Trump introduces a green card for the rich: the gold card

President Trump speaks to reporters as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick looks on in the Oval Office on Feb. 25, 2025. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Alex Wong/Getty Images President Trump said he is planning to introduce a new visa to attract rich foreigners to America — something he is calling a “gold card.” For $5 million, people will be able to apply to become lawful permanent residents. Trump said the program would be rolled out in two weeks, would bring in “very high-level people,” and said the proceeds from the program could help pay down the deficit. National Trump’s immigration orders are a blueprint for sweeping policy changes Trump first raised the idea with reporters at an unrelated event in the Oval Office on Tuesday, and expanded on it during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. “It’s going to be a route to citizenship, and wealthy people will be coming into our country by buying this card. They’ll be wealthy, and they’ll be successful, and they’ll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes,” Trump said. Trump says it’s a way to keep top students in the country Trump suggested that U.S. companies would buy his proposed gold cards to keep job candidates who attend U.S. schools from leaving the country. Sponsor Message “I get calls from, as an example, companies where they want to hire the No. 1 student at the school — person comes from India, China, Japan, lots of different places, and they go to Harvard to Wharton School of Finance, they go to Yale,” Trump said at his Cabinet meeting. “They graduate No. 1 in their class and they’re made job offers. But the offer is immediately rescinded because you have no idea whether or not that person can stay in the country.” President Trump listens as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Feb. 26, 2025. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America hide caption toggle caption Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America The new program could replace the EB-5 investor visa Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick called it the “Trump Gold Card” and said it would effectively replace the current EB-5 immigrant investor visa. That program gives residency to foreigners who invest at least $1.05 million in a new business that creates jobs — or $800,000 if the business is in a rural area, high unemployment area or an infrastructure project. National New poll details America’s views on Trump’s immigration plans: deportation, citizenship, border wall Lutnick told reporters the EB-5 program was “full of nonsense, make-believe and fraud.” He emphasized that applicants for the “gold card” would be vetted. Asked by a reporter whether Russian oligarchs could apply for “gold cards,” Trump said — seemingly tongue-in-cheek — “Yeah, possibly. Hey, I know some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people.”