Washington — President Donald Trump’s administration officially launched the “Trump Gold Card” visa programme on Wednesday, providing a paid pathway for non‑US citizens to obtain expedited permission to live and work in the United States.
The programme website, Trumpcard.gov, lets applicants pay a $15,000 fee to the Department of Homeland Security for fast processing. After background checks, applicants must make a “contribution” or “gift” of $1 million to receive the visa, described on the site as similar to a Green Card. “Basically it’s a Green Card, but much better. Much more powerful, a much stronger path,” Trump said at the White House, adding that the programme targets “great people.”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said about 10,000 people signed up during a pre‑registration period and that he expected many more applicants. “I would expect over time that we’d sell, you know, thousands of these cards and raise, you know, billions, billions of dollars,” Lutnick told Reuters. He said the programme would bring people who benefit the U.S. economy and contrasted them with what he called “average” Green Card holders, asserting they earned less and were more likely to be on public assistance, without providing evidence.
The administration has simultaneously pursued a broad crackdown on illegal immigration, deporting hundreds of thousands and taking steps to discourage some legal immigration. The gold card is presented as a counterbalance that also generates revenue for the U.S. Treasury. Lutnick also noted a corporate version allowing companies to obtain expedited visas for employees for a $2 million contribution per worker.
