relationship and actual case records for the applicable eligibility assessment.
Preserve the real dates
Do not change or omit a date to fit a desired result. A family summary should distinguish known events from proposed steps and support the case-specific age analysis.
Build a child-specific chronology before payment: long-form birth record, passports, custody or adoption evidence where relevant, marital-status records, prior filings, and exact dates needed for any CSPA review. Citizenship and Canadian permanent residence must be recorded as different facts. First submit the online application with each applicant's nonrefundable US$15,000 DHS processing payment; once it settles, USCIS sends a request to complete Form I-140G, formally the “Immigrant Petition for the Gold Card Program,” and supply evidence. The government asks for a US$1 million post-vetting gift to the United States. Gold Card uses EB-1 or EB-2 classification and is never EB-5 investment capital. Verify official instructions again before any transfer. The mistake is relying on a family spreadsheet without source records.
Hypothetical example: an Orford medical-device inventor has a stepdaughter nearing 21 whose birth certificate, the parents' marriage record, and older passport use different surnames. The family should obtain authoritative records and a concise explanation rather than omit the variation. Her awards and invention evidence belong with the principal's I-140G response; the child's relationship and age documents belong in a distinct derivative section. Paying processing before resolving the discrepancy does not preserve eligibility, and no gift should be sent ahead of the post-vetting request.