Washington: US President Donald Trump has officially launched a new immigration pathway for wealthy foreigners, dubbed the "gold card", offering a route to permanent residency in exchange for a $5 million payment to the government.
The long-discussed program was unveiled on June 11 through a new government-backed website, trumpcard.gov, where interested individuals can now register their details to join the waiting list.
"For five million $dollars, the Trump card is coming," the US President declared in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social. "Thousands have been calling and asking how they can sign up to ride a beautiful road in gaining access to the Greatest Country and Market anywhere in the World," he added.
The program, which Trump promotes as a fast-track immigration option, aims to attract high-net-worth individuals seeking to live and eventually become citizens of the United States. Marketed as a more sophisticated alternative to the existing EB-5 investor visa, Trump described the gold card as "green card privileges plus".
Reports by USA Today confirm that while the $5 million payment opens the door to permanent residency, it does not guarantee automatic citizenship, which would still require meeting certain legal criteria and residency requirements.
