On September 19, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14351, “The Gold Card,” directing the Departments of Commerce, State, and Homeland Security to create an expedited immigrant visa process. This program aims to facilitate the entry of foreign nationals who make an unrestricted financial gift to the U.S. government via the Department of Commerce.

The Administration expects the Gold Card program to generate $100 billion in revenue to help lower taxes and reduce the debt for Americans. The executive order requires the agencies to implement the program within 90 days of its issuance, specifically by December 19, 2025.

Key Program Requirements and Details

• Required Gift Amounts:
  • $1 million (USD) for an individual donating on their own behalf; or
  • $2 million (USD) for a corporation donating on behalf of an individual.
• Target Applicants: The Gold Card prioritizes the entry of “successful entrepreneurs, investors, and businessmen and women”.
• Visa Categories Used: The Gold Card is not a new statutory immigrant visa category. Instead, the gift will be treated as evidence of the applicant’s eligibility under the EB-1 business or EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) categories. The program will draw visa numbers from the existing EB-1 and EB-2 categories, which is expected to negatively impact visa availability in those categories.
• Agency Interaction: The filing process will involve the following three agencies:

1. 1. Department of Commerce: Handles the intake of the $1 million or $2 million gift.
   2. State Department: Manages consular processing of the immigrant visa applications.
   3. DHS/USCIS: Handles adjustment of status applications.

Implementation, Costs, and “Trump Platinum Card”

As of October 22, 2025, operational details, including application mechanics, specific fees, and a start date, have not yet been published. Applicants, however, should anticipate all normal immigrant visa processing, background vetting, and security checks.

• Costs: Beyond the required financial gift, applicants must expect to pay additional processing fees. The executive order directs agencies to set administrative fees to cover the cost of expedited processing, as well as maintenance and transfer fees for corporate sponsors.
• Corporate Transfer Fee: Corporations making a $2 million contribution will be allowed to transfer the contribution from one employee to another without paying a new fee.
• Expression of Interest: For now, applicants can express interest by signing up for updates on application procedures at https://trumpcard.gov/. This is the only official government (“.gov”) website currently available for information.
• The “Trump Platinum Card”: The official Gold Card website mentions a waiting list for the “Trump Platinum Card,” which states that for a $5 million gift, foreign nationals “will have the ability to spend up to 270 days in the United States without being subject to U.S. taxes on non-U.S. income”.

Cohen, Tucker + Ades Guidance

Until formal guidance and regulatory language are published, our firm strongly advises to only use websites ending in “.gov” for any information regarding this new green card program. Non-governmental websites advertising access to the Gold and Platinum Card programs should be viewed with extreme caution.

We are closely monitoring the situation as the December 19, 2025 implementation deadline approaches and will provide updates as they become available.

Sources:

The White House | Executive Order 14351, The Gold Card

Federal Register | The Gold Card, 90 FR 46031 (2025)

AILA | Practice Alert: “Gold Card” Immigrant Program (EO 14351)

Disclaimer: This blog post is based on the AILA Practice Alert and current information regarding Executive Order 14351. This information is subject to change as the Departments of Commerce, State, and Homeland Security issue formal details and guidance.