Trump rolls out ‘Gold Card’ citizenship track, applications go live

Trump Gold Card

President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced the launch of applications for the long-anticipated Gold Card Citizenship programme, a new immigration pathway designed to draw wealthy investors and top global talent to the United States.

Trump revealed the rollout on Truth Social, writing, "THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT’S TRUMP GOLD CARD IS HERE TODAY! A direct path to Citizenship for all qualified and vetted people. SO EXCITING! Our Great American Companies can finally keep their invaluable Talent. Live Site opens in 30 minutes!"

The programme was formally created under Executive Order 14351, signed in September. The order established a tiered investor-visa system offering accelerated residency, and ultimately citizenship, to applicants willing to make significant financial contributions.

At the signing ceremony earlier this year, Trump framed the initiative as both an economic magnet and a retention mechanism for specialised workers. “We’re taking in hundreds of billions of dollars. The Gold Card will be taking in hundreds of billions of dollars, and companies will be able to keep some people they need. They need people of expertise, great expertise,” he said at the time.

While the Gold Card is the flagship offering, the executive order created multiple options:

Applicants must provide a one-time, non-refundable $1 million “gift” to the U.S. government, plus a $15,000 processing fee charged by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Employers can sponsor priority workers by paying $2 million plus the $15,000 DHS fee. The card is transferable, allowing companies to shift it from one employee to another with a 5% transfer fee, which includes a DHS background check.

A one-time $5 million payment and the $15,000 processing fee. This tier offers the additional perk of allowing recipients to spend up to 270 days annually in the U.S. without being taxed on non-U.S. income.

In all cases, small supplementary fees may be charged by the U.S. State Department depending on the applicant’s nationality. All processing fees are fully non-refundable.

The administration says the move will boost investment, strengthen American companies, and streamline a system that has long been criticised for bureaucratic delays.

Applications for the programme are set to go live Wednesday afternoon, like Trump said on Truth Social.