Trump Gold Card Visa Gets 338 Applications

President Donald Trump's Gold Card visa program, designed to offer fast-tracked U.S. residency to wealthy foreigners for a $1 million fee plus a $15,000 processing charge, has drawn far fewer applications than anticipated since its launch last December.

A recent Department of Homeland Security court filing shows that only 338 individuals have submitted applications, with 165 paying the nonrefundable processing fee, generating about $2.5 million in revenue so far. The program, announced earlier in 2025, allows applicants to use the $1 million payment as evidence of extraordinary ability or national interest under existing EB-1 and EB-2 employment-based visa categories. Businesses can apply for a $2 million corporate version to sponsor employees, and a $5 million Platinum Card is planned, offering up to 270 days annually in the U.S. without taxes on non-U.S. income.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick touted the initiative's potential during congressional testimony in April, stating that one applicant had been approved and hundreds more were in line. He previously projected issuing 80,000 cards to generate over $100 billion. However, a DHS official noted in the filing that the...