The official page describes no reservation deposit; it describes a processing fee, vetting and a gift on official instruction. A private deposit is outside that sequence, and only the official process determines whether an applicant proceeds.
There is no stage called reservation in the published sequence
As checked on September 7, 2026, the official page sets out a processing fee of US$15,000 per person that is nonrefundable, followed by vetting, followed by a gift of US$1,000,000 for an individual or US$2,000,000 for a corporate sponsor, made after successful vetting and on official instruction, with separate fees and gifts for each joining spouse and unmarried child under 21. It connects the program to eligibility under an existing employment-based immigrant classification, so admissibility and visa availability continue to apply. Nowhere in that sequence is a deposit paid to a private party to hold a place.
A Paradise applicant offered such a deposit should ask where in the official process it fits and should not pay until he can see the answer on the official page. Even a legitimate adviser's retainer for professional work is a separate matter from the program's own payments and should be described as such. The amounts above must be re-verified on the official page before any money moves.