IN THIS GUIDE · Decide whether you want permanent residence before you pay for it
Start with the GOLD CARD eligibility and application overview
State the current official terms
The official FAQ checked September 7, 2026 sets a nonrefundable US$15,000 processing fee per applicant. After successful vetting, an individual principal makes a US$1 million gift to the U.S. government; a corporate-sponsored employee's gift is US$2 million. Each joining spouse or unmarried child under 21 adds a US$15,000 fee and a US$1 million gift. Additional State Department and medical-examination costs apply. Under the official framework and Executive Order 14351, the qualifying gift is treated as evidence relevant to the specified EB-1 or EB-2 basis; the applicant must still be eligible for lawful permanent residence, admissible and have a visa available. The gift is not an investment, is not returned, and is not EB-5 capital. A successful result is permanent residence, not U.S. citizenship, and the Gold Card is not a conventional visa category of its own. Re-verify every figure and term on the official page before any money moves.
Understand what permanent residence obliges
A lawful permanent resident is expected to live in the United States. Prolonged absences, particularly a pattern of spending more time in Canada than in the United States, can lead to a finding that residence has been abandoned, and a reentry permit only partly addresses that. Permanent residents are also U.S. tax residents on worldwide income and must file U.S. returns; the interaction with Canadian residence and farmland income needs a cross-border tax adviser before, not after, the application. A farmer who intends to keep his primary home in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade is describing a visitor, not a resident.
Compare with what a visitor already has
Canadian citizens generally do not need a visa to visit the United States, and admission for tourism is commonly granted for up to six months at a time, at the discretion of the inspecting officer. A visitor may not work, may not stay indefinitely, and must maintain a residence abroad, which is exactly this farmer's situation. If his plan is six months of winter each year with his home and land in Québec, the visitor route already fits, and the Gold Card would add obligations he does not want. If instead he intends to move permanently, keep only a rental income in Canada and eventually bring his spouse, the Gold Card comparison becomes real.
Avoid treating payment as an unlimited travel entitlement
Because official details, availability, eligibility, and processing instructions may change, applicants should keep an official dated copy and avoid treating promotional summaries as controlling. Before payment, the review should identify the person who will pay, the exact official instruction relied on, the fee and gift components, and the records relevant to eligibility and admissibility. Treat each listed family member as a separately funded commitment, and confirm the current official instructions before any payment because private summaries may omit conditions or changes.
Sources reviewed 2026-09-07. This guide covers a preparation focus; it is not an individual eligibility assessment.