What You Need to Know About the New Trump Gold Card Program (December 2025)

The Trump Gold Card Program — established by Executive Order 14351 and to be launched December 18, 2025— represents one of the most significant changes to U.S. immigration policy in decades.

Designed to create a pathway to U.S. permanent residency for wealthy foreign nationals willing to make substantial financial gifts to the United States, this program has generated both excitement and controversy.

What the Gold Card Is

The Gold Card is a new immigration program authorized by Executive Order 14351, signed on September 19, 2025, directing the government to implement a pathway to U.S. residency based on significant financial contributions.

Those contributions are treated as evidence of exceptional business ability and national benefit under existing employment-based visa categories (EB-1 and EB-2).

Under the program:

Individuals must contribute a $1 million unrestricted gift to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
A $2 million gift is required if a corporation or employer sponsors a foreign national.
These contributions are not investments and do not accrue returns — they are treated as unconditional gifts.

The executive order instructs agencies to establish application processes, expedited adjudication, and fee structures, while maintaining normal visa quotas.

When You Can Apply

The program opened to applicants in December 2025. Interested individuals and corporate sponsors can begin by:

Registering and submitting initial information — including the non-refundable $15,000 processing fee per applicant — on the official Trump Card site: trumpcard.gov.
After initial vetting and acceptance, USCIS will notify applicants to file Form I-140G electronically through their USCIS online account.
The I-140G petition cannot be filed on paper. It must be filed online after registration confirmation.

Form I-140G — the Immigrant Petition for the Gold Card Program — is the USCIS form that evaluates eligibility under this new program

Analysis of the Gold Card Program

Eligibility and Requirements

Applicants must demonstrate eligibility for lawful permanent residence via existing employment-based categories — either:

EB-1A (extraordinary ability) or
EB-2 with a National Interest Waiver (NIW)

The required financial gift serves as evidence of exceptional ability or national benefit under these categories. This is not a separate visa category — it works within the existing system.

In addition to gift requirements, the process includes:

Source-of-funds documentation
Financial disclosures
National security, anti-money-laundering, and fraud screening.

Costs

$15,000 USCIS processing fee per person (non-refundable).
$1 million unrestricted gift for individual applicants.
$2 million gift for corporate sponsors per principal applicant.
Each dependent (spouse/children) also triggers a $1 million gift and processing fee.

There are no refunds once fees or gifts are paid

Step by Step Application Process

According to government guidance, the Gold Card process consists of the following steps:

1. Gold Card Application

The foreign national or corporate sponsor begins by submitting a Gold Card application on TrumpCard.gov, providing basic biographical details for the applicant and any family members, including name, contact information, date and place of birth, citizenship, and address.

2. $15,000 DHS Processing Fee (Per Applicant)

After submission, applicants are directed to Department of Treasury pay.gov to pay the nonrefundable $15,000 Department of Homeland Security fee per applicant Payments can be made via U.S. or international credit card, or by ACH debit for U.S. bank accounts only.

3. Online Filing of Form I-140G

USCIS will then notify the applicant or sponsor to create or access a USCIS online account to file Form I-140G (Immigrant Petition for the Gold Card Program). This form must be submitted online. USCIS uses Form I-140G to review and verify the lawful source of the gifted funds.

4. Submission of the $1 Million or $2 Million Donation

If the initial vetting is approved, the applicant or sponsor will receive instructions to submit the required $1 million (individual) or $2 million (corporate) donation to the Department of Treasury via ACH debit or SWIFT wire. Once the donation is received, USCIS may approve the I-140G.

5. Consular Processing and DS-260G Filing

After I-140G approval—and once a visa number becomes available in the applicant’s EB-1 or EB-2 category—the applicant must complete immigrant visa processing with the U.S. Department of State. This includes submitting Form DS-260G, required fees, and supporting documentation to the appropriate U.S. embassy or consulate. The consulate will review admissibility and conduct an in-person interview, which is expected to be mandatory. Upon visa approval, the applicant may enter the United States as a lawful permanent resident.

Adjustment of Status Uncertain

The government has not yet confirmed whether applicants already in the United States will be allowed to apply through the adjustment of status process instead of consular processing.

Processing Times

The Trump Card website states that once the Gold Card application and DHS fee are received, processing “should take weeks,” though it is unclear whether this refers to the initial application or Form I-140G. In practice, the final step—immigrant visa consular processing—can take several months, depending on the consular post’s workload.

Advantages — The Gold Card program offers a simpler evidentiary burden, as the gift itself is treated as a presumed national benefit. Applicants may see faster initial adjudication and enjoy corporate flexibility, including the ability to transfer sponsorship without making a new gift.

Risks and Limitations — The program requires a substantial, nonrefundable financial gift. Applicants remain subject to annual visa caps and potential backlogs. Because the program is based on executive action, its terms could shift under future administrations. Applications are subject to significant financial scrutiny and may be denied on security or fraud-related grounds. It is not a guaranteed “purchase” of a green card—admissibility and visa availability still apply. Potential exposure to litigation also exists due to the program’s creation by executive order.

Looking Ahead

Eligible applicants may now begin preparing and submitting their Gold Card applications and progressing through the steps outlined above to pursue a Gold Card–based green card.

The government has not yet released any information about the Platinum Card program. Although it was not included in President Trump’s September executive order, the option appears on the Trump Card website. According to the site, the Platinum Card would allow a foreign national who contributes $5 million to live in the United States for up to 270 days per year without being subject to U.S. taxes on non-U.S. income.

Foreign nationals interested in the Trump Gold Card program should contact our office to discuss risks and limitations.

Contact Us. If you would like to schedule a consultation, please text 619-483-4549 or call 619-819-9204.

Helpful Links

JOIN OUR NEW FACEBOOK GROUP

Need more immigration updates? We have created a new facebook group to address the impact of the new executive orders and other changing developments. Follow us there!