It is not a conventional visa category. The official framework describes a gift to the U.S. government and a processing fee operating in connection with existing employment-based immigrant classifications, which continue to apply on their own terms.
Find the classification underneath
The most useful first step is to ignore the payment entirely and ask what immigrant classification the applicant would qualify under. Employment-based first and second preference categories have their own substantive requirements about the nature of the applicant's ability, achievements, or the position and employer involved. Assess that honestly. If a plausible basis exists, the payment framework becomes a question about process and cost. If no plausible basis exists, the framework does not create one, and no amount of money changes that analysis. This sequencing also protects against a second error, which is treating the programme as though it were an investor category. There is no business, no capital at risk and no job creation in the gift framework, so an adviser who describes it in EB-5 vocabulary has not read the official materials.
Hypothetical example: A retired patent examiner wants to use the Gold Card programme after selling a portfolio of licensing rights. The first review should produce two distinct files: official programme conditions and the evidence for the immigrant classification the applicant will rely on. Sale contracts and bank records may explain the lawful source of payment, but they do not prove an underlying immigration criterion. The applicant must personally make the required payment to the U.S. government under the current official instructions; it is not an investment in a company and Gold Card is not a conventional visa category. Confirm eligibility, admissibility, and payment mechanics before any irreversible transfer.