President Donald Trump tok say dem go sell one new
US government don announce one new immigration pathway for pipo wey wan become citizens of di kontri.
President Donald Trump tok say dem go sell one new “Gold Card” give immigrants for $5 million.
E say di card wey be premium version of di Green Card go provide immigrants wit “pathway to citizenship.”
Dis new pathway wey dey target very rich foreign investors go give dem di right to live and work for di US and e go replace di US EB-5 visa wey don dey ground for investors for 35 years.
“We go dey sell gold card. We go put price on dat card of about $5 million.
“E go give you green card privileges, plus e go be route to American citizenship. Pipo wey get money go come our kontri wen dem buy dis card and dem go dey successful, dem go dey spend plenty money and dem go pay plenty taxes and employ plenty pipo.”
Oga Trump tok for im office on Tuesday, 25 February for di Oval Office as e dey sign executive orders alongside Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
US presido announce say dem go launch di gold card visa scheme in two weeks, and add say im no think im administration go need secure approval from Congress.
However, details about how di program go take work neva dey clear.
Wetin be di EB-5 visa program US goment wan replace wit di Gold Card visa?
US Congress bin create di Employment-based visa (EB-5 visa) for 1990. E dey provide direct pathway to green card.
EB-5 na for foreign investors to grow di US economy through job creation and capital investment.
Di EB-5 program fit give green card to immigrants wey invest about $1 million for company wey employ at least 10 pipo.
For March 2022, former President Joe Biden bin sign di EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act as part of di Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (Public Law 117-103), wey create new requirements for di EB-5 immigrant visa category and di Regional Center Program.
Di Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick tok say di EB-5 don become avenue for magomago.
Wetin be Trump ‘Gold Card’ visa?
Oga Lutnick say di gold card – wey actually be green card, or permanent legal residency – go raise di price of admission for investors and e no go get anytin to do wit fraud and “nonsense” wey full di EB-5 program.
Like oda green cards, e go include a path to citizenship, Oga Lutnick add.
“Di EB-5 program … na nonsense full am, make believe and fraud, and na way to get green card wey di money dey very small. So di president say, instead make we get dis ridiculous EB-5 program, we go end di EB-5 program,” e tok.
Di pipo wey go qualify “na pipo wit money,” Trump tok, e no tok any job-creation requirements.
However, all applicants go undergo thorough vetting to ensure say dem be “wonderful, world-class global citizens”, according to Oga Lutnick.
Wen tori pipo ask if wealthy Russians go qualify, Trump reply, “Possibly. I know some Russian oligarchs wey dey very nice.”
Clear informate neva dey on di programme, as Oga Trump suggest say goment go fit sell 10 million visas to help reduce di national deficit.
How much e go cost – and wetin go be di benefits?
Di gold card visa go cost $5m per application.
Dis go make am “di most expensive golden visa option in di world,” according to Kristin Surak, associate professor of political sociology for di London School of Economics.
Current green card holders – wey include those wey be beneficiaries of di EB-5 initiative – dey live as lawful permanent residents for US for five years bifor dem go become eligible for citizenship.
E neva dey clear how long gold card visa holders go wait bifor dem become citizens.
Oga Trump say im administration go offer more details in two weeks, wen dem begin sell di visa.
Oda kontris get dis kain programme?
Di ansa na Yes. “Golden visas” dey common around di world, like European Union states like Spain and Greece.
For some kontris like Malta, Egypt and Jordan, foreign applicants fit even obtain citizenship directly through investment.
These “golden passport” programmes dey more competitive for di Caribbean, as kontris like Dominica, Granada and St. Kitts and Nevis set dia fees for as low as $200,000-$300,000.
President Donald Trump announced a new visa program for investors coming to the United States on Tuesday that would cost applicants $5 million. pic.twitter.com/ukZUPRbarO
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) February 25, 2025