The Trump Administration has introduced a framework for three new immigration pathways—the Trump Gold Card, Trump Corporate Gold Card, and the forthcoming Trump Platinum Card—signalling a shift from the traditional EB-5 immigrant investor visa model toward donation-based qualifications. While many details remain uncertain, these initiatives could reshape options for foreign nationals, employers, and investors navigating U.S. immigration.
Because this is a new and evolving program, and because reporting on its operational status has varied even in recent months, applicants and their employers should treat this article as a general overview before making any financial commitment.
Key Takeaways
- Not a New Visa Category: The Trump Gold Card is not a standalone visa. Instead, it creates a new standard of evidence for two existing employment-based green card categories – EB-1A (Extraordinary Ability) and EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW).
- Donation-Based Qualification:
- Individuals: A $1 million nonrefundable donation to the U.S. is deemed sufficient evidence of extraordinary ability or national interest.
- Corporations: A $2 million donation allows sponsorship of a foreign employee. Sponsorship may be transferable between employees, but rules for post-green card transfers remain unclear.
- Eligibility and Quotas:
- Applicants must be admissible to the U.S., visa numbers must be available, and they must otherwise qualify for lawful permanent residency.
- Nationals of India and China face multi-year backlogs in EB-1A, while all nationalities face significant delays under the EB-2 NIW category.
What Is the Trump Gold Card?
On September 19, 2025, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14351, “The Gold Card,” formally establishing a new donation-based pathway for foreign nationals seeking U.S. immigration benefits. The order introduced what has become known as the Trump Gold Card program, alongside an announced, but not yet operational, Corporate Gold Card and Platinum Card. Together, these programs represent a significant shift in how the federal government is proposing to weigh financial contributions in the immigration system.
The Gold Card is not a new visa category created from scratch. Instead, it operates within the existing employment-based immigrant visa system, using a significant financial contribution as evidence supporting eligibility for an EB-1 or EB-2 immigrant visa, including, in some cases, an EB-2 national interest waiver.
Features of the individual Gold Card include
- A $1 million nonrefundable financial contribution to the federal government (routed through the Department of Commerce), intended to promote commerce and American industry.
- A separate $15,000 nonrefundable processing fee paid to the Department of Homeland Security at the outset of the application, before the contribution itself is collected.
- An in-depth USCIS background check and vetting process, including national security and anti-money-laundering screening, that must be completed successfully before the financial contribution is requested.
- A path to lawful permanent resident status (a green card), filed through Form I-140G, rather than a standalone visa or visa stamp separate from the existing green card system.
- Family members may be included, but each additional spouse or unmarried child under 21 generally requires their own separate contribution and processing fee, substantially increasing the total cost for a family applying together.
Note: The Gold Card does not immediately grant U.S. citizenship. It provides a pathway to lawful permanent resident status; recipients who wish to become U.S. citizens must still meet the standard naturalization requirements that apply to any other permanent resident, including the applicable continuous residence period.
The Platinum Card: Proposed, Not Yet Operational
The Trump administration has also promoted a $5 million “Platinum Card,” but as of this writing it remains a proposal with only a waiting list, not an active application process. The Platinum Card is structured differently from the Gold Card:
- It would allow individual applicants to reside in the United States for up to 270 days per year without being subject to U.S. tax on non-U.S.-source income.
- It does not include a stated pathway to citizenship or permanent residency.
- Implementing the tax component would require action by Congress, since an executive order alone cannot change federal tax law, meaning the Platinum Card cannot become fully operational through executive action alone.
- The same $15,000 DHS processing fee is expected to apply, in addition to the $5 million contribution, once and if the program launches.
Foreign nationals interested in the Platinum Card can currently only join a waiting list; there is no guarantee the contribution amount, tax treatment, or program structure will remain unchanged if and when it becomes active.
How the Application Process Works
Based on the framework published to date, the general application sequence for the Gold Card is as follows:
- Registration and application submission through the official program portal, including biographical information and identifying documentation.
- Payment of the $15,000 nonrefundable DHS processing fee, which can generally be made by credit card, ACH debit (for U.S. bank accounts), or SWIFT wire transfer (for international bank accounts).
- USCIS background check and vetting, including screening related to national security, fraud, and anti-money-laundering concerns. Applicants must be prepared to demonstrate a lawful source of funds for both the processing fee and the underlying contribution.
- Notification following successful vetting, at which point the applicant (or corporate sponsor, for the Corporate Gold Card) is instructed to submit the $1 million or $2 million contribution.
- Filing of the underlying immigrant visa petition (Form I-140G) under the applicable EB-1 or EB-2 category, followed by standard visa issuance or adjustment of status procedures, along with any additional Department of State fees that may apply.
