The current official FAQ lists a $1 million individual gift and a nonrefundable $15,000 DHS processing fee; State Department visa fees and a medical-examination cost may also apply. Each included spouse or unmarried child under 21 currently requires another processing fee and gift, and private intermediary charges are separate. Re-verify every amount before paying.
Official program charges and private intermediary fees are separate
Hypothetical example: the operator is quoted a single all-inclusive price by a consultant and never learns how it breaks down. Insist on the breakdown. The core official amounts are the nonrefundable DHS processing fee and, after successful vetting, the gift to the U.S.
government, which does not come back. The official FAQ also says that State Department visa fees and medical-examination charges may apply. Those official amounts should be paid only as official instructions direct.
Whatever the intermediary charges for services is a private contract and should be evaluated like any other professional engagement: what is delivered, what happens if the application fails, and what is refundable. Verify refund terms for every official amount in current official material rather than asking the party being paid. Then ask the harder question: whether this expenditure achieves what the household actually wants, compared with routes tied to work or investment.