The administration of President Donald Trump has unveiled a new fast-track immigration scheme, the “Trump Gold Card”, allowing wealthy foreigners to secure the right to live in the United States in exchange for a hefty payment.

According to Reuters, the Gold Card visa programme was officially launched on December 10, 2025. Applicants can apply via Trumpcard.gov by clicking “Apply now” and paying a US$15,000 fee to the Department of Homeland Security to speed up processing.

Once background checks and screening are complete, applicants must make a US$1 million “gift” – described by the website as a donation – to obtain the visa, which functions much like a US green card, granting the right to live and work in the country.

“Basically, it’s a green card, but much better, much more powerful. It’s a stronger pathway, a very important pathway. We want people of exceptional talent,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Commerce Minister Howard Lutnick said around 10,000 people had already registered interest before the official launch and predicted demand would grow.

“I expect that over time we will sell thousands of these cards and raise billions of dollars,” he told Reuters.

Lutnick claimed the Gold Card would bring in migrants who contribute more to the US economy than the “average” green card holder, whom he alleged earns less than the average American and uses more public assistance – though he offered no evidence to support this.

The Trump administration has pursued a sweeping immigration crackdown, deporting hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants and tightening rules on legal migration. The Gold Card is being pitched as a Trump-style solution: a way to monetise access to US residency and raise revenue for the Treasury, much as Trump has boasted of doing through tariffs.

Lutnick added that a corporate Gold Card would allow companies to fast-track visas for staff they want to bring to the United States, in return for a US$2 million contribution per employee.