Trump‘s “Gold โขCard” Visa โฃNow Available For $1โข Million,โ Considerably Lowering Investment Threshold
The U.S. Commerce Departmentโ has begun acceptingโ applications for the “Goldโ Card”โข visa, โคa newโ program โขoffering residencyโ to wealthy โขforeign investors for a $1 โขmillion โinvestment โ- โคanโ 80% reduction from theโ initiallyโค discussed $5 million figure. Officially launched this week, the program aims to attract capital from high-net-worth individuals, bypassingโฃ the traditionalโค EB-5 investor visa route managed by U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS).
The program, spearheaded by former president donald Trump, represents a important shift in how the U.S. attractsโ foreign investment. While the EB-5 program requires aโ $800,000 โฃinvestment in targeted employmentโข areas or $1.05 million elsewhere, the Gold Card demands a โflat $1 million, offeringโข a streamlined process handled โdirectly by the Commerce Department. According โฃtoโ a report from Henley & Partners,there areโ roughly 52,000 centimillionaires โglobally,withโฃ over oneโ third being American,leavingโค a potentialโ marketโค of approximately 20,000 foreign centimillionaires.
Unlike the โEB-5 program,which falls under the Department of Homeland Security,the Gold Card is administered โby the Commerce department. “Certainly the executive branch doesn’t haveโ the authority to create a new visa without Congress’ authority,”โ Julia Gelatt, associate director of the โขU.S.โ Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute, told Forbes in June.
The EB-5 program, run through USCIS, โraised about $4 billion for the U.S. economy last year and hasโฃ been reauthorized through September 2027,โ with provisions protecting petitions filed before September 2026. It remains โunclear how and โwhen the Trump Gold Card will replace theโข existing EB-5 program. Forbes has reached out to the Department of Commerce for comment. “And they stillโค have โto go through Congress,” saeid โขAndrew โขKatz, โmanaging partner at immigration law โคfirm Andrew R. Katz Law Group.
Further Reading:
Trump Gold Card Website Is ‘A Joke’ That โขRaisesโ Red Flags, Expert Says โ(forbes)