The Gold Card

The order establishes the "Gold Card" immigrant visa program under the Department of Commerce. Foreign nationals who make an unrestricted $1 million gift to the Department of Commerce — or for whom a sponsoring corporation contributes $2 million — become eligible for an immigrant visa through an expedited process. The monetary gift is to be treated by the Departments of State and Homeland Security as evidence of eligibility under employment-based visa categories covering extraordinary ability, exceptional business ability, and national-interest waivers. Gifts are deposited in a dedicated Treasury fund and used by Commerce to promote commerce and American industry.

The Secretaries of Commerce, State, and Homeland Security must implement the full program within 90 days. Their implementation tasks include establishing an application and expedited adjudication process, setting the date gifts may begin to be submitted, creating a transfer mechanism allowing corporations to reassign their sponsored visa slot to a different individual, and establishing administrative and maintenance fees. Agencies are also directed to consider expanding the program to EB-5 investor visa applicants. Existing statutory limits on annual immigrant visa numbers continue to apply.

Wealthy foreign nationals seeking U.S. permanent residency through the new gift-based pathway; corporations or similar entities that can sponsor an individual by making a $2 million donation; and the Departments of Commerce, State, and Homeland Security, which must design and administer the program.

The program creates a direct financial route to a U.S. immigrant visa, bypassing the traditional labor-certification process, and makes that route available to anyone who can contribute $1 million individually or find a corporate sponsor. The gift revenue flows into a Commerce-controlled fund intended to support American industry.

The three agencies jointly build program infrastructure within 90 days: Commerce receives and deposits gifts in a dedicated Treasury fund; State and DHS adjudicate visa petitions, treating the gift as evidence of the applicant's visa eligibility. Corporate sponsors can transfer their donated slot to a different individual if the original holder abandons status, subject to the same screening requirements. Administrative and transfer fees cover expedited processing costs. Statutory annual visa caps constrain total Gold Card volume and the order cannot override them.