‘Trump gold card’ to supply wealthy foreigners path to US citizenship for $5m

Rich foreigners keen to pay about $5m, Russian oligarchs probably amongst them, will quickly be capable of apply for a visa to dwell in america courtesy of what’s being billed because the “Trump gold card”.

Donald Trump introduced the brand new visa program from the Oval Workplace on Tuesday evening, saying it might begin in about two weeks.

“It’s going to be a path to citizenship, and rich individuals shall be coming into our nation by shopping for this card. They’ll be rich, and so they’ll achieve success, and so they’ll be spending some huge cash and paying plenty of taxes,” he mentioned.

The president was requested by reporters whether or not Russian oligarchs could be eligible to use. “Yeah, presumably,” he replied. “I do know some Russian oligarchs which can be very good individuals.”

The proposed gold card could be among the many most costly visa packages on this planet. It might change the present EB-5 immigrant investor visa program which permits people to reside within the US in return for job-creating investments of not less than $1m or $800,000 in distressed components of the nation.

The commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, mentioned all candidates could be totally vetted to make sure they have been “great, world-class international residents”.

Regardless of the $5m asking worth, the brand new visas-for-sale scheme is more likely to be fashionable among the many international tremendous wealthy. One doable obstacle is America’s uncommon tax system which makes US residents answerable for US taxes on revenue earned wherever on this planet.

The brand new Trump gold card shall be created at a time when the president is devoting a lot of his time to deporting thousands and thousands of undocumented immigrants. It’ll additionally present a twist on America’s conventional popularity as a refuge for hardworking poor “craving to breathe free”.

Because the political comedian Jason Selvig famous, the gold card presents a rewriting of the phrases inscribed on the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your drained, your wealthy, your huddled plenty of oligarchs.”