US Gold Card Visa: Is This The VIP Pass To US Citizenship?—Here's What You Need To Know

Former US President Donald Trump has proposed a new scheme to attract wealthy immigrants by introducing a "gold card" that would grant them green card residency and a pathway to American citizenship. Under this plan, individuals could purchase the card for $5 million. President Trump predicts that one million such cards could be sold, potentially helping to reduce the national debt.

This initiative would replace the existing EB-5 Immigrant Investor Programme, which currently allows foreign investors to gain permanent residency by investing in American businesses that create or preserve jobs. The EB-5 programme, managed by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), was created in 1990 to boost the US economy through job creation and capital investment.

According to President Trump, the EB-5 programme was plagued with inefficiencies and fraud. Speaking to reporters, he said: "We are going to be selling a gold card... We are going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million. It's going to give you green card privileges plus a route to citizenship. Wealthy people would be coming into our country by buying this card."

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick echoed these sentiments, stating that the EB-5 programme was flawed and that the new gold card scheme would be a better alternative. As per the NDTV report, "The EB-5 programme was full of nonsense, make-believe, and fraud. The president said, rather than having this sort of ridiculous programme, we're going to end it and replace it with the Trump gold card," Lutnick said.

Further details about the scheme are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks. When asked if Russian oligarchs would be eligible, President Trump suggested they could qualify, saying, "Yeah, possibly. I know some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people."

The proposal has sparked debate over whether it would truly benefit the US economy or simply offer a way for the ultra-rich to bypass traditional immigration pathways. The coming weeks will determine how the plan unfolds and whether it gains political support.