The current official program page lists a nonrefundable $15,000 DHS processing fee for an individual and, after successful vetting, a $1 million gift; the corporate amounts are $15,000 and $2 million per sponsored employee. Current amounts and all payment or refund terms must be re-verified on the official site immediately before money moves.
Read the numbers from the source, not from a slide
There is a simple discipline that avoids most of the trouble in this area: never accept a number about this program from anyone who is not the official source, and check the number again on the day money would move. A gift is not an investment and should not be planned for as one; the household should be able to absorb the amount without depending on its return. Ask counsel to explain, in writing, exactly what would be paid, to whom, at what stage, and what happens to each amount if the application is unsuccessful. Any pressure to move quickly because terms are about to change is a reason to slow down and verify, not a reason to send funds.
Hypothetical example: Irene, a stage-rigging business owner, is offered a bundled price that does not identify the gift payment separately. Her budget should list the official nonrefundable processing fee, the unrestricted gift requested after vetting, any separate family-member obligations, State Department or medical charges, and private professional fees as different items. The gift is made through the official government process for deposit in the U.S. Treasury; it is not an EB-5 investment or a broker’s product. Irene should reconcile every payee with current program instructions before transmitting funds. A bundled private invoice cannot prove what the government requires and should not be treated as an official total.