President Donald Trump called it a “shame” that top international students often must return home after graduating from elite U.S. universities and announced a new Trump administration visa program he says will let companies hire and retain that talent. At a White House roundtable, he unveiled the so‑called Trump Gold Card as a paid pathway intended for individuals who can provide a substantial benefit to the United States.
Trump said the Gold Card website is live and that the program would allow employers to “buy” a card to keep promising hires from schools such as Wharton, Harvard and MIT. Flanked by IBM CEO Arvind Krishna and Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell, he said executives including Apple’s Tim Cook have told him uncertainty over immigration prevents them from hiring top graduates and can push recruiters to other countries such as Canada. Trump described the card as “a Green Card, but much better, much more powerful,” and said it would allow those employees to remain in the U.S. for an extended period.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick provided further details, saying the individual Gold Card would cost $1 million and a corporate card $2 million. He said applicants would undergo “full” vetting, that cardholders would have a path to citizenship after five years, and that a corporation holding a card could later replace the named individual with someone else. Lutnick said the program would operate within already approved visa categories and is aimed at attracting higher‑skilled immigrants, arguing that historically average green card holders earned less than the average American and were more likely to use federal assistance.
The administration also launched trumpcard.gov, which includes an application and promises “US residency in record time.” The site states that, after background approval, applicants must make the $1 million contribution and pay a $15,000 DHS processing fee for expedited residency through the Trump Gold Card.
