Posted on 02/26/2025 1:07:49 PM PST by SeekAndFind
President Donald Trump proposed Tuesday a new immigration initiative called the “gold card,” a high-priced alternative to an existing green card program aimed at attracting wealthy people and highly-skilled professionals to the U.S.
Trump said the gold card would cost “about $5 million,” provide a “route to citizenship” and could be available in two weeks.
“It's going to be a route to citizenship, and wealthy people will be coming into our country by buying this card,” Trump said while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office alongside Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. “They'll be wealthy, and they'll be successful, and they'll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people, and we think it's going to be extremely successful.”
Trump, who called the program “totally legal,” faced immediate questions about whether he had the authority to create the program without the approval of Congress. Trump and Lutnick both contended they did.
“We don’t need Congress because we’re not doing citizenship, we’re doing the card. It’s a path, it’s a path to citizenship, a very strong path to citizenship,” Trump said.
Migration Policy Institute spokesperson Michelle Mittelstadt disagrees.
The executive branch has “significant leeway” to adjust existing visa programs, but not create new ones, she told U.S. News. Introducing something like the gold card, she argues, requires an act of Congress.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
Who Is Eligible for Trump’s Gold Card?
Both individuals and corporations can participate in the program, according to Trump and Lutnick. Trump said people from “largely” all countries would be eligible and would be “vetted very carefully.”
“Of course, we’re going to make sure they’re wonderful world class, global citizens,” Lutnick said. “They can come to America. … and they can invest in America.”
Trump said corporations could also participate in the program by sponsoring talented graduates from top universities.
“Companies that want to get people to be working for them will be able to buy a card for the people that are number one in their class at top schools,” Trump said, mentioning Harvard, Stanford and the Wharton School of Business. “Generally speaking, it will be people with money and people that create jobs.”
Tax the rich ‘Rats to git ‘er done!That's what President Trump's $5 million "Gold Card" is, and yet the Democrats are going to complain about that, too, after years of saying that "the rich don't pay their fair share."
-PJ
Many countries have similar plans...including at least one EU nation
I think one idea being flouted around is to use the money collected to either pay down the debt or fund deficits.
If 1 million very wealthy people worldwide pay $5 million to get the gold card, that’s 5 TRILLION DOLLARS right there!
My bet is that most of these will be Chinese.
Let’s just hope they are not all criminals.
-PJ
And how many millionaires will the chinese send over to influence elections MUCH EASIER since they can directly participate as citizens.
I thought all you guys were so big on legal immigration...really didn’t everythinng one has to, to become a citizen?
This short cut sounds like bad news.
However, I believe the equal protection act is applicable here as the new law would provide preference to a favored group. So I am opposed to the idea.
I'm probably over thinking this but that horse has left the barn. The State already gives preferential treatment to the wealthy. That's what express lanes on the highway are right?
It’s not clear where the 5 million will be going?
He hasn’t said it will go directly paid to the federal government or if it’s money required to be put in a US bank, like other countries have it set up.
“This short cut sounds like bad news.”
Look what happened to Vancouver B.C.
last time I was up there they had a huge mall that was all chinese, and housing prices went through the roof.
(I think $5 million is a much higher bar than was set up north)
-PJ
“Trump, who called the program “totally legal,””
well what happens if we get a dem president and they lower the gold card fee to $50
Not sure I would approve
Thailand has a 10 year visa you can get for having $100K (3 million baht) in a Thailand bank. I’ll probably invest in it when I move back.
The point is, if it’s an investment requirement in US banks, it’s not a tax.
If it’s supposed to go to the government we’re selling paths to citizenship.
No way we should let the Chinese/Russian/Saudi/Emirates/... oligarchs buy their way in. $$$$$ is no substitute for belief in American values.
Trump's new program is going to be vetted to ensure that the $5 million is paid up-front into an actual investment plan, some that may provide jobs, but some not.
That's all he was willing to say during the presser at the start of the Cabinet meeting, but Sec Commerce Lutnick said he and Sec Treasury Bessent were working together to put the program together.
-PJ
It could be a great success or a disaster, depending on how it’s implemented. For example, will Chinese oligarchs (i.e CCP plants) be able to buy their way into full citizenship? Thorough, intelligent vetting is essential.
If this is done in conjunction with a vast reduction in H1B visas, then it will be a significant improvement over our existing system. But without cuts to H1B, it’s a bad idea. This should be used as a replacement for most H1B visas, as it will better serve the goal of bringing truly elite talent to the country rather than subsidizing big business with cheap labor. The cost of $5 Million per employee virtually ensures that it won’t be used to import cheap labor, and it could generate a tremendous amount of money to pay down the debt.
If we could deport 15 million illegals and replace them with 1 million gold card immigrants at $5 Million a pop, that’s a big win.
For the last 70 years out legal system has been based on family reunification. Little or no focus was on skills or meritocracy. Weather the alien was going to be a net positive or a net negative was not even considered.
Being admitted as a lawful permeant resident is a extortionary and valuable gift. We have been giving it away for free to any idiot whos’ parent managed to naturalize despite them having no skills, talent or prospects.
The family base immigration system must end and end now. Trump and congress must implement a merit based system as soon as possible.
I know, I used the word "tax" loosely to mock liberals who cry about the rich not paying their fair share. There is the old cliche that nobody ever got a job from a poor person. President Trump is incentivizing the "rich" to spend their money here, whether it's voluntarily or confiscated as a tax. I think voluntary is the better way to go because the investor gets to decide how to spend the money, not the government. The government will still get their share in the form of new income taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, etc., as the investments mature.
If it’s supposed to go to the government we’re selling paths to citizenship.
Then we're doing it now with the current EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program that was created in 1990. The program was reformed in 2022 to raise the minimum investment to $1,050,000.
President Trump wants to raise the investment limit to $5,000,000.
-PJ
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