Trump is Selling $1-Million Gold Card Visas

Fast-Track Residency for the Wealthy

On December 10, 2025, the Trump administration opened applications for its new Gold Card program.

For a $1 million payment and a $15,000 processing fee, wealthy foreigners can now get U.S. permanent residency in weeks instead of years.

The program promises green card status typically reserved for people with extraordinary abilities or advanced degrees.

Nearly 70,000 people had already joined the waitlist before it even launched.

But immigration lawyers are warning that the whole thing might be illegal, and applicants could lose their money if courts strike it down.

How the Application Process Works

The program runs through a new government website called trumpcard.gov.

Applicants pay the $15,000 processing fee first, then the Department of Homeland Security begins vetting.

Once vetting is complete, applicants must submit their $1 million “gift” to demonstrate they will substantially benefit the United States.

After approval, they receive either an EB-1 or EB-2 visa, which grants lawful permanent resident status.

The website promises applicants will receive a green card “in record time.” An in-person interview at a U.S. consulate is still required.

Companies Pay Double the Price

Employers can sponsor foreign workers through the Corporate Gold Card program for $2 million per employee.

The corporate version comes with a twist that individual cards do not have.

A corporation may reuse one $2 million gift for multiple workers over time, though they must pay a 1% annual maintenance fee and a 5% transfer fee for each new worker.

The administration says this will help American companies retain top talent, particularly foreign graduates from elite universities who might otherwise leave when their student visas expire.

The Platinum Card Costs Even More

A planned Trump Platinum Card will cost $5 million and allow holders to stay in the United States for up to 270 days per year without paying U.S. taxes on income earned outside the country.

That tax exemption sets it apart from regular green cards, which make holders liable for taxes on worldwide income. The Platinum Card has not yet been released, but applicants can join the waitlist now.

The administration has not guaranteed the price will stay at $5 million, so they are urging interested parties to sign up immediately.

Tens of Thousands Already Signed Up

The demand surprised even the administration. On June 12, 2025, Trump posted on Truth Social that more than 15,000 people had joined the waiting list.

By June 16, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced that almost 70,000 people had signed up. Lutnick announced in September 2025 that an initial 80,000 Trump Cards would be made available.

Immigration lawyers say the $5 million price tag is nothing to ultra-wealthy clients. One Buffalo attorney told NPR his Canadian clients consider it the cost of jet fuel.

The Old Investor Visa Was a Mess

The Gold Card is meant to replace the EB-5 investor visa program, which Congress created in 1990.

The program has been plagued by fraud in the form of embezzlement, securities violations, investment schemes, and criminal conduct since its inception.

In one Vermont case, defendants obtained over $80 million from more than 160 investors for a biomedical research park that turned out to be a complete fraud, and three of the four defendants pleaded guilty and were sentenced to federal prison.

Processing times for EB-5 visas stretched to almost six years, the longest in the U.S. immigration system.

Legal Experts Say This Needs Congress

The core problem is constitutional. Immigration experts say a new visa program needs to go through Congress and be authorized by a statute.

The Immigration and Nationality Act does not recognize wealthy foreign donors as a visa-eligible class, as monetary donations alone do not create jobs or constitute participation in commercial enterprise.

Legal challenges may arise because critics argue the EB-1 and EB-2 programs, which apply to individuals with advanced degrees or extraordinary ability, should not be available solely on the basis of an ability to make a significant financial gift.

Your Million Dollars Might Disappear

If anyone challenges the program and the court finds it illegal, an applicant can lose the money, or at the very minimum they would have to sue the U.S. government to get it back.

The processing fee and the $1 million gift are both nonrefundable under the program’s terms. Any successful legal challenge could also result in recipients having their citizenship revoked.

Immigration lawyers are advising clients to weigh the risks carefully before writing seven-figure checks to a program that may not survive court review.

Europe Already Tried This and Failed

Similar programs across Europe have collapsed under legal and political pressure.

Malta was the last EU country to offer citizenship in exchange for investment, but the EU Court of Justice ruled against it in early 2025.

Spain’s Golden Visa program ended on April 3, 2025, after the government concluded it was driving up housing prices.

Portugal amended its program by removing real estate investments as a basis for golden visa applications after about 90% of the money raised went into property.

The UK, Ireland, and Cyprus have also shut down or tightened their programs over security concerns and money laundering.

Critics Say the Rich Get a Free Pass

The timing has not gone unnoticed.

The same administration is simultaneously intensifying enforcement actions affecting non-wealthy immigrants. Some of Trump’s own supporters are pushing back.

MAGA supporters on Reddit and X have accused the president of “grifting American citizenship with no shame.”

Some have written that family members spent years navigating the traditional immigration system and fear a pay-to-enter approach is sidelining them.

One immigration attorney called the program “straight out capitalism at its height.”

The Courts Will Have the Final Word

Lawmakers in Washington have already signaled they will examine the program’s legality, and civil rights groups have said they are preparing court challenges.

Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin called the program “illegal” and “a sham.” Analysts expect Gold Card legal disputes to stretch well into 2026.

For now, the application portal is open and accepting payments. Whether those payments turn into green cards or lawsuits remains to be seen.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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