Washington (Visas & Travels) — The Trump administration is putting the finishing touches on what will be the most direct and expensive route to U.S. permanent residency ever offered, with the Trump Gold Card program set to accept its first applications in just over two weeks.
Public statements from the Departments of Commerce and Homeland Security, combined with the completion of key regulatory milestones, indicate that the technical and administrative framework is now fully in place for the launch.
Under the program, foreign nationals can obtain a green card through a one-time, non-refundable payment to the U.S. Treasury:
- $1 million for the standard individual Gold Card
- $5 million for the Platinum tier, which permits up to 270 days of U.S. presence annually without subjecting foreign income to worldwide taxation
- $2 million per employee under corporate sponsorship
Unlike the long-standing EB-5 investor visa, the Gold Card requires no job creation, no business investment, and no regional-center involvement.
More than 70,000 individuals have already pre-registered at the official portal, trumpcard.gov. The new USCIS Form I-140G, required for all petitions, received emergency clearance from the Office of Management and Budget last week. Biometric scheduling and enhanced anti-money-laundering protocols are also complete, officials said.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the administration’s point person on the rollout, said the government is “fully prepared to begin processing thousands of petitions immediately upon launch.”
Immigration and private-client attorneys report unprecedented interest from ultra-high-net-worth families in mainland China, Hong Kong, the Gulf states, India, and parts of Latin America. Several described the Platinum option as the closest equivalent the United States has ever offered to European-style non-domiciled residency.
Critics, including ranking Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, have labeled the program “residency for sale” and vowed legal challenges. Most analysts, however, do not expect any injunction to take effect before applications open.
Visas & Travels will publish final regulations and filing instructions the moment they are released. High-net-worth individuals and family offices exploring the program are advised to initiate source-of-funds preparation and contingency planning without delay.
Further updates and detailed client briefings will follow as the launch date approaches.
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