U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced the launch of the “Trump Gold Card,” a new immigration pathway that grants expedited residency to foreign nationals who pay government processing fees and contribute $1 million to the United States Treasury.

The initiative, unveiled during a roundtable with technology executives at the White House, marks one of the most sweeping overhauls to employment-based immigration introduced by the administration.

Trump said the program would help American companies retain highly skilled workers, especially graduates of top global universities who often face uncertainty navigating existing visa processes.

“Very excitingly for me and for the country, we’ve just launched the Trump Gold Card,” Trump declared, adding that the online application portal would open immediately. He said the initiative would bring in “tremendous amounts of money” and provide stability for firms dependent on foreign talent.

According to official details released by the administration, applicants must pay a nonrefundable $15,000 processing fee to the Department of Homeland Security and, after passing a background check, make a $1 million contribution to receive expedited U.S. residency, while corporations may sponsor an employee for a $2 million fee.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said applicants will undergo “the best vetting the government has ever done.” Recipients will have a pathway to citizenship after five years, and companies can continue sponsoring new workers once previous beneficiaries become U.S. citizens.

The administration is also developing a higher-tier option, the Trump Platinum Card, which would require a $5 million contribution and allow approved foreign nationals to spend up to 270 days per year in the United States without paying U.S. taxes on foreign income.

Officials say this upper-tier system targets global investors, entrepreneurs, and high-net-worth individuals seeking partial U.S. residency without full tax obligations.

Trump emphasized that the initiative will generate “billions of dollars” for the U.S. Treasury and help American firms compete internationally. He pointed to complaints from CEOs, including Apple’s Tim Cook, who argue that top international graduates often cannot secure long-term residency due to strict annual visa caps and backlogs.

“They graduate number one in their class and there’s no way of guaranteeing they can stay,” Trump said.

Immigration law experts and constitutional scholars harshly criticized the proposal, saying it effectively creates a pay-to-stay immigration category without congressional authorization. They argue that the U.S. Constitution clearly assigns control over immigration to Congress, not the Executive Branch.

Experts also warn that the Trump Gold Card bypasses the structure and caps of existing employment-based categories such as EB-1 (Extraordinary Ability) and EB-2 (Advanced Degrees), potentially undermining the legal framework that governs skilled immigration.

Some analysts note that the program resembles investor-visa schemes used in countries such as Portugal, Malta, and the United Arab Emirates, but differs sharply from the United States’ own EB-5 investor visa, which requires job creation rather than a direct government contribution.

Supporters within the business community praised the initiative, saying it reflects a more flexible, market-driven immigration policy at a time when global competition for talent is intensifying.

“The U.S. cannot afford to lose brilliant graduates simply because our system is outdated,” one tech executive at the roundtable said.

As the Trump administration prepares to publish additional guidance in the coming days, legal challenges are expected, with advocacy groups preparing to contest the measure in federal court. (ILKHA)