Only a “gold card”, a permanent visa to the United States modeled after green cards and sold for a million dollars, has been issued since the program was launched at the end of 2025, said Commerce Minister Howard Lutnick on Thursday.
Asked about the topic during a hearing before a House committee, Howard Lutnick stated, “One person was recently approved and there are several hundred people who have started the process to obtain this visa.”
Initially announced for individuals willing to pay five million dollars, the “gold card” became a reality in mid-September with the signing of a decree by President Donald Trump, but it only became effective at the end of the year. “There are 250,000 people currently waiting in line,” said Howard Lutnick in February 2025.
The final text opens this visa to anyone willing to pay a million dollars and allows for a permanent visa after a process of “a few weeks,” according to the dedicated government website.
A similar program, the EB-5, already exists for foreign nationals making investments of a certain amount in the U.S, but the government, which has made combating illegal immigration one of its priorities, says it is prone to too much fraud.
As the “gold card” remains a visa, it can be revoked for national security reasons, as stated on the dedicated website.
