Donald Trump’s long-awaited Gold Card has arrived. The Republican administration has officially opened applications for this document, which will serve as a fast track to immigration for obtaining residency — and subsequently citizenship — in the United States. Aimed primarily at wealthy foreigners, this new visa represents one of the most significant changes in legal immigration policy since the president began his second term, and comes amid a broader crackdown on nearly all other forms of entry into the country.
The Gold Card was conceived by Trump and the White House as a mechanism to attract what they consider “global talent,” while seeking to generate substantial revenue for the U.S. government. Announced at the beginning of his second presidency, it was presented through a federal website but had not been activated until Wednesday. The administration describes the initiative as an improved and accelerated version of the traditional Green Card, which grants permanent residency to applicants.
How the Gold Card works
To begin the process, applicants must pay a non-refundable processing fee of $15,000. Once the Department of Homeland Security has reviewed and approved the application, applicants must contribute an additional $1 million, a payment that the administration considers evidence that they will “substantially benefit the United States.”
The official website warns that some individuals may have to pay an extra amount, depending on their circumstances. Companies wishing to bring foreign workers into the country can apply for a corporate version of the card, which requires a contribution of $2 million for each sponsored employee.
The administration claims that the expedited verification process will only take a few weeks in most cases, although applicants from certain countries may experience delays due to a backlog of pending visas. Approved individuals will obtain permanent residency under existing employment-based categories, and the card will be valid in all states and territories.
A replacement for the EB-5
The Gold Card replaces the EB-5 program for immigrant investors, which for more than three decades allowed foreigners to obtain Green Cards if they invested in U.S. projects that created jobs. Unlike the EB-5, this program does not focus on job creation, nor does it include annual limits that Congress had required.
President Trump has argued that the Gold Card will expand the country’s ability to recruit people who, he says, have been excluded from the United States by traditional visa channels. He has also pointed to the program’s potential to raise funds for the federal government, predicting that these could reach billions of dollars.
Officials close to the president share that view. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, one of the main architects of the project, has described the Gold Card as a tool “much more powerful” than Green Cards, saying it will change the U.S. immigration system to attract only high-income individuals and highly skilled professionals. Lutnick has criticized the current employment-based immigration channels, which he says too often admit “low-income” immigrants.
Along with the launch of the Gold Card, the administration introduced the Platinum Card, a more exclusive version that it says will be available at a date yet to be determined. This card would require a contribution of $5 million, in addition to the standard processing fee, and would allow foreigners to reside in the United States for up to nine months per year without paying U.S. taxes on income earned abroad. The government has already opened a waiting list and has encouraged interested parties to sign up as soon as possible, as the price may increase in the future.
Immigration policy
The launch of the Gold Card comes at a time when the administration is seeking to reform the entire legal immigration system. Immigration applications from citizens of the 19 countries affected by the government’s travel ban have been frozen, and decisions on asylum applications have been suspended while tens of thousands of cases approved under the Biden administration are being reviewed.
Against this backdrop, the program is seen as a rare expansion of immigration aimed directly at the global elite. Democrats and critics say the Gold Card creates a two-tiered immigration system in which wealth trumps need, merit, or humanitarian considerations. There are also questions about whether the administration has the legal authority to replace or drastically modify the EB-5 program without congressional approval. Skepticism also exists among Republicans, with some accusing the administration of contradicting its broader effort to restrict immigration.
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