United States (US) President Donald Trump has introduced a new gold card scheme that gives wealthy foreigners a fast pathway to American citizenship if they can pay at least $1 million.
Gatekeepers News reports that Trump announced the initiative on Wednesday through a Truth Social post, directing interested applicants to an online portal created for the programme.
According to the details, applicants must first pay a non-refundable processing fee of $15,000 to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
After passing a background review, they are expected to make a full payment of $1 million to secure residency in what the programme describes as “record time”.
The platform added that additional small fees to the U.S. Department of State may apply depending on the applicant. The government also introduced a corporate gold card that allows companies to sponsor employees.
This option costs $2 million, in addition to extra charges. Holders of the corporate card will also pay a one percent yearly maintenance fee and a five percent transfer fee, which covers a fresh DHS background check.
A higher-tier platinum card, priced at $5 million, was announced as well. Though it has not been launched yet, the card is expected to exempt recipients from some taxes.
It will also allow successful applicants to stay in the United States for up to 270 days without facing tax on income earned outside the country.
The rollout comes at a time when the Trump administration is pushing tough immigration measures, including mass deportations of illegal immigrants and attempts to end automatic birthright citizenship for children of undocumented migrants.
