US President Donald Trump has opened the waiting list for the “gold card” – a $5 million route to legal immigration to the United States.
Trump yesterday (11 June) launched trumpcard.gov, the website where people can register their interest in signing up for the long-awaited and much-touted “gold card” that secures permanent residency in the US, reports Hindustan Times. The scheme is positioned as a fast-track alternative to the existing EB-5 investor visa, offering what Trump describes as “green card privileges plus.” However, anyone who pays $5 million cannot become US citizens.

According to USA Today, paying $5 million does not get one immediate citizenship to the US. In fact, Trump has said that the gold card offers only a path to citizenship, not citizenship itself.
“It’s somewhat like a green card, but at a higher level of sophistication. It’s a road to citizenship for people, and essentially people of wealth or people of great talent,” Trump said.
Can I now sign up for Trump’s gold card? The website is open, but gold cards are not being sold yet. Instead, people can sign up to be notified.
“Enter your information below to be notified the moment access opens,” reads the text on the homepage of trumpcard.gov.

How is the gold card different from the EB-5 investor visa?

The EB-5 investor visa is a U.S. immigration programme that grants permanent residency to foreign nationals who invest $800,000 to $1.05 million in a US business and create at least 10 full-time American jobs. It offers a path to a green card and eventual citizenship.
Unlike the EB-5, which requires applicants to create at least 10 jobs in the US, the gold card reportedly removes that requirement, making it a simpler and more direct route to legal immigration and eventual citizenship.