US President Donald Trump announced that his administration is looking to offer permanent residency under a new visa program called the ‘Trump Card’ in exchange for $5 million. Now, he announced on Wednesday that a new website has been launched for those interested in the program to register.
By going to the website called trumpcard.gov, applicants can register by specifying their name, region, email address and whether they are applying as an individual or a business, so that they can be notified ‘as soon as access is available.’
Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social, ‘Thousands of people are calling to ask how they can take part in this beautiful journey—the journey of gaining access to the greatest country and market in the world. It is called the United States. Now is the time to get on the waiting list.’
Trump first announced the visa plan in February of this year, when he said his administration would introduce a “gold card” that would allow applicants to live, work and become citizens in the United States. At the time, Trump said, “They’re going to be rich, they’re going to be successful, they’re going to spend a lot of money, they’re going to pay a lot of taxes and they’re going to put a lot of people in jobs.”
In April, he showed reporters a sample of the card — a gold-colored card with Trump’s face on it — to the press aboard Air Force One.
The “Trump Card” is expected to be introduced as an alternative to the existing EB-5 immigrant investor visa program. The EB-5 visa allows permanent residence in the United States if the applicant invests at least $1.05 million or $800,000 in a designated economically disadvantaged area.
It’s unclear what other qualifications will be required under the new $5 million card, although the Trump administration has said applicants will have to go through a vetting process.
Under current immigration rules, legal permanent residents can apply for citizenship after five years if they have a basic knowledge of English and can demonstrate “good character” and “loyalty to the principles and ideals” of the U.S. Constitution.