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The United States’ $5 million Gold Card, which offers a residency permit and simplifies the citizenship process, will be rolled out next week, the government has confirmed.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick indicated on Thursday at the White House during a cabinet meeting chaired by President Donald Trump.
“I’m very excited that within a week and a half, we’re going to start with the gold card. The Trump card is coming out,” Lutnick announced.
On trade tariffs, he disclosed that he and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have been inundated with calls from numerous countries seeking to negotiate with the U.S.
“They’ve come up with offers that they would never have come with but for the moves that the president has made demanding that people treat the United States with respect,” Lutnick said.
The Gold Card, which the Trump administration says will boost job creation and reduce the deficit, offers wealthy investors a fast-track pathway to becoming U.S. citizens.
Priced at $5 million, the programme is set to replace the EB-5 immigrant investor visa scheme, which was created in 1990 as a route for immigrants to obtain green cards.
Under the EB-5, an individual must invest at least $1 million in a company – or $800,000 in a low-income area – employing a minimum of 10 people. Over 4,500 EB-5 visas were issued in 2024.
The U.S. Department of State has pinpointed a partial technological breakdown as the root of recent hurdles encountered by Nigerians seeking American visas, a disruption that has rippled through the consular framework with notable effect.
Jennifer Johnson, press officer within the Bureau of Consular Affairs’ Office of Public and Congressional Relations informed the press about the development.
Insights gathered by The Eastern Updates revealed a swell of frustration among Nigerian applicants, who voiced dismay over the U.S. Embassy’s inability to conduct scheduled interviews—a critical juncture in the visa procurement process—casting a shadow over their transatlantic aspirations.
In a measured response, a State Department spokesperson acknowledged the operational hiccups on Saturday, March 8, 2025, affirming that consular functions have since regained their footing, a restoration aimed at quelling the unease. Johnson offered further reassurance, pledging that those affected by the glitch would see their interview slots realigned, a commitment to mend the fractured process with deliberate haste.
Johnson stated: “The U.S. Department of State experienced a partial systems outage which has since been restored.
“All consular operations have resumed as normal.
