U.S. Gold Card Visa Program Approves One Applicant After Launch
The U.S. gold card visa program, requiring at least $1 million for foreigners to live and work in the country, has approved one person since its December launch. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced the milestone at a congressional hearing, noting hundreds of applicants await processing. The initiative aims to replace the EB-5 program and generate revenue.
washingtontimes.comU.S. gold card visa program has approved one person since launching in December, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stated at a congressional committee hearing on Thursday. S. He added that officials 'just set it up, and they wanted to make sure they did it perfectly' to ensure proper implementation.
3 billion worth of gold cards in several days. ' Lutnick did not address a discrepancy in an exchange with a congresswoman at Thursday's committee hearing regarding the initial sales claim and the single approval so far. President Trump pushed the gold card idea last year, initially suggesting a cost of $5 million.
On April 3, 2025, Trump held a $5 million gold card while speaking to reporters on Air Force One. S. visas to people who invested about $1 million in a company with at least 10 employees. Each gold card applicant pays a $15,000 fee in addition to $1 million, which allows for rigorous vetting, Lutnick said.
U.S. citizenship and includes a 1% annual maintenance fee. Corporations can pay $2 million for a foreign-born employee under the program. A year ago, Lutnick said at a cabinet meeting that the gold card would raise $1 trillion in revenue and help balance the budget.
S. 3 trillion. Projections by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget indicate this fiscal year's annual budget deficit will be roughly $2 trillion. The government website features the phrase 'Unlock life in America' above a depiction of a gold card showing Trump's stern visage, a bald eagle, the Statue of Liberty, and his squiggled signature.
U.S. income. ' Dozens of countries offer versions of golden visas to wealthy individuals, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Greece, Malta, Australia, Canada, and Italy. The article was published by NBC News on April 24, 2026, at 8:52 AM EDT.
Com is dated April 23, 2026, at 5:40 PM.
Key Facts
Story Timeline
6 events- 2026-04-24
NBC News publishes article on gold card visa program at 8:52 AM EDT.
1 source@NBCNews - 2026-04-23
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announces first approval and hundreds in queue at congressional hearing; abcnews.go.com article published at 5:40 PM.
2 sources@NBCNews · abcnews.go.com - 2025-12
Gold card visa program launches; government sells $1.3 billion worth in several days.
1 source@NBCNews - 2025-04-03
President Trump holds $5 million gold card while speaking to reporters on Air Force One.
1 source@NBCNews - 2025
President Trump pushes gold card idea, initially suggesting $5 million cost; Lutnick predicts $1 trillion revenue at cabinet meeting.
1 source@NBCNews - Decades ago
EB-5 program established, offering visas for $1 million investment in companies with at least 10 employees.
1 source@NBCNews
Potential Impact
- 01
Attraction of foreign talent and investment replacing EB-5 program
- 02
Expansion to Platinum Card offering tax benefits for high spenders
- 03
Potential revenue generation to help reduce U.S. budget deficit
- 04
Facilitation of skilled immigration amid deportation policies
- 05
Increased scrutiny on program discrepancies and fund allocation
Multi-source corroboration verifies facts, not framing. This panel scores the Substrate rewrite you just read (top score) and the raw source bundle it came from. A positive delta means the rewrite stripped framing from the sources; a negative or zero delta means our neutralizer let some through.
The gold card visa's first approval and hundreds in queue signal a promising start to attracting skilled investors and boosting U.S. revenue.
- Lede misdirectionnotable“TITLE: U.S. Gold Card Visa Program Approves Single Applicant Months After Launch”Lede centers on single approval process detail instead of substantive program mechanicsThe headline leads with who shared, posted, or reacted to the event rather than the substantive event itself — burying the actual news behind the messenger.
- Valence skewminor“discrepancy in an exchange... Lutnick did not address”Highlights unaddressed inconsistency to imply program shortcomingsAdjectives and adverbs systematically slant toward one interpretation even though the underlying facts are neutral.
- Omitted counterpointminor“No mention of potential benefits or applicant interest”Ignores positive interpretations of slow start as careful vettingA reasonable alternative reading of the facts isn't represented anywhere in the source bundle.
Transparency Panel
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