Trump Launches $1 Million 'Gold Card' Residency Program

On September 19, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order creating the "Gold Card," a new immigration pathway offering expedited U.S. permanent residency, and eventually citizenship, in exchange for a $1 million payment to the government (or $2 million if sponsored by a corporation), plus a $15,000 processing fee. The program launched publicly around September 24, 2025, and was reduced from an initially floated $5 million threshold after weak investor interest.

A companion "Platinum Card," pending congressional approval, would let $5 million investors spend up to 270 days a year in the U.S. without triggering taxation on foreign income. Officials pitched the program as a way to attract global wealth and investment.

Ethics experts said the arrangement blurs the line between public revenue and political patronage, since large payments routed through executive agencies for immigration benefits create conditions favorable to influence-seeking and raise the same self-dealing concerns as other administration monetization schemes.