America’s Golden Ticket: Trump Introduces $5 Million Citizenship Scheme

New Delhi, 26th February 2025: The Trump administration is in the news every single day and now it’s a piece of good news for those who want American citizenship. However, a hefty amount will have to spend $5 million (over 43 crores 55 lakh), to get the citizenship. 

It has been named the ‘Gold Card’ scheme.

Significantly, this gold card will be a premium version of the green card. After obtaining the Gold Card, not only will the person have more special rights than the Green Card, but will also get the opportunity to invest in America and get citizenship. One million cards will be sold in the future.

The goal of this scheme is crystal clear to attract rich people from all over the world to America, which will increase investment and job opportunities in America. “We’re going to sell a gold card. We’ll keep that card worth about $5 million. Signing the executive order in the Oval Office with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Trump said: “We’re going to sell a gold card. You have a green card, this is a gold card. It will cost around $5 million and will give you exclusive rights such as a green card. “

The US already had an EB-5 program. Under this program, investors (and their spouses and unmarried children under 21) are eligible to apply for lawful permanent residence (become a Green Card holder) if they Plan to create or preserve 10 permanent full-time jobs for qualified U.S. workers.

Unlike the EB-5 visa, with limited annual approvals, Trump proposed that the government sell a maximum of 10 million Gold Cards to alleviate the federal deficit. “It’s somewhat like a green card, but at a higher level of sophistication,” Trump explained. “It’s a road to citizenship for people of wealth and great talent.” He proposed that businesses could sponsor top talent through the program, granting them long-term US residency.

At the same time, Howard Lutnick told reporters on Tuesday, “The EB-5 program … It was full of complete nonsense, show, and fraud, and it was a way to get a green card at a low cost. Therefore, the President has decided to replace EB-5 with a Gold Card.

The Department of Homeland Security’s most recent data showed that 8,000 people obtained EB-5 investor visas in the 12 months ending September 30, 2022. The Congressional Research Service had previously identified fraud risks in the EB-5 program, including difficulty verifying the legitimacy of investment funds. Trump’s Gold Card visa plan will likely be a central point of discussion in immigration policy and economic growth debates.

Considering the geopolitical scenario, when reporters asked if the Russians would benefit from this scheme, Trump said: “Yes, Russian oligarchs (the rich) can also come into our country.”