How much should an individual applicant and spouse budget before other costs?

Published gifts total US$2 million and nonrefundable processing fees total US$30,000: US$2.03 million combined, before other expenses.

Avoid paying the same fee twice in a wire estimate

That is an overall budget, not an instruction to wire US$2.03 million after fees were already paid. Follow the actual post-vetting gift directions and keep reimbursement timing separate.

For an individual principal and spouse, map each payment to its stage instead of combining everything into one wire instruction. The online application comes first with a US$15,000 nonrefundable DHS processing fee for each applicant. After a fee settles, USCIS prompts Form I-140G; vetting then follows. Only after vetting does the government request each person’s US$1 million gift to the United States. Thus the programme amounts for two people total US$30,000 in processing fees and US$2 million in gifts, but they are not paid as one undifferentiated transfer. Keep advisory, travel, and conversion expenses outside that figure, and distinguish employer reimbursement timing from government directions. Gold Card currently proceeds through EB-1 or EB-2, not EB-5; the executive order only directs officials to consider a possible future expansion involving EB-5. Re-verify the official instructions before any money moves.

Hypothetical example: A Russell accounting-firm partner and spouse build a budget after the firm offers to reimburse the principal alone following an immigration event. Their ledger should have separate rows for each person’s fee and gift, identify what the employer excludes, and retain proof of each request. They should not resign, borrow, or transmit gifts merely because HR approved the benefit. Form I-140G, vetting, admissibility, visa availability, and private repayment obligation remain separate decision points, with no promised processing time.