Washington, June 12
US President Donald Trump has officially launched a new immigration pathway for wealthy foreigners, dubbed the "gold card", offering a route to permanent residency in exchange for a $5 million payment to the government.
The long-discussed program was unveiled on Wednesday through a new government-backed website, trumpcard.gov, where interested individuals can now register their details to join the waiting list.
"For five million $dollars, the Trump card is coming," the US President declared in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
"Thousands have been calling and asking how they can sign up to ride a beautiful road in gaining access to the Greatest Country and Market anywhere in the World," he added.
The program, which Trump promotes as a fast-track immigration option, aims to attract high-net-worth individuals seeking to live and eventually become citizens of the United States.
Marketed as a more sophisticated alternative to the existing EB-5 investor visa, Trump described the gold card as "green card privileges plus."
However, despite the buzz surrounding the announcement, the gold card is not yet available for purchase. According to the official website, users can currently only submit their contact information to be notified once applications open.