U.S. President Donald Trump has formally launched a scheme offering fast-tracked U.S. visas to foreigners who can pay at least $1 million — or companies willing to spend $2 million to sponsor a worker they want to bring into the country.
The “Trump Gold Card,” first announced earlier this year, grants a U.S. visa to applicants who can show they provide a substantial benefit to the country.
It promises accelerated residency at a time when Washington is intensifying its immigration crackdown, raising work-visa fees and stepping up deportations of undocumented migrants.
"Basically it's a Green Card, but much better. Much more powerful, a much stronger path," Trump told reporters at the White House. "A path is a big deal. Have to be great people."
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said some 10,000 people have already signed up for the gold card during a pre-registration period and he expected many more to do so.
"I would expect over time that we'd sell, you know, thousands of these cards and raise, you know, billions, billions of dollars," Lutnick told Reuters in a brief interview.
Lutnick said the gold card program would bring people into the United States who would benefit the economy.
He compared that to "average" Green Card holders, whom he said earned less money than average Americans and were more likely to be on or have family members on public assistance. He did not provide evidence for that assertion.
Once materials are submitted, processing may take only weeks and includes an interview.
"The Trump Gold Card is a visa; therefore, national security and significant criminal risks are a basis for revocation." according to the oficial site.
The programme has already drawn criticism for appearing to undercut America’s traditional reputation as a refuge for the hardworking poor.
The official website also flags an upcoming “Trump Platinum Card,” costing $5 million and allowing holders to spend up to 270 days a year in the U.S. without being subject to U.S. taxes on non-U.S. income.
Venezuelan oil exports under a flagship $2 billion supply deal with the U.S. reached about 7.8 million barrels on Wednesday, vessel-tracking data and ...
Azerbaijan’s State Oil Fund, State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ), has signed a long-term strategic cooperation agreement worth up to $1.4 billion w...
The United States is placing renewed emphasis on regional partnerships that offer predictability, security cooperation and economic continuity as inst...
Armenia and Azerbaijan will interconnect their energy systems, enabling mutual electricity imports and exports as part of a wider regional transit ini...
A fire alarm prompted the partial evacuation of the Davos Congress Centre on Wednesday evening while Donald Trump was inside the building attending th...
In a move reinforcing the "Fortress America" doctrine that has rattled global markets, the United States plans to reduce personnel within critical NATO command centres.
U.S. forces have seized another oil tanker linked to Venezuela in the Caribbean, marking the seventh such detention in recent weeks as Washington intensifies enforcement of sanctions on illicit oil shipments.
Global markets are rattled after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened new tariffs on eight European countries over Greenland, sending the euro to a seven-week low and raising concerns about renewed transatlantic trade tensions.
Fears of the end of the West, to paraphrase Mark Twain, may be premature. But they might not be premature for long.
Several locally-developed instant messaging applications were reportedly restored in Iran on Tuesday (20 January), partially easing communications restrictions imposed after recent unrest.
There was a common theme in speeches at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday (20 January). China’s Vice-Premier, He Lifeng, warned that "tariffs and trade wars have no winners," while France's Emmanuel Macron, labelled "endless accumulation of new tariffs" from the U.S. "fundamentally unacceptable."
Dozens of beaches along Australia's east coast, including in Sydney, closed on Tuesday (20 January) after four shark attacks in two days, as heavy rains left waters murky and more likely to attract the animals.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington would “work something out” with NATO allies on Tuesday, defending his approach to the alliance while renewing his push for U.S. control of Greenland amid rising tensions with Europe.
At the World Economic Forum’s “Defining Eurasia’s Economic Identity” panel on 20 January 2026, leaders from Azerbaijan, Armenia and Serbia discussed how the South Caucasus and wider Eurasian region can strengthen economic ties, peace and geopolitical stability amid shifting global influence.
Venezuelan oil exports under a flagship $2 billion supply deal with the U.S. reached about 7.8 million barrels on Wednesday, vessel-tracking data and documents from state-run PDVSA showed.
The United States is placing renewed emphasis on regional partnerships that offer predictability, security cooperation and economic continuity as instability deepens across the Middle East and parts of Eurasia
A fire alarm prompted the partial evacuation of the Davos Congress Centre on Wednesday evening while Donald Trump was inside the building attending the World Economic Forum, Swiss authorities said.
Kazakhstan has yet to receive results from two foreign laboratories examining evidence linked to the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft near Aktau, delaying the publication of the final investigation report, officials said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow could pay $1 billion from Russian assets frozen abroad to secure permanent membership in President Donald Trump’s proposed ‘Board of Peace’.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment