Trump launches gold card visa program with a $1mln price tag

President Donald Trump on Wednesday unveiled the “Trump Gold Card,” a new fast-track immigration pathway that allows foreign nationals to secure expedited US residency in exchange for a $1 million contribution.

Speaking at a White House roundtable, Trump described the initiative as “very exciting” for both the country and his administration.

The official portal, trumpcard.gov, went live the same afternoon, offering what it calls “US residency in record time.”

According to the website, applicants must pay a $15,000 processing fee to the Department of Homeland Security, followed—after background clearance—by a $1 million contribution to qualify for accelerated processing.

Processing time

The online portal states that once all documents are submitted, the approval process will take “weeks,” and will include a visa interview. Additional State Department fees may apply depending on the applicant’s case.

Successful applicants will obtain lawful permanent residency under the EB-1 or EB-2 employment-based categories, which are typically reserved for individuals with “extraordinary” or “exceptional” abilities.

Platinum tier

The administration also teased a premium option: the “Trump Platinum Card.”
For $5 million, eligible foreign nationals will reportedly be able to spend up to 270 days a year in the United States without being subject to U.S. taxes on non-U.S. income.

The website encourages interested individuals to join a waiting list but does not specify when the platinum tier will launch.

Immigration policy shift controversy 

The “Gold Card” rollout comes at a time when Trump has significantly tightened both legal and illegal avenues of entry into the U.S., following the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C.

Trump first floated the proposal in February as a pathway to citizenship for wealthy foreigners. He later signed an executive order in September directing the program’s creation with similar financial terms.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said earlier this year that the initiative would effectively modify the government’s existing EB-5 immigrant investor program, which requires foreign investors to fund job-creating U.S. projects in exchange for visa eligibility.

“We will modify the EB-5 agreement,” Lutnick said at the time. “For $5 million, they’ll get a license from the Department of Commerce. Then they’ll make a proper investment.”

Immigration law experts, however, have noted that scrapping or fundamentally altering the EB-5 program would require congressional approval.

Despite those challenges, Trump has suggested the administration could sell millions of gold cards, and Lutnick has previously claimed the plan could raise $1 trillion to help reduce the national debt.

Lutnick has been openly critical of the traditional green-card system, arguing it brings in what he termed the “bottom quartile” of immigrants.
“We’re going to only take extraordinary people at the very top,” he said.