Because the Gold Card relies on existing EB-1 and EB-2 immigrant visa categories, which remain subject to per-country numerical caps, applicants from countries with historically high demand in those categories may still experience significant waiting periods even after paying the processing fee and completing the contribution, since the program does not create additional visa numbers.
Program Status and Points of Uncertainty
Reporting on the Gold Card’s operational status has evolved considerably since the executive order was signed, and some details remain unsettled as of mid-2026:
- Uptake has been modest relative to early administration projections. Public reporting earlier in 2026 indicated only a few hundred formal applications and a small number of approvals, well below the volume initially projected when the program was announced.
- The program has faced a legal challenge. A federal lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia argues that the executive order exceeds executive authority; as of mid-2026, that litigation remained pending.
- Some technical and procedural elements were still being finalized well into 2026, including federal review of the official petition form associated with the program, which affects exactly when and how applications are formally processed.
Given this evolving picture, prospective applicants and corporate sponsors should confirm the program’s current operational status, exact fee structure, and processing timeline directly with USCIS and the official government resources listed below before initiating an application or committing funds.
How the Gold Card Compares to Traditional Investor Visa Categories
For foreign nationals and employers already familiar with existing investment-based or employment-based immigration options, several distinctions below are worth noting.
| Category | Basis of Qualification | Job Creation Required? | Approximate Direct Government Cost | Standalone Category? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Card | Nonrefundable financial gift to the federal government, used as supporting evidence within EB-1/EB-2 | No | $1M (individual) or $2M (corporate) + $15,000 processing fee | No. Uses existing EB-1/EB-2 framework |
| EB-5 Immigrant Investor | At-risk capital investment in a commercial enterprise | Yes. Must create a specified number of jobs | Investment capital (typically in the high six figures to $1M+) plus standard filing fees | Yes |
| E-2 Treaty Investor | Substantial, at-risk investment in a bona fide enterprise by a treaty country national | Expected. Enterprise must show job creation potential to avoid being “marginal” | No fixed minimum; substantial filing fees, no government “gift” required | Yes |
| O-1 | Extraordinary ability or achievement | No | Standard filing fees only | Yes |
| EB-2 National Interest Waiver | Advanced degree/exceptional ability with work in the national interest | No | Standard filing fees only | Yes |
Because each pathway involves different legal requirements, costs, and timelines, foreign nationals and corporate sponsors evaluating their options should discuss their specific circumstances with an immigration attorney before deciding which route, best fits their goals.
How Global Immigration Partners Can Help
Given how new, evolving, and legally contested this program remains, our immigration attorneys are closely monitoring developments related to the Gold Card, Corporate Gold Card, and Platinum Card programs. For clients evaluating which visa best fits their goals, our legal team can help assess eligibility, and provide guidance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a company sponsor more than one employee through the Corporate Gold Card?
Yes. A company is not limited to sponsoring just one employee — the Corporate Gold Card structure allows an employer to sponsor multiple employees, with each new employee requiring a separate $2 million contribution and $15,000 processing fee. This is positioned as an alternative for employers seeking to retain key foreign talent without relying on the H-1B lottery.
What does “DHS vetting” involve, and when does it happen?
Before any financial contribution is collected, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Department of Homeland Security conduct an in-depth background check on each applicant. This DHS vetting includes national security, fraud, and anti-money-laundering screening. Only after an applicant successfully completes this vetting is the $1 million (or $2 million, for a corporate-sponsored employee) contribution requested.
Does the Gold Card offer any tax benefits?
Gold Card recipients are taxed the same as other lawful permanent residents, on their worldwide income, with no special exemption. The separately proposed Platinum Card is the program with distinct tax implications: it would allow a person to spend up to 270 days per year in the United States without paying U.S. tax on non-U.S. income earned abroad. As of this writing, that tax treatment has not taken effect, since it would require congressional action rather than executive order alone.
Does the Gold Card guarantee “record time” processing for everyone?
Because Gold Card petitions are still filed under the existing EB-1 or EB-2 categories, applicants remain subject to the per-country numerical limits that apply to those categories. For nationals of countries with historically high demand in those categories, expedited processing at the application stage does not necessarily eliminate longer waits tied to overall visa availability.
Is the $15,000 processing fee separate from the $1 million or $2 million contribution?
Yes. The $15,000 fee is a nonrefundable payment to the Department of Homeland Security required simply to begin the gold card application and undergo vetting. The $1 million (individual) or $2 million (per employee, for corporate sponsors) contribution is a separate payment requested only after that vetting is successfully completed.
