Trump‘s “Gold Card” Visa Now Available For $1 Million, Considerably Lowering Investment Threshold
The U.S. Commerce Department has begun accepting applications for the “Gold Card” visa, a new program offering residency to wealthy foreign investors for a $1 million investment - an 80% reduction from the initially discussed $5 million figure. Officially launched this week, the program aims to attract capital from high-net-worth individuals, bypassing the traditional 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. attracts foreign investment. While the EB-5 program requires a $800,000 investment in targeted employment areas or $1.05 million elsewhere, the Gold Card demands a flat $1 million, offering a streamlined process handled directly by the Commerce Department. According to a report from Henley & Partners,there are roughly 52,000 centimillionaires globally,with over one third being American,leaving a potential market of approximately 20,000 foreign centimillionaires.
Unlike the EB-5 program,which falls under the Department of Homeland Security,the Gold Card is administered by the Commerce department. “Certainly the executive branch doesn’t have the authority to create a new visa without Congress’ authority,” Julia Gelatt, associate director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute, told Forbes in June.
The EB-5 program, run through USCIS, raised about $4 billion for the U.S. economy last year and has been reauthorized through September 2027, with provisions protecting petitions filed before September 2026. It remains unclear how and when the Trump Gold Card will replace the existing EB-5 program. Forbes has reached out to the Department of Commerce for comment. “And they still have to go through Congress,” saeid Andrew Katz, managing partner at immigration law firm Andrew R. Katz Law Group.
Further Reading:
Trump Gold Card Website Is ‘A Joke’ That Raises Red Flags, Expert Says (forbes)
