Trump Unveils “Gold Card” Visa: Million-Dollar Ticket to America

In a move that could rewrite the playbook of US immigration, President Donald Trump has launched a bold new initiative - the "Gold Card" visa. The price of entry? A staggering USD 1 million for individuals and USD 2 million for businesses.

"We think it's going to be very successful... It's going to raise billions of dollars, reduce taxes, pay off debt, and do other good things," Trump declared as he signed the executive order, promising a financial windfall for America.

A Direct Attack on the Old System

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick blasted the existing employment-based green card framework as "illogical." Why? Because it opened doors to workers earning an average of just USD 66,000 a year - people he claimed were more likely to need government support than to enrich the economy. "No other country does this," he argued, framing the Gold Card as America's answer to a flawed global model.

The Vision: Only the Exceptional

The Gold Card isn't for everyone. It's designed for elite talent and extraordinary achievers - people who can generate wealth, jobs, and innovation on US soil. Lutnick projected it could pour over USD 100 billion into the US Treasury, while shielding American jobs from cheaper foreign labor.

White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf reinforced the dual strategy: crack down on illegal immigration while rolling out a red carpet for the world's best. "We are shifting the conversation - and the policy dynamics - on immigration," Scharf declared.

A Double Blow to H-1B Visas

The announcement came with another thunderbolt: a USD 100,000 fee on every H-1B visa application. For tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, that means paying both sky-high fees and salaries, making it far costlier to hire foreign specialists over American graduates.

"No more training foreign workers," Lutnick said bluntly. "Train Americans from our great universities."

The Bigger Picture

With one stroke, Trump has transformed immigration into a pay-to-enter system for the wealthy and brilliant - while squeezing the traditional pipeline of STEM workers from India, China, and beyond.