Washington , 17 April (H.S.): The Trump administration is set to introduce a gold card aimed at wealthy immigrants, replacing the EB-5 visa program. The initiative, entrusted to billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), aims to streamline the application process for these special immigration visas, priced at $5 million each. Under the project, Musk's team of engineers is developing a dedicated website and application system to facilitate the issuance of these visas. The announcement came from Trump's commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, who stated that the gold card would be ready in about a week and a half.
The DOGE team is partnering with personnel from the State Department, Department of Homeland Security, and USCIS to develop a visa portal. The project, part of a new route to citizenship for very high-level people announced by the American President, is referred to as a gold card. Little information was provided about who would be eligible at the announcement in late February. This initiative is intended to replace the EB-5 visa program, which allows foreign nationals to acquire permanent residence through significant investments, generating $4 billion for the federal government last year. DOGE's project is led by Marko Elez and Edward Coristine, who are meeting with agency officials to integrate existing visa processes into a new system that expedites applications. The focus is on peer-reviewed methods to shorten the immigrant vetting timeline to two weeks. Howard Lutnick mentioned selling a thousand gold cards, yet no financial transaction evidence has been presented, leaving questions about future citizenship for holders.
A new gold card system is being developed, allowing individuals to secure their status as American residents by paying $5 million, provided they are vetted and law-abiding. Lutnick announced that the associated software, being built by Musk, will debut in about a week and a half. This gold card features imagery of Trump's face, the Statue of Liberty, and a bald eagle, and aims to streamline the visa process significantly. Marko Elez and Edward Coristine are leading the initiative, collaborating with various agencies to identify how existing processes can be integrated into this new system. The focus is on expediting the immigrant vetting process, which typically includes interviews and background checks, allowing high-net-worth applicants to obtain residency approval much faster than the standard lengthy timeline. The plan aims to create a more accessible path to residency for select individuals while still ensuring proper vetting measures are in place.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
