US Opens Applications for President Trump’s High-Value “Gold Card” Visa Program

The United States has officially launched President Donald Trump's new "Gold Card" visa initiative, a program that grants residency to wealthy individuals and corporations willing to pay substantial fees. Designed to attract skilled foreign graduates and high-net-worth investors, the program is being rolled out even as the administration enforces tighter restrictions on both legal and illegal immigration. Approved applicants will receive expedited green cards following thorough background checks.

Applications opened on Wednesday, with the announcement made during a White House meeting attended by major technology leaders. Trump said industry executives have repeatedly raised concerns about difficulties in retaining international graduates from American universities.

"I've heard from Tim Cook of Apple and I've heard from a lot of people, some of the people at this table, that essentially in the United States you can't keep the student. You can't hire people from the best colleges because you don't know whether or not you can keep the person," Trump said.

Participants at the meeting included Michael Dell of Dell Technologies Inc., Enrique Lores of HP Inc., Antonio Neri of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., and Arvind Krishna of IBM Corp. Trump added that revenue generated from the Gold Card program "could be a tremendous amount of money" for the government.

The launch highlights a policy contradiction: while the administration has tightened multiple immigration rules, it is simultaneously seeking to strengthen domestic industries and innovation. Business leaders who support Trump's tax and regulatory agenda have warned that stringent immigration limits risk undermining the labor market and pushing highly skilled workers toward other countries.

How the Gold Card Works

Initially announced in September, the Gold Card offers U.S. residency to wealthy applicants in exchange for a substantial payment. An executive order instructed the Commerce, State, and Homeland Security departments to finalize the framework within 90 days, with the deadline set for December 18.

Under the plan, individuals may secure residency by paying $1 million, while companies would pay $2 million for each applicant. An additional $15,000 processing and vetting fee applies. A separate "Platinum Card", costing $5 million, is intended to allow holders to spend up to 270 days in the United States without being subject to U.S. taxes on non-U.S. income, although officials said this option remains under development.

Trump described the program as "basically, it's a green card, but much better, much more powerful, a much stronger path. And a path is a big deal. Have to be great people, but much stronger path."

According to the program's website, successful applicants would receive legal status under either the EB-1 or EB-2 visa category, depending on availability. Officials anticipate that processing will take only weeks after applications and payments are submitted. However, they noted that applicants from "a small number of countries may have wait times of up to a year or more based on visa availability."

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated on X that the $1 million and $2 million payments will enable applicants to obtain "expedited EB-1 or EB-2 green cards following rigorous vetting." Critics, including Democrats and immigration advocacy groups, argue that the Gold Card places financial capability above other immigration priorities and disproportionately benefits applicants who can afford high fees, raising concerns about systemic fairness.

The introduction of the Gold Card coincides with sweeping changes across the legal immigration system. Federal officials have paused applications from nationals of the 19 countries included in Trump's travel ban, most of which are in Africa and the Middle East. The government has also halted decisions on asylum cases and plans to reassess over 50,000 asylum approvals granted during the Biden administration.