US President Donald Trump unveiled a redesigned $5 million "gold card" , aimed at wealthy immigrants seeking American residency.
The initiative, which overhauls the existing EB-5 investor visa programme, was announced aboard Air Force One as global markets reeled from Trump’s sweeping tariff plan.
The metallic card features Trump’s own image and offers “green card-plus” privileges, allowing holders to live and work in the United States with added benefits.
“For $5 million, this could be yours,” Trump told reporters.
“It’s the gold card — the Trump card.”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the administration sold 1,000 cards in a single week last month, raising $5 billion in one day.
The programme targets high-net-worth individuals and exempts cardholders from paying US tax on foreign income, distinguishing it from standard residency pathways.
The president first revealed the concept in February, pitching it as a faster, more profitable alternative to the long-backlogged EB-5 system. The new initiative effectively allows foreigners to “buy in” to US residency amid tighter immigration enforcement.
The announcement coincided with steep stock market losses following Trump’s global tariff overhaul. When asked about the impact, Trump compared the US economy to “a sick patient” undergoing surgery.
“It’s gonna be a booming country,” he said. “We see it because we have trillions of dollars committed to come in.”
In Feburary, President Donald Trump announced a new immigration initiative, proposing a “gold card” visa program that would offer US residency and a pathway to citizenship for investors willing to pay $5 million.
The initiative, which Trump said would be launched within two weeks, is expected to replace the existing EB-5 investor visa program. The full details of the plan and its implementation remain unclear, but Trump indicated that the measure would not require congressional approval.
Lutnick confirmed that participants would be required to pay the fee directly to the US government. “Rather than having this sort of ridiculous EB-5 program, we’re going to end it and replace it with the Trump gold card,” he said.
He added that applicants would still undergo vetting to ensure they are “wonderful, world-class, global citizens.” The funds generated from the program would be used to reduce the federal deficit, Lutnick said.
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