Former US President Donald Trump has unveiled a new ‘Gold Card’ program that provides wealthy foreign nationals with a route to US citizenship for a fee of $5 million. He made the announcement on Thursday aboard Air Force One, where Trump held aloft the gleaming card bearing his image.
“I am the first buyer,” Trump said, displaying the Gold Card. He continued, “For $5 million this could be yours. it will be out in about less than 2 weeks probably. Pretty exciting, right?”
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First hinted at in February 2025, the Gold Card program is being touted as a means to assist in lowering the US national debt. Trump highlighted its appeal to “very high-level people” who, in his view, would stimulate the American economy.
“They (the gold card applicant) will be wealthy and they’ll be successful and they’ll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and hiring a lot of people. And we believe it’s going to be very successful and never before attempted.”
Replacement for EB-5 Visa
The Gold Card will likely supplant the longtime EB-5 immigrant investor visa program. The EB-5, which began in 1990, lets foreign investors secure permanent US residency if they make a minimum investment of $1 million in a business and create or maintain at least 10 full-time positions.
More than 4,500 EB-5 visas were issued by the US alone in 2024. The visas have green card-like privileges, such as being able to stay and work in the nation. With the new Gold Card proposal, the investment threshold is raised considerably to $5 million.
Tough Vetting Promised, No Country Ban
Trump explained that the applicants for the Gold Card would be subjected to rigorous background checks. He did not specify, though, whether certain countries would be excluded from eligibility.
When asked if Russian oligarchs could apply for the new visa, Trump said, “Yeah, possibly. Hey, I know some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people.”
He also opined about how much money they currently have, remarking that they are “not quite as wealthy as they used to be,” a statement which appeared to be a reference to the effects of the Western-imposed sanctions.
The introduction of the Gold Card coincides with Trump’s larger immigration agenda, which has more aggressive enforcement policies. Although the new scheme seems to invite foreign nationals with money, it stands in contrast to the administration’s tougher approach towards other immigrant communities.
