Trump
Administration Opens Applications for Million-Dollar Visas
President
Trump has framed the program as a way for the government to raise billions of
dollars and prioritize the admission of successful entrepreneurs and investors.
Madeleine
Ngo
By
Madeleine Ngo
Reporting
from Washington
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/us/politics/trump-gold-card.html
Dec. 10,
2025
The Trump
administration debuted a website on Wednesday that opens up applications for a
“gold card,” an expedited visa that the federal government plans to provide to
people who pay at least $1 million.
To apply
for the card, people have to pay a nonrefundable $15,000 processing fee,
according to the site. After applicants are vetted and approved by the
Department of Homeland Security, they will then have to pay $1 million to
“receive U.S. residency in record time” and become lawful permanent residents.
“A $1
million gift upon completion of the individual’s vetting is evidence that the
individual will substantially benefit the United States,” the website says. “An
individual may also need to pay small, additional fees to the U.S. Department
of State depending on his or her circumstances.”
The
website also provided a depiction of the card, which features a portrait of
President Trump against the backdrop of an American flag and his signature
under the words “TRUMP GOLD CARD.”
Businesses
can also apply for a “corporate gold card” to sponsor their employees. Firms
will owe a $15,000 processing fee and $2 million for each employee approved for
the card, according to the site.
The new
program has been in the works for months. After previewing the gold card
earlier this year, Mr. Trump signed an executive order in September that
officially created the program. He has framed it as a way for the government to
raise billions of dollars and prioritize the admission of immigrants who would
“affirmatively benefit the nation, including successful entrepreneurs,
investors, and businessmen and women.”
Some
Democrats and immigrant advocates have denounced the program, saying it would
unfairly prioritize the admission of wealthy individuals. Some have also
questioned the legality of the president’s creation of the program.
The
website also previewed the creation of a “platinum card,” which would allow
foreign nationals to reside in the United States for up to 270 days each year
without being subject to taxes on income earned abroad. Foreign nationals
approved for the card would have to pay $5 million, in addition to a $15,000
processing fee.
The
administration has created a wait list for the platinum card program. “There is
no assurance that the Platinum Card contribution will remain at $5 million, so
you should join the wait list now,” the website says.
Subject
to availability, applicants who are approved for the gold card will obtain
legal status as an EB-1 or EB-2 visa holder, according to the site. Once the
application and fee are received, the process is expected to take weeks. But
officials noted that “a small number of countries may have wait times of up to
a year or more based on visa availability.”
In the
past few weeks, the Trump administration has made sweeping changes to the legal
immigration system. Federal officials put a hold on immigration applications
filed by nationals from the 19 countries subject to the president’s travel ban,
which are mostly in Africa and the Middle East. They have also paused decisions
on asylum applications and promised to review the more than 50,000 asylum
applications that were approved during the Biden administration.
Those
changes came after the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington
last month, which left one dead. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan who
received asylum in April, has been charged in the attack. He has pleaded not
guilty.
Trump
administration officials have cited the shooting to justify the reforms, saying
they are necessary to increase the vetting of immigrants in the country.
Madeleine
Ngo covers immigration and economic policy for The Times.
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário