In this category, an applicant must pay a nonrefundable, $15,000 processing fee by the Department of Homeland Security. Upon receiving the application fee, the process for petition approval and visa adjudication will be expedited provided all the requisite documents and fees are furnished on time. The website calls the $1 million fee a “gift” or “evidence that the individual will substantially benefit the United States.” The site also notes the possibility of additional fee payments to the US State Department.

Trump Corporate Gold Card

This card will be issued to a corporate sponsor for one or more of their employees. The sponsor will need to furnish a non-refundable fee of $15,000 to Homeland Security per employee. Once the employees have been vetted, the sponsor is expected to furnish a “gift” of $2 million per employee. The website notes that corporate sponsors under this category may choose to stop sponsoring one employee and use the gift contributed to this person to sponsor a new employee. The costs of the corporate gold card also include a 1% annual maintenance fee and a 5% transfer fee, including that of a new DHS background check.

This card will allow individuals to reside in the United States for up to 270 days per year without being subject to tax on foreign income. It eliminates the need for travel visas. The administration has created a waitlist for this programme. “There is no assurance that the Platinum Card contribution will remain at $5 million, so you should join the wait list now,” according to the website.

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What the new $1 million ‘Trump Gold Card’ visa programme entails

Trump first announced the scheme in February, and in April, he showed a sample gold-coloured card bearing his visage to reporters on board Air Force One. Here is what to know.

The Trump Gold Card visa programme grants residency and other rights to foreigners without going through typical bureaucratic hassles. (TruthSocial/Donald Trump)

The Trump administration formally began accepting applications on Wednesday (December 10) for the “Trump Gold Card”, under which the government plans to provide residency, work rights and a path to citizenship to foreigners who pay at least $1 million.

The US Department of Commerce launched the website trumpcard.gov this June, allowing applicants to submit their name, region and email address, and specify whether they are applying as an individual or a business, in order “to be notified the moment access opens”.

The website was updated this week. It features an image of the card, with a portrait of President Donald Trump with the American flag and a bald eagle and his signature under the words “TRUMP GOLD CARD.” He first announced the scheme in February, and in April, he showed a sample card bearing his visage to reporters on board Air Force One.

Is this a novel visa scheme?

The programme will replace the existing EB-5 visa category. Last year, 14,000 such visas were granted, according to Invest In the USA, an EB-5 trade association.

The EB-5 programme, part of the Employment Based visa ecosystem, was created by Congress in 1990 and administered by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). It grants permanent residency (Green Card) to foreigners who invest in American businesses. Investors must put in at least $1.05 million ($800,000 in certain specific cases), and create at least 10 jobs for Americans.

Under this program, investors (and their spouses and unmarried children under 21) are eligible to apply for lawful permanent residence (become a Green Card holder) if they make the necessary investment in a commercial enterprise in the US, or plan to create or preserve 10 permanent full-time jobs for qualified Americans.

And what is the Trump Gold Card?

The Trump Gold Card visa programme grants residency and other rights to foreigners without going through typical bureaucratic hassles.

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According to the website, approved applicants will obtain legal status as an EB-1 or EB-2 visa holder. These categories are the top ranked categories of priority, recognising individuals with extraordinary capability and merit. Upon receipt of the application and fee, the process is expected to take weeks.

Who is eligible for the Gold Card?

According to the website, applicants must be eligible for lawful permanent resident status, admissible to the United States, and “a visa must be available”. However, some countries may have wait times of up to a year or more based on visa availability.

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What are the different visa categories under the programme?

01
Trump Gold Card
In this category, an applicant must pay a nonrefundable, $15,000 processing fee by the Department of Homeland Security. Upon receiving the application fee, the process for petition approval and visa adjudication will be expedited provided all the requisite documents and fees are furnished on time. The website calls the $1 million fee a “gift” or “evidence that the individual will substantially benefit the United States.” The site also notes the possibility of additional fee payments to the US State Department.
02
Trump Corporate Gold Card
This card will be issued to a corporate sponsor for one or more of their employees. The sponsor will need to furnish a non-refundable fee of $15,000 to Homeland Security per employee. Once the employees have been vetted, the sponsor is expected to furnish a “gift” of $2 million per employee.

The website notes that corporate sponsors under this category may choose to stop sponsoring one employee and use the gift contributed to this person to sponsor a new employee.

The costs of the corporate gold card also include a 1% annual maintenance fee and a 5% transfer fee, including that of a new DHS background check.
03
Trump Platinum Card
This card will allow individuals to reside in the United States for up to 270 days per year without being subject to tax on foreign income. It eliminates the need for travel visas.

The administration has created a waitlist for this programme. “There is no assurance that the Platinum Card contribution will remain at $5 million, so you should join the wait list now,” according to the website.

How will the new programme impact the US?

According to Ravneit Kumar Brar, a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, who spoke to The Indian Express earlier this year, the Gold Card scheme may bring high-net-worth individuals to America, whose investments will stimulate the US economy. However, it raises several ethical, legal, and political concerns.

The new programme could be seen as putting American citizenship on sale, favouring money over merit, catering to the rich at the expense, perhaps, of talented professionals.

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Immigration programs with an investment component can be vulnerable, in the absence of strong regulatory checks, to possible money laundering and undue foreign influence.

If the Gold Card comes without a requirement to invest “in jobs-creating enterprises”, passive investors could gain residence in the US with no contribution to its economy.

There are concerns about whether US immigration policy should privilege skills, contributions, and diversity. A similar program in Canada, with a much smaller investment amount, was shut down after rampant misuse.