The current official individual amounts are a nonrefundable US$15,000 DHS processing fee and, after successful vetting and instructions, a US$1 million gift. Re-verify the applicable principal, family and corporate terms immediately before paying.
Re-verify at the moment of payment
Open the official material immediately before payment and verify the processing fee, gift and any family or corporate charges separately. Under the current individual terms, the DHS processing fee is US$15,000 per person and nonrefundable; after successful vetting and official instructions, the principal makes a US$1 million gift. Each eligible joining spouse or unmarried child under twenty-one currently adds the same fee and gift, including in corporate-sponsored cases. The gift is not an EB-5 investment and produces no ownership interest or return. Budget separately for professional, tax, medical and other official charges, and do not treat gifted money and invested capital as equivalent merely because their headline amounts can be compared.
Before payment, prepare a written comparison of the gift amount, any separate processing amount, tax advice, document preparation, and relocation costs. Current official instructions settle the first two; engagement letters settle professional costs. The decision is whether the applicant can make an unrestricted, unrecoverable payment without impairing other obligations. It should not be compared to an investment merely because both decisions involve a large transfer. Hypothetical example: an adaptive-clothing entrepreneur keeps a reserve for business taxes and family expenses instead of treating the entire liquidity event as available for a government gift.