Trump touts $5 million ‘gold card’ as new path to citizenship

close Video

Trump declares ‘America is back’ in speech before Congress

President Donald Trump kicked off his address before a joint session of Congress Tuesday evening, declaring "America is back."

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said a $5 million “gold card” would go on sale “very, very soon” and would serve as a new path towards becoming a U.S. citizen. 

“Its like the green card, but better and more sophisticated,” Trump said. “And these people will have to pay tax in our country.”

Trump said the newest path to citizenship “will allow the most successful job creating people from all over the world to buy a path to U.S. citizenship.”

TRUMP DECLARES ‘AMERICA IS BACK’ IN SPEECH BEFORE CONGRESS

US Vice President JD Vance, from left, US President Donald Trump, and US House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, during a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. Donald Trump’s primetime address Tuesday night from Capitol Hill, billed as a chronicle of his “Renewal of the American Dream,” comes at a critical juncture early in his second term, as voters who elected him to tackle inflation and improve the economy are beginning to weigh the impact of his agenda. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The “gold card” visa will also enable wealthier students to obtain permanent residency in the U.S.

Trump has previously touted his plan before to attract the world’s wealthiest to become U.S. citizens, though it comes at a time when he is both clamping down on illegal migration and as universities are increasingly in the spotlight amid soaring school costs and crippling student loans. 

Trump announced last week that he expected the newest visa option would go on sale in the coming weeks.

US President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during an address to a joint session of Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on March 4, 2025.    (MANDEL NGAN/Pool via REUTERS)

TRUMP’S ‘GOLD CARD’ VISA COULD INVITE FRAUD, NATIONAL SECURITY RISKS: EXPERT

Details of the newest visa remain unclear, but Trump said it was just one of his plans to revamp U.S. immigration policies. 

Following Trump’s announcement earlier this month, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, Lora Ries, warned it could invite fraud. 

“Any immigration benefit draws fraud … people are willing to do anything and say just about anything to come to the U.S.,” Ries told Fox News Digital.

In an interview last week with Fox News’ Chief Political Anchor Bret Baier on “Special Report,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said all candidates will be “deeply vetted.”

He told Baier, “These are vetted people. These are going to be great global citizens who are going to bring entrepreneurial spirit, capacity and growth to America. If one of them comes in, think of the jobs they are going to bring with them, the businesses they are going to bring with them, and they are going to pay American taxes as well, so this is huge money for America.”

While Ries acknowledged the goals behind the program, she expressed skepticism that all applicants could be vetted to the extent needed to prevent the type of fraud that exists in the similar EB-5 visa program, which Trump’s gold card would replace.

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 04: U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to address a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Vice President JD Vance applaud behind him. (Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Fraud is rarely detected, let alone enforced … so it’s low risk, high reward to commit immigration benefit fraud,” Ries said, adding that even Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick admitted to the widespread fraud plaguing the EB-5 program.

“So the question is: How is this going to be different,” Ries said. “It raised the price from a million to 5 million, but how are we going to prevent the fraud? Are you just inviting wealthier fraudsters and corrupt people to exploit this?”

Caitlin McFall is a Reporter at Fox News Digital covering Politics, U.S. and World news.