US President Donald Trump signs a decree in the White House Oval Office on September 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump has signed two decrees, establishing the “Gold Trump card” and introducing costs of $ 100,000 for H-1B visas.
Andrew Harnik | Getty Images News | Getty images
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By reducing the price of the gold card of $ 5 million to $ 1 million, President Donald Trump has created one of the most coveted transactions on the world visa market, with the demand already exploding among the rich in the world, according to immigration lawyers.
Last week, Trump signed an executive decree announcing the official launch of the Gold card, which will cost $ 1 million and will grant a “record time,” he said. When he announced the gold card for the first time in February, the price was $ 5 million. While the GOLD card website also boasts a future Platinum card of $ 5 million, with additional tax advantages, the Platinum card was not in the decree and was not mentioned in the press event.
With its new reduced prize and its promise of rapid approvals, the gold card has instantly became one of the most sought -after “gold visas” in the world, with a price below many other countries. Singapore’s investment visa program, for example, costs nearly $ 8 million, while New Zealand’s new program is just under $ 3 million. Even the Samoa are more expensive, requiring an investment of $ 1.4 million.
“The gold card is almost too cheap,” said Reaz Jafri of the Withers international law firm. “You have access to the American education system, the health care system, the banking system and the financial markets, all for $ 1 million. It is a misery for many of these families. I think they should have maintained it at $ 5 million to make it special.”
The rich worlds are ready to write checks. Jafri said he was speaking at a conference on the family’s office in Singapore this week and was approached by three families – two in China and one based in India – which immediately expressed interest in buying a gold card. He said that he expects his business alone to help process “hundreds” of requests once the program is offset and proven.
Commerce secretary Howard Lungick said the government planned to issue 80,000 gold cards. With a potential Platinum card and the new H-1B costs, which was collected at $ 100,000, he said the programs should increase $ 100 billion in federal income.
The gold card always faces obstacles. Despite the announcement to the White House last Friday, there is no way to request the visa. The website announcing the gold card which was put online in June requests basic information from potential candidates, including their name and country of residence. So far, people who have registered on the site have declared that they had not received any updates.
The program is also likely to be disputed in court and potentially by the congress. Given that immigration law is fixed by the congress, the President has created the gold card thanks to several legal bypass solutions, in particular using existing EB-1 and EB-2 programs as an infrastructure or basis of the gold card. The fees of $ 1 million are officially labeled as a “unrestricted gift” to the government rather than an official change in costs.
Provisional legal status can also give abroad a rich break at the start, according to immigration lawyers. Many candidates will probably wait to see the first gold cards awarded and granted before spending the million dollars. And some may wait even longer.
“These things are still having a little time to accelerate,” said Dominic Stef Group’s private customers at Henley & Partners. “People don’t want to be the first to try it. The majority of our customers like to see the operational program for three to six months and see the results before committing.”
Stepk said he had already had a number of customer information requests and expects the program to attract at least 5,000 to 10,000 requests per year.
“From a price point of view, it is certainly more attractive to $ 1 million instead of $ 5 million,” said Steak. “And if it’s as fast as they say, it becomes even more attractive.”
The gold card also arrives at a timely time from the world visa market. As geopolitical uncertainty, wars and political tensions increase around the world, ultra-rich buy citizens and alternative residences for a “plan B” or coverage against their country of origin.
142,000 millionaires are expected to move to another country in 2025, according to a report by New World Wealth and Henley & Partners. The United States is one of the main destinations, with 7,500 millionaires that should move to the United States this year, only ranking second behind the United Arab Emirates, according to the report. Most millionaires from America come from Asia, the United Kingdom and Latin America.
The demand for the gold card should mainly come from China and India, according to immigration advisers. However, candidates in these countries can be disappointed. The EB-1 and EB-2 programs (which constitute the base of the gold card) already have large arrears of candidates from China and India, extending for years. If the buyers of gold cards are allowed to move to the front of the line due to their donation of $ 1 million, the candidates who were waiting could bring prosecution. At the same time, buyers of gold card will not be willing to spend $ 1 million if they are forced to wait for years for approval.
The number of visas available available via EB-1 and EB-2 programs would likely be widening would likely require the approval of the congress, advisers said.
“India and China are actually excluded in a way from the gold card,” said Sték. “The EB-1 and EB-2 roads already have important arrears for China and India. Immediate access to the Gold card may not work if you were born in one of these two countries.”
The gold card also has drawbacks compared to other gold visa programs in the world. The donation of $ 1 million is not refundable, while visas in other countries are structured as investments that could generate yields. And unlike most other countries, the United States taxes its citizens and residents on its world income, even if it is won abroad.
The Platinum card is designed to partially avoid the tax emission in exchange for a higher price. According to the White House, the Platinum card would allow holders to stay in the United States for 270 days per year without paying tax on their income abroad. Currently, nationals abroad are subject to global taxes if they are in the United States for 183 days during a three-year period using a complex IRS day counting formula known as the “substantial presence” test.
Some advisers say that the Platinum card will be a more difficult sale than the gold card, because it does not lead to a green card or to citizenship and has limited advantages for ultra-rich who are already spending time in the United States
“He will not sell well,” said David Lesperance, from Lesperance Associates. “Little considering that this worth $ 5 million just to spend an additional 91 days in the United States”
Others say that Gold and Platinum cards appeal to different types of rich abroad. The Platinum card can use ultra-rich-for example, billionaires from Asia or the Middle East-who want to be in the United States but want to protect their companies and their income from American taxes. Jafri said he had already received surveys on the Platinum map of four Brazilian family offices.
The gold card is more appropriate for the sons and daughters of the wealthy abroad who want to go to university in the United States and become more competitive on the American labor market after having graduated.
“Many children from these foreign billionaires do not want to manage the family business and want to be architects or doctors or engineers and have regular jobs,” said Jafri. “Or maybe they want to create a startup in America. The gold card is very attractive for this group.”
Given the relatively low price of Gold and Platinum cards, Jafri said that the White House should possibly issue a black card.
“They could charge $ 20 million or 25 million dollars and exempt buyers from inheritance tax,” he said. “It would be a game changer. I bet 1,000 people would do it and they would bring all their assets to the United States”