Washington: In a major shift to America’s investment-based immigration framework, President Donald Trump on Wednesday officially rolled out his long-teased “gold card” initiative—an ambitious program offering lawful residency and a future pathway to U.S. citizenship for individuals investing $1 million, and for companies paying $2 million per foreign employee they sponsor.
The announcement came during a White House event in the Roosevelt Room, where Trump, joined by industry leaders, unveiled the live application portal for the program. Designed as a full-scale replacement for the decades-old EB-5 visa, the gold card aims to be a more lucrative and talent-focused alternative to the 1990 investment visa that required applicants to inject around $1 million into businesses employing at least ten American workers.
Trump framed the new system as a dual solution—fueling federal revenue while allowing the U.S. to compete more aggressively for highly skilled global talent. He has pitched the concept for months, at one point floating a steep $5 million price tag before settling on the current $1 million and $2 million tiers.
According to Trump, revenue generated from the program will “go to the US government”, predicting that the influx of funds could reach into the billions, all of which would be managed by the Treasury Department “where we can do things positive for the country.”
He stressed that although the initiative is branded as a “gold card,” its practical function mirrors that of a green card—offering permanent residency with eligibility for citizenship.
“Basically, it’s a green card but much better,” Trump said. “Much more powerful, a much stronger path.”
Unlike the existing EB-5 system, the president did not outline job-creation obligations or caps on total annual approvals. He instead highlighted concerns from companies unable to retain top-tier graduates from American universities due to visa restrictions.
“You can’t hire people from the best colleges because you don’t know whether or not you can keep the person,” Trump said.
The rollout marks a notable contrast to Trump’s otherwise hardline immigration agenda, which in his second term has included nationwide enforcement sweeps and aggressive policy tightening. At the same time, the gold card concept has fueled debate within his own base, some of whom criticize the openness toward high-skilled migrants.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick shared more technical aspects of the plan, noting a $15,000 vetting fee and emphasizing that a rigorous background process would “make sure these people absolutely qualify to be in America.”He added that companies may request multiple cards but will be limited to one beneficiary per card.
Lutnick also argued that the program will fundamentally reshape the demographics of U.S. permanent residency:
“So, same visas, but now just full of the best people,” he said—claiming that current green card holders earn less on average than U.S.-born workers, something the administration hopes to change.
Investor-based immigration programs are not new; nations like Greece, Spain, Malta, Canada, the U.K., Australia, and Italy have long operated “golden visa” schemes that allow wealthy individuals to secure residency through investment.
In Trump’s view, the U.S. is now joining that global competition for elite talent:
He said the overhaul ensures the nation is “getting somebody great coming into our country because we think these will be some tremendous people,” specifically mentioning top graduates from China, India, and France as likely beneficiaries of the gold card.
