WASHINGTON: The Donald Trump administration on Wednesday formally launched its new ‘Trump Gold Card’ visa programme, offering non-US citizens a pathway to live and work in the United States in exchange for a substantial financial contribution.
According to details on the official website Trumpcard.gov, applicants can submit an online request by paying a $15,000 processing fee to the Department of Homeland Security. After a background verification, they will be required to make a $1 million “contribution” to qualify for the visa.
The information posted on the portal describes the Trump Gold Card as a “gift”, drawing parallels to the green card but branding it as a more exclusive option. “It’s actually a green card, but it’s very good — much more powerful, a much stronger path,” President Trump told reporters at the White House. “You have to be great people.”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said around 10,000 people had already pre-registered for the programme, and expressed confidence that the numbers would rise sharply. “I would expect over time that we would sell these thousands of cards and raise billions, billions of dollars,” he told a news agency.
Lutnick argued that the initiative would attract high-value individuals who could boost the American economy. He also drew a comparison between prospective Gold Card holders and existing green card recipients, claiming that the latter “make less money than the average American” and are “more likely to be on government support”.
