US President Donald Trump on Wednesday introduced his long-anticipated “Gold Card,” a high-cost immigration pathway offering legal residency — and eventually citizenship — to individuals and companies willing to pay steep fees.
Positioned as a replacement for the decades-old EB-5 investor visa, the new programme provides a route to permanent residency for foreign nationals who invest $1 million personally or $2 million through their employers. Trump has pitched the Gold Card as a tool to attract the world’s “best people,” framing it as both a talent-retention mechanism for US companies and a revenue source for the federal government.
The launch comes even as the administration pushes aggressive immigration crackdowns. Despite mass deportations and tighter border controls, Trump has repeatedly maintained that exceptional foreign-born professionals should be allowed to stay.
On Truth Social, he wrote: “THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT’S TRUMP GOLD CARD IS HERE TODAY! A direct path to Citizenship for all qualified and vetted people. SO EXCITING! Our Great American Companies can finally keep their invaluable Talent.”
Although branded as something new, the Gold Card functions much like an enhanced green card, offering what Trump describes as a “stronger path” to legal residency and, eventually, citizenship.
How the Gold Card differs from existing visas
Under the updated programme, applicants can secure permanent residency primarily through payment and background vetting, in contrast to the EB-5 system, which requires job creation and investments starting at $800,000.
The Gold Card demands a direct payment of $5 million for the premium option — with some references to a $1 million base tier — and promises faster approval by bypassing traditional pathways. Successful applicants are placed under the EB-1 or EB-2 categories, depending on availability and assessment by the Department of Homeland Security.
Targeting elite graduates and skilled workers
A major selling point, Trump argued, is the programme’s ability to retain top talent from US universities, particularly graduates from India, China, and France. He said businesses frequently lose exceptional candidates due to visa uncertainty, and the Gold Card offers companies a way to secure permanent residency for key hires. Each card applies to a single individual.
“Tremendous people won’t have to say they graduated from college and have to go back to India, China, France; we’re taking care of that,” Trump said.
“You can’t hire people from the best colleges because you don’t know whether you can keep the person,” he added.
A $15,000 vetting fee
Each application includes a $15,000 vetting fee to fund extensive background checks, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said. Officials have highlighted the screening process as a safeguard ensuring only high-quality applicants qualify. Trump has also emphasised that proceeds from the programme will go directly to the US government to support unspecified “positive” national initiatives.
What the Gold Card doesn’t offer
No job-creation requirements, no stated caps
Unlike EB-5, the new visa carries no requirement for employers or investors to create jobs. Trump’s announcement also made no mention of an annual quota, raising questions about oversight, scalability, and how the programme will fit within broader immigration policy.
No cost relief for businesses
Although companies can purchase multiple cards, each applies to only one employee. This means expenses rise with every foreign hire — a structure that benefits deep-pocketed corporations and wealthy individuals far more than smaller firms already struggling to compete for skilled workers.
Not a shift away from merit-based immigration debates
While Trump has maintained a hardline stance on undocumented immigration, the Gold Card does little to answer political tensions within his own base. Some critics in the MAGA movement oppose any expansion of legal immigration, even in selective or high-skilled categories.
Despite Trump’s framing of the initiative as a way to “bring in the best people,” the programme does not address wider concerns about fairness, accessibility, or pathways for immigrants lacking wealth or elite qualifications.
