Here’s what you need to know about the Trump $5M “Gold Card” visa program
What Trump Said
President Trump surprised many potential EB-5 investors yesterday with an announcement that he would like to establish a “Trump Gold Card” visa for a $5 million fee. He said that the program would effectively replace the EB-5 investor visa program and allow those who paid the fee to become lawful permanent residents and possibly U.S. citizens. He said the program would be rolled out in two weeks.
What Will Happen in Two Weeks
President Trump is well known for proclaiming that initiatives will happen in two weeks’ time. These acts often take longer or are abandoned altogether. This proclamation could very well follow the same trend as these prior proclamations. While only he knows what he will do, it is important to note that he has significant limits on his power to change the EB-5 program.
Most importantly, the President cannot change immigration law, even by executive order. It takes congressional action. The ability to write laws falls to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, not the President. In 2022, the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act was passed extending the EB-5 program until September 30, 2027.
Not only can we assure you that there will be no immediate change to EB-5 law, we view President Trump’s “Gold Card” announcement as an excellent opportunity. With this bold new idea, the President could not have been clearer about his desire to support and improve U.S. investment immigration going forward. We believe this is a tremendous opportunity to improve the EB-5 program and to increase its ability to create new U.S. jobs and economic development through the investment of people like you. In fact, yesterday, our CEO, Dan Healy, was in Washington, D.C., meeting with legislators regarding EB-5 policy and received positive feedback on the outlook of the program.
We believe this as a tremendous opportunity to improve the EB-5 program and to increase its ability to create new U.S. jobs and economic development through the investment of people like you.
Change Could Be Coming
Some investors have asked: If the EB-5 Program is ended, what will happen to my EB-5 process? Will I still receive my green card? The answer is that the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 protects investors who previously filed an I-526E petition. Under this law, investors with a pending or approved I-526E petition are “grandfathered” and would be able to continue their EB-5 process even if the EB-5 program is ended. Furthermore, U.S. law is almost always applied prospectively – it is applied to individuals who apply for the EB-5 program in the future. And as the law is written, investors who file their I-526E petitions prior to September 2026 will be “grandfathered,” i.e., protected under the rules that were set at the time of their investment.
That’s Why The Time To Act Is Now
We will continue to update you as we receive new information. In the meantime, please reach out to our IR team if you have any questions or respond to this email. We can speak to you about EB-5 investment offerings we have open right now — including one recently approved under the Trump Administration! — that take the $800K investment, which will help eliminate this uncertainty.
Or you can go to our website to self-certify and review our open deals yourselves.
The “Gold Card” is a powerful idea, but as of today, it is just that: an idea. The only certainty is that today is Day 1 of what will undoubtedly be a complex legislative process. As always, Civitas will remain at the forefront of all EB-5 policy matters. Look out for additional news from us as we gain clarity over the coming weeks.
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