A new immigration policy in the Estados Unidos, instituted through an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, creates an express path to permanent residency through a direct $1 million grant to the government. The measure, known as “Gold Card”, aims to attract foreign capital and generate a new source of revenue for American Tesouro, bypassing traditional investment-based visa programs.
The program establishes an initial batch of up to 80,000 visas, intended for high-net-worth individuals. The physical card, which will function as a premium identification document, will display the president’s image, his signature and national symbols such as the American eagle and the Estátua of Liberdade, reinforcing its exclusive character.
The initiative represents a significant change in immigration policy, prioritizing direct financial contributions over investments in economic development projects, as required by the old EB-5 program. The stated objective is to strengthen the economy with the entry of productive professionals and investors, without overburdening the conventional visa system.
How the new visa program works
To obtain Gold Card, the individual candidate must make a donation of US$1 million directly to Departamento from Comércio. The process is simplified by eliminating the need to invest in job-creating businesses, a core requirement of the EB-5 program, which is now being replaced.
Companies wishing to sponsor a qualified foreign employee face a double cost, with the donation set at US$2 million per candidate. Adicionalmente, all applicants, whether individual or corporate, must pay a $15,000 verification fee to cover the costs of a rigorous background screening conducted by Departamento of Estado and Departamento of Segurança Interna.
Gold Card Features and Design
The document was designed to be a symbol of status and security. The size of a standard credit card, it is made from high-quality gold material and has multiple features to prevent counterfeiting, including an electronic chip for digital verification and security holograms.
Engraved in relief, the phrase “Free life in América” adorns the surface of the card, conveying the promise of easier access to the country. Premium design seeks to reflect the high value of the contribution required to obtain it.
After submitting the forms through an online portal and confirming the donation, the approval process includes virtual interviews and a detailed analysis of the applicant’s financial history. Once approved, the holder receives the card within 90 days, which guarantees immediate entry into the USA and the right to apply for permanent residence (Green Card).
Drastic increase in H-1B visa fees
In parallel with the creation of Gold Card, the same executive order imposed a radical change in the H-1B visa program, popular among professionals in technology and other specialized fields. The annual fee for this visa has been increased from approximately US$1,000 to US$100,000 per application.
This visa is the main tool used by American companies to hire foreign talent in fields such as software engineering, data sciences and finance. Last year, around 400,000 approvals were recorded in this category, the majority of which consisted of renewals of existing visas.
The government justifies the significant increase as a measure to encourage companies to prioritize hiring and training graduates from American universities. The intention is to reduce dependence on foreign labor and protect the local job market.
The news provoked an immediate reaction in financial markets. Ações of large IT consultancies such as Accenture and
Global Investor Visa Context
The Gold Card initiative inserts the Estados Unidos into a competitive global “citizenship by investment” market. Países like Canadá and Austrália already have consolidated programs that require significant contributions, such as CAD$1.2 million or AUD$5 million, respectively, in investment funds or government bonds. The American model differs in that it is a direct donation to the Tesouro, which speeds up the process and decouples the residence from the performance of a specific business, a critical point that generated uncertainty in the old EB-5 system.
Other nations, such as Reino Unido with its Tier 1 The Trump administration argues that the direct donation model and initial limit of 80,000 units, combined with stricter background checks, makes Gold Card a safer and more transparent system, avoiding pitfalls found in other international programs.
Market and expert reactions
Reception to Gold Card was mixed, reflecting the different facets of the new policy. In the financial sector of Wall Street, executives praised the move for creating a clear and bureaucracy-free channel to attract talent and global capital, which could benefit the capital market and the luxury real estate sector. In contrast, the Vale Silício technology ecosystem has expressed great concern, not about Gold Card, but about the increase in the H-1B visa fee, which is considered prohibitive and could cost the industry billions of dollars more, forcing a complete reevaluation of international talent hiring strategies. Especialistas in immigration law point out that although the high cost of entry of Gold Card may effectively reduce the fraud that was common in the EB-5 program, it also creates a system that explicitly favors wealth over other qualifications, such as academic merit or specialized skills. The EB-5 program, despite its flaws, has generated about $30 billion in investment since its inception, but investigations have shown that only 60% of projects have fulfilled their promise of job creation, a problem the new direct grant system aims to eliminate.
Revenue and implementation projections
The financial projections for the program are ambitious, with the potential to raise up to US$80 billion with just the initial batch of 80,000 visas. Authorities plan to direct these resources to finance infrastructure projects and job training programs for American citizens, aiming to train up to 500,000 workers annually.