Trump sees the Gold Card as a tool to attract and retain outstanding talent while also creating income for the US government. (AI image)
US President Donald Trump has launched his $1 million Gold Card, but Indians it seems are not too keen to shell out the amount, especially given the lack of clarity on permanent residency. Almost a week after the Trump administration launched its Gold Card visa program, it seems to have garnered little interest. Instead, the EB-5 category of visas seems to be the go-to route for the American dream.The US issues 10,000 EB-5 visas each year, with a limit of 7% or 700 visas per country, including dependents. The EB-5 investor visa program remains in high demand, especially among applicants from India and China, who make up the majority of those seeking this visa. Trump sees the Gold Card as a tool to attract and retain outstanding talent while also creating income for the US government. This new initiative is a permanent residency program, akin to a green card, offering a route to citizenship.“Basically, it’s a green card but much better,” Trump said at the launch. “Much more powerful, a much stronger path.” But are there any takers?
Why Trump’s Gold Card Is Not Getting Traction
Immigration experts told ET that the Gold Card’s application guidelines are vague. It also lacks legal clarity, and does not offer a clear path to permanent residency or citizenship – a combination of issues that makes it unappealing even to wealthy Indians! These experts are advising applicants to consider the EB-5 category instead.“The instructions for the Gold Card are loosely worded, and there is no clearly defined pathway to permanent residency or citizenship,” Keshav Singhania, Head of Private Client at Singhania & Co was quoted as saying.
Trump Gold card
To qualify for an EB-5 visa, investors must invest $800,000 in a targeted employment area or $1.05 million elsewhere, and this investment must create at least 10 full-time jobs. This investment covers the entire family, unlike the Gold Card, where each family member must pay $1 million plus a $15,000 processing fee, resulting in a minimum cost of $4 million for a family of four, not including legal fees.Poorvi Chothani, a prominent immigration lawyer, notes that not a single query on the Gold Card has been received till now. “You will get stuck in the EB-1 and EB-2 queues anyway. At this point, I don’t see this (Gold Card) as an attractive option given the legal and practical uncertainties.”“We have seen significant inbound curiosity, particularly from high-net-worth individuals and global founders. However, this has translated into very limited concrete follow-through,” said Shilpa Malik, Managing Attorney at US-based VisaLaw Nation. “We have not yet started processing any formal applications under the program.”“The most likely potential takers, at least in theory, would be ultra-high-net-worth individuals who value long-term US access, optionality, and brand association more than immediate immigration outcomes. That said, this is a very narrow audience,” she explained.There is also skepticism about the Gold Card in US prediction markets. On Polymarket, about 91% of participants predict that the Trump administration will not sell any Gold Cards in 2025, with over $7 million bet on this outcome.Experts have noted that the Gold Card is not a separate immigration category. “It does not have its own visa allocation,” Rajneesh Pathak, founder & CEO of Global North Residency & Citizenship told ET. “The executive order places it within the EB-1 and EB-2 categories, both of which already have significant backlogs. Even if a Gold Card application were submitted today, it would face delays due to the limited availability of visas in these categories, which could discourage potential applicants.”Pathak is of the view that unlike the EB-5 program, which is safeguarded by US law, the Gold Card would need Congressional approval to be enacted. “Currently, it has been bypassed by Congress. In contrast, EB-5 has explicit grandfathering provisions and is not anticipated to face disruptions,” he said.Meanwhile, due to stricter H1B visa regulations and other immigration-related changes, there has been a significant increase in demand for EB-5 visas. From January to November 2025, Global North Residency processed over 100 EB-5 applications. Additionally, more than 60 petitions are being filed in just the two months of December 2025 and January 2026.Arindam Sengupta, co-founder of Edufund, emphasized that price sensitivity and certainty are crucial. “EB-5 has been around for nearly three decades and has a proven track record. The Gold Card lacks both clarity and proof of concept,” he remarked. “At a million-dollar price point, people want something tried and tested.”
