Do not assume the stated government processing fee covers a private translation service. Obtain a separate scope and price for the records actually requiring translation, alongside other visa, medical and professional expenses. The fee is non-refundable per person and is distinct from the later instructed gift.
Avoid paying for unnecessary duplication
Identify whether an existing translation satisfies the actual requirements before ordering another. Confirm what certification and completeness are needed. A private package price should not be described as an official programme charge or a guarantee that the evidence will be accepted.
Three kinds of money appear in this route and only two of them reach the government. The US$15,000 processing fee is nonrefundable and charged per person. The US$1 million gift is made by the applicant to the U.S. government, on official instruction and only after vetting — a gift, not a purchase, not a holding expected to return anything, and not capital placed at risk in a business, which is precisely the line separating it from EB-5. Everything else — translators, counsel, medical examinations, courier and travel — is private commercial spending negotiated with a provider, and none of it is an official programme charge however an invoice describes it.
Hypothetical example: an adaptive-kitchen maker is offered an all-inclusive quote folding the processing fee, the gift and professional services into one number payable to a single private account. That structure should stop the transaction. Government amounts are paid through the channels named in official instructions, and an intermediary collecting the government gift into its own account is a reason to take independent advice before anything is transferred.
Ask for a private fee schedule that lists services separately from government amounts, with no service billed as a programme charge. Re-verify every official figure and payment channel on the official program page before any money moves.