Read the general immigrant investor briefing overview
Hypothetical example: a retired owner from Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel holds proceeds from farmland and a trucking company and wants U.S. residence for herself and her husband. EB-5 would put US$800,000 or US$1,050,000 to work in a business that must create ten jobs, with the capital possibly returned. Gold Card would send a US$1 million gift per person to the U.S. government after a nonrefundable fee and vetting, with nothing returned. The choice is about risk, work and reversibility.
EB-5 asks for a business and ten jobs
The 2022 reform law sets qualifying capital at US$1,050,000 generally and US$800,000 for a targeted employment area or infrastructure project, with adjustments scheduled beginning in 2027. The capital must be the investor's own, traced from the land and company sales, and placed at risk in a new commercial enterprise. A direct investment requires ten full-time employees on payroll; a regional-center project counts modelled jobs and asks only for a policy-making role. Residence is conditional for two years, with Form I-829 filed in the 90 days before the second anniversary removes conditions on proof that the capital stayed invested and the jobs were created. The spouse rides as a derivative at ordinary immigrant-visa fees. The capital may come back when the project ends, or it may be lost.
Gold Card asks for a fee, vetting and a gift
The official program page and FAQ, read September 7, 2026, describe a nonrefundable US$15,000 processing fee per applicant, vetting and then a US$1 million gift to the U.S. government for an individual, with the same fee and gift for each joining spouse or child under 21, and a corporate track at US$2 million per employee that does not apply to a retiree. Successful applicants proceed under EB-1 or EB-2, whose eligibility rules and visa limits still apply. No business, no jobs, no return of funds and no economic interest are involved; the gift is not an investment. The terms are published by the program and may change, so the page must be checked again before each payment.
Decide on what each requires from a retiree
For a couple, EB-5 costs one investment covering both spouses, requires a business or project chosen and monitored for two years, and may return the capital. Gold Card costs two fees and two gifts under the published terms, requires no business, and leaves nothing to recover; it also still requires the applicant to fit EB-1 or EB-2, which a retired owner should ask about before paying. Neither route is faster for being more expensive; both end in an immigrant process governed by visa availability. Document the land and company sales fully in either case, because both routes examine the money. Take no irreversible step until the requirement it satisfies has been confirmed against the current official source.
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: 2026-09-07. General preparation guidance, not an individual assessment.