Trump Proposes $5 Million ‘Gold Card’ for Wealthy Foreign Investors Seeking U.S. Citizenship
U.S. President Donald Trump has announced plans to introduce a $5 million “gold card” for affluent foreign investors seeking permanent residency and a pathway to American citizenship.
Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump revealed that the sale of these high-value residency cards would begin within the next two weeks, suggesting that millions could be sold to wealthy individuals around the world.
“You have a green card. This is a gold card,” Trump stated. “We’re going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million, and that’s going to give you green card privileges—plus, it’s going to be a route to citizenship.”
The president emphasized that the initiative is aimed at attracting financially successful individuals who would contribute significantly to the U.S. economy.
“They’ll be wealthy, and they’ll be successful, and they’ll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes,” he added.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who stood alongside Trump, confirmed that the gold card program would replace the existing EB-5 immigrant investor visa. The EB-5 program currently grants permanent residency to foreign investors who put at least $1.05 million into a U.S. business that creates jobs—or $800,000 if the business is in a rural or high-unemployment area.
Lutnick criticized the EB-5 system as being rife with “nonsense, make-believe, and fraud,” promising that the new gold card initiative would involve rigorous vetting to ensure applicants are “wonderful, world-class global citizens.”
The proposal aligns with Trump’s broader efforts to reshape U.S. immigration policies, particularly as he continues to advocate for stricter measures against illegal immigration.
If approved, the gold card program would become one of the most expensive routes to U.S. citizenship, far surpassing similar “citizenship by investment” programs in other countries, which typically require investments between $250,000 and €750,000.
When asked whether Russian oligarchs would be eligible to purchase the gold card, Trump did not hesitate.
“Yeah, possibly. I know some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people,” he said.
