As Elon Musk’s involvement in the government-reform task force approaches its conclusion, President Donald Trump has assigned his billionaire advisor and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) a new initiative: the development of a system to offer the “Gold Card” to affluent immigrants. Engineers from Musk’s team are currently focused on designing a website and application process for these “special immigration visas,” which are set at a price of $5 million each. The DOGE team is partnering with personnel from the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to establish the visa portal. In late February, the American President introduced this new “pathway to citizenship” for “very high-level individuals,” referring to it as a “gold card,” although specific eligibility criteria were not disclosed at that time.The Trump administration indicated that the “gold card” would serve as a replacement for the existing EB-5 visa program, which allows foreign nationals to obtain permanent residency by investing either $800,000 or $1.05 million in U.S. businesses, thereby creating a minimum of 10 jobs for American workers. This program generated approximately $4 billion for the federal government in the previous year. Earlier this month, Trump showcased a laminated card adorned with his image, the Statue of Liberty, and a bald eagle, announcing that the gold card would be available in “less than two weeks.”Regarding the Gold Card Project, Marko Elez and Edward Coristine from the DOGE team are spearheading the initiative, having been engaged in its development since at least the previous month.
