What is the gold card?

The gold card gives a person green card privileges and opens up opportunities for them to become an American citizen, Trump said in February.

US President Donald Trump holds the $5 million dollar Gold Card as he speaks to reporters while in flight on board Air Force One, en route to Miami, Florida on April 3, 2025.

It's going to give you green card privileges plus it’s going to be a route to (American) citizenship, and wealthy people would be coming into our country by buying this card," Trump said, as reported by Reuters.

Traditionally, the green card has been a desirable document for many foreigners as it guarantees permanent residential status in the U.S.

Acquiring the green card, however, is a complicated process that can last up to years.

With the gold card, the process of becoming an American resident will be simplified, and the money collected from its sale will be help reduce the national debt.

Who are eligible?

"People with money" can qualify for the gold visa, Trump said in February, without revealing any specific job-creation requirements.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has confirmed that buyers will undergo a vetting process to ensure they are "wonderful, world class global citizens."

Lutnick previously claimed that more than 1,000 gold cards had been sold and that over 37 million people globally have the means to buy one.

Why is it needed?

The gold card is set to replace the EB-5 visa program, which was launched in 1990 to give investors of $1 million the green card.

Congress created the program to "stimulate the U.S. economy through job creation and capital investment by foreign investors."

But the Trump administration believes that the EB-5 visa policy has been exploited.

"The EB-5 program ... it was full of nonsense, make-believe and fraud, and it was a way to get a green card that was low-price. So the president said, rather than having this sort of ridiculous EB-5 program, we’re going to end the EB-5 program," said Lutnick.

In 2021, the US Government Accountability Office determined that EB-5 visas pose considerable risks of fraud, largely because of difficulties in tracking the sources of applicants’ funds and possible favoritism.