Article:
On March 4, 2025, President Donald Trump proposed a new approach to achieving U.S. citizenship through the introduction of a $5 million 'gold card'.
Speaking before a joint session of Congress, Trump described the 'gold card' as a superior and more sophisticated version of the existing green card. He stated, "Its like the green card, but better and more sophisticated. And these people will have to pay tax in our country."
The President expressed his belief that the gold card will enable successful job creators from around the world to gain U.S. citizenship. He suggested that this new pathway to citizenship would attract wealthier students seeking permanent residency in the U.S.
However, the proposal for the 'gold card' visa comes at a time when the government is intensifying efforts to deal with illegal migration while universities are under scrutiny due to escalating tuition fees and burdensome student loans.
President Trump further stated, "This will allow the most successful job creating people from all over the world to buy a path to U.S. citizenship."
Despite the optimism from the President, some experts have voiced their concerns over the new proposal. Lora Ries, the director of the Heritage Foundation's Border Security and Immigration Center, warned that the new visa could potentially open doors to fraud.
Ries noted, "Any immigration benefit draws fraud … people are willing to do anything and say just about anything to come to the U.S."
In response to concerns about potential fraud, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick assured that all candidates would be "deeply vetted." He stated, "These are vetted people. These are going to be great global citizens who are going to bring entrepreneurial spirit, capacity and growth to America. If one of them comes in, think of the jobs they are going to bring with them, the businesses they are going to bring with them, and they are going to pay American taxes as well, so this is huge money for America."
Despite the assurance of extensive vetting, skepticism remains. Ries questioned the effectiveness of such measures, citing the existing EB-5 visa program, which has been plagued by fraud despite similar assurances.
Ries asked, "So the question is: How is this going to be different? It raised the price from a million to 5 million, but how are we going to prevent the fraud? Are you just inviting wealthier fraudsters and corrupt people to exploit this?"
Further details about the new visa proposal remain unclear. However, Trump said it was just one of his plans to revamp U.S. immigration policies. The 'gold card' visa is expected to go on sale very soon, according to the President.