President Donald Trump on Wednesday unveiled the website for his administration’s “gold card” program, which offers an expedited visa for a minimum price tag of $1 million, though there are questions about its viability and legality.
“A direct path to Citizenship for all qualified and vetted people,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “… Our Great American Companies can finally keep their invaluable Talent.”
The website promises residency “in record time,” or just weeks. Applicants would be required to pay a $15,000 application fee and, once their background check is complete, an additional $1 million as “evidence that the individual will substantially benefit” the country, according to the website.
The corporate version of the card would allow companies to sponsor their employees by paying the same processing fee and $2 million per worker, the site says. Employers can end the sponsorship of one employee and transfer it to another without a new application, for a small fee, it adds.
The card displayed on the site is gold, credit-card-shaped and features a photo of Trump.
The visa underscores a striking contrast in the administration’s immigration stance: aggressive raids, restrictions and quick deportations alongside expedited entry to the ultrarich. The program is likely to face legal challenges, said Sara MacPherson, a managing attorney at the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area.
In February, the Trump administration had proposed replacing the visa program for foreign investors with a $5 million “gold card,” which many experts had said was not likely to get implemented due to legal concerns. Immigration attorneys and other legal experts told The Washington Post in July that a president does not have the power to unilaterally create a new visa category, and it would require an act of Congress.
Trump, in September, passed an executive order to create a “gold card” visa program, to be overseen by the secretary of commerce, that would allow individuals to enter the U.S. who provided “a significant financial gift.”
Critics of such programs have also pointed out that they create a two-tier immigration system, disproportionately benefiting wealthy individuals, and can encourage corruption and money laundering.
“It’s outrageous for the administration to prioritize the admission of ultra-wealthy individuals at the expense of everyone else,” said MacPherson. “Our family-based clients often wait years to have straightforward immigration cases adjudicated by USCIS,” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump said companies like Apple are going to be “happy” with the new visa program. Apple CEO Tim Cook, Trump added, had spoken to him about the challenges in recruiting international talent from U.S. universities, a problem Trump said the program would resolve.
Trump also suggested that this would bring in “probably billions of dollars” to the U.S. treasury.
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