President Trump said his long-awaited immigration gold card went live Wednesday, and all funds will flow to the U.S. government.
The president first mentioned the gold card just a month into his second term. The card is a whopping $1 million for individuals to purchase, and $2 million for corporations, and gives recipients lawful permanent residence status as an EB-1 or EB-1 visa holder.
He said during a roundtable at the White House that the gold card could bring in a “tremendous amount of money.”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the funds from the card’s purchase are considered a “gift to the United States of America to help America be great again under Donald Trump.”
Mr. Trump said another “gift” from the card is the U.S. “getting somebody great coming into our country.”
“It’ll take in, we think, probably billions of dollars that will go to the Treasury of the United States that will go to an account where we can do things positive for the country,” he said.
A post from Mr. Trump’s Truth Social account linked the website, trumpcard.gov. Visitors to the site are welcomed by a scenic photo with the phrase, “The Trump Gold Card.”
Underneath it says, “Unlock life in America.”
There are three options for cards: an individual Trump Gold Card, an individual Trump Platinum Card that still says “coming soon,” and the Trump Corporate Gold Card.
The platinum card has a price tag of $5 million, but the website says “there is no assurance” it will stay at that price. It allows recipients to reside in the U.S. for up to 270 days per year without being subject to tax on non-U.S. income.
To sign up, it asks for recipients’ names, birthdays, place of birth, and address, among other identifiers.
The website says that once information is submitted, “careful consideration” will be made, including an in-depth background check. The vetting fee is $15,000 for all three card types. There are also annual fees for the corporate card.
The gold card has been highly anticipated since it was announced in February. The original idea for the card was to replace the EB-5 program, also known as the Golden Visa, which allows foreigners to obtain a green card if they invest a certain amount of money that creates at least 10 jobs.
