As of September 7, 2026, the official terms list a US$15,000 nonrefundable processing fee and a US$1 million gift for an individual, with the same additions per family member. The fee is stated to be nonrefundable; the gift is a gift. USCIS and consular fees for the underlying petition are additional.
Treat the whole amount as spent
The published framework describes a processing fee that is nonrefundable and a gift to the U.S. government that, by its nature, is not returned. An applicant should therefore plan as though the entire amount is spent on the day it is paid, and should confirm from the official FAQ at what stage the gift is due relative to vetting and petition approval.
On top of that sit the government fees for the underlying immigrant petition and consular processing under the USCIS fee schedule and Department of State tables, and any professional fees. Because the money is not an investment, no capital-gains, return-of-capital or job-creation analysis applies; the relevant financial advice is about the tax consequences of becoming a U.S. resident while owning a Canadian company, and about the currency exposure of a U.S.-dollar gift.
Do not compare the headline figure with an EB-5 investment as though they were alternatives priced in the same terms; one may come back, the other cannot.