No. The official materials describe a distinct framework based on a gift to the U.S. government plus a processing fee. The immigrant investor route remains its own statutory process with its own requirements.
Two frameworks, not one with two prices
The investor route is defined by statute and regulation and requires qualifying capital invested and at risk in a new commercial enterprise, creation of at least ten full-time positions for qualifying United States workers, a documented lawful source of funds, engagement in management or policy formulation, and a conditional period followed by a petition to remove conditions. The Gold Card framework is described on official government materials in its own terms and should be read there. Treating one as a substitute for the other leads people to skip the questions that actually decide eligibility, and it also leads them to assume that an obligation they have read about in one context applies in the other. Read each framework on its own official source and compare only after that.
Hypothetical example: A Canadian publisher is told that a Gold Card payment will automatically convert a business visitor’s current plans into long-term permission to work. The first review should separate the official framework from the person’s present immigration status and proposed activities. Current government material, not a sales explanation, settles what the framework offers. The applicant must decide whether its stated requirements fit the household’s goal before paying. A payment by the applicant to the U.S. government is not a conventional visa and does not authorize work through an intermediary’s promise.