GistNexus – April 4, 2025.
In a Thursday announcement aboard Air Force One, President Donald Trump unveiled a new, high-risk immigration program to attract rich foreign investors to the nation. The new program, referred to as the “Gold Card” or “Trump Card,” is a residency card that will be sold for $5 million per individual. The card is also being marketed as the premium version of the standard U.S. green card, conferring the right to work and reside in the United States with possible eventual citizenship.
Trump, holding a prototype of the card featuring his image and the inscription “The Trump Card,” made the announcement to reporters, stating that the new visa would likely be available for purchase in “less than two weeks.” He humorously added, “I’m the first buyer,” in a light-hearted reference to the fact that he was introducing this innovative immigration concept.
Related News
Deal to Buy TikTok by the US will be Reached before Saturday, President Trump Insist
The action is part of Trump’s forceful drive to reshape U.S. immigration policy, particularly in regard to wealthy foreigners. By creating the “Gold Card,” Trump aims to lure high-income foreign nationals to invest in the U.S., thereby aiding in job creation and stimulating economic growth. The president was confident that the program would be a win-win for both the immigrants and the American economy since he asserted, “They’ll be wealthy, and they’ll be successful, and they’ll be spending a lot of money, paying a lot of taxes, and employing a lot of people.”
A Replacement for the EB-5 Program
The new $5 million visa will replace the existing EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, which has been in place since 1990. The EB-5 program, created by Congress to stimulate the U.S. economy through foreign investment, grants permanent U.S. residence to foreign nationals who invest large amounts of money in American businesses and create jobs. But the EB-5 program has been criticized for the potential to be exploited for fraud and abuse, and Trump has suggested that the new Gold Card system will offer a safer and more efficient alternative.
Under current EB-5, the minimum investment to be eligible for a green card is $1.8 million, or $900,000 if the investment is in a high-unemployment region. Trump’s Gold Card, however, will require a significantly higher investment of $5 million that some have criticized as potentially making the program only available to the extremely wealthy.
While the Gold Card is being presented as a gateway to attract investors and inject the economy of the United States, it has also been associated with concerns over the broadening wealth disparity between the rich and society in general, in terms of access to US residency. With the premium fee it comes with, the Gold Card could prove to be out of reach for potential immigrants, raising questions on whether it is fair and inclusive from the immigration side.
The Global Golden Visas Movement
Trump’s Gold Card visa is nothing new. Golden visas have been gaining traction all over the world as a way for wealthy individuals to gain residency in countries by investing heavily. Portugal, Spain, Malta, and the United Kingdom have all been providing such residency-by-investment programs for years, usually in exchange for investment in property, business, or government bonds.
Related News
Deal to Buy TikTok by the US will be Reached before Saturday, President Trump Insist
For example, Malta has a “golden passport” program by which one can get citizenship in exchange for an investment of around $630,000. Other countries such as Singapore bill their golden visa schemes at more than $7.5 million. Trump’s $5 million Gold Card, while pricey, is also among the world’s most expensive.
In America, golden visas became trendy in recent years, particularly after Trump’s re-election run in 2024. Immigration firms such as Henley & Partners have indicated that requests by U.S. citizens for golden visas abroad rose considerably within a few days after Trump’s reelection. The promise of easier access and residency in Europe and the rest of the globe has made the majority of affluent Americans look at these investment options.
What the Trump Gold Card Will Offer
Although most of the program remains to be outlined, the Gold Card will offer high-net-worth foreign nationals a blueprint to U.S. residency and potential citizenship. Trump has clarified that the Gold Card will be a sophisticated version of the green card but with the same advantages at an exponentially higher price. But the president has also made it clear that citizenship would still require congressional approval, so the Gold Card would be less of a route to instant citizenship and more of a route to residency.
Trump has framed the Gold Card as a way of attracting successful and wealthy individuals who would make a significant contribution to the U.S. economy. In his announcement, he emphasized that the foreign nationals purchasing the Gold Card would have to spend money, pay taxes, and employ U.S. citizens. While the specifics of how the Gold Card would work in practice are still to be decided, Trump’s administration has already demonstrated a clear interest in simplifying immigration for high-net-worth individuals who are willing to invest large sums of money in the country.
The president also suggested the possibility of foreign investors from countries such as Russia being considered for the Gold Card, sparking fears of large-scale foreign influence in U.S. immigration policy. Whether the new program would have any unforeseen consequences, such as exacerbating already existing issues of wealth inequality or bringing in possibly questionable investment, is controversial.
Opposition and Legal Challenges
As is the case with many of Trump’s proposals, the Gold Card has been somewhat criticized. Lawmakers and immigration analysts have expressed concern that the new visa would do little other than enrich even more the already affluent, offering middle- and lower-income groups few opportunities to immigrate to the U.S. legally.
Also, the plan could be vulnerable to Congressional fights in court, particularly if the specifics of the program require legislation that could be contested by both Republicans and Democrats. Trump himself acknowledged that full citizenship would require Congressional approval, so certain aspects of the program could still be up for grabs.
The Trump Administration’s Bigger Picture
The Gold Card visa represents just one aspect of the Trump administration’s broader attempts to reshape the U.S. immigration system. In addition to visas for the wealthy, Trump has continued to emphasize deporting illegal immigrants, most often framing his immigration policies in terms of national security and economic protectionism. The new Gold Card program highlights this dual approach, trying to attract high-end foreign professionals to the nation while pushing back against illegal immigration.
As Trump pushes harder to transform U.S. immigration policy, the Gold Card represents both continuation of his “America First” immigration policy strategy and attempts to access global riches to expand America’s economy. Whether the Gold Card can succeed with its claimed goals of attracting investors and reducing the country’s deficit remains to be seen, but the Gold Card will be one of Trump’s most high-profile immigration policy moves in his second term as president.
Looking Ahead
With the Gold Card visa now ready to roll out officially within the next few weeks, the ultimate impact of the program on the U.S. immigration system and economy has yet to be known. Although the proposal has been welcomed for its potential to bring in massive revenue to the government, it also raises some big questions about fairness, access, and the long-term effects of only bringing the wealthiest foreigners into the U.S.
Whether the Gold Card program succeeds in its goal of generating economic growth or is instead a symbol of an increasingly elitist immigration system only time will tell. For now, the world is observing President Trump and his $5 million Gold Card visa, which could be the beginning of a new era of U.S. immigration policy.
Related News
Deal to Buy TikTok by the US will be Reached before Saturday, President Trump Insist
Reported by GistNexus Team and Edited by Mr. Chibueze Onwuka