The White House has confirmed that only one person in the United States has had their Trump ‘Gold Card’ visa approved, with the reality falling short of previous claims.
Back in December, US President Donald Trump unveiled a proposal offering what he described as a fast-track route to American citizenship for people willing to pay $1 million for a “green card on steroids”.
The payment — along with a non-refundable $15,000 processing fee — would be treated as proof to lawmakers that the applicant would “substantially benefit the United States”.
The plan also allowed for employers to sponsor workers for a Trump Gold Card, provided the sponsoring business paid $2 million plus extra fees.
The initiative’s website additionally says a $5 million “platinum card” is planned.
Trump, 79, previously said officials were pursuing 79 “high-level” professionals for the scheme, emphasizing they were looking for people who would be “productive”.
“The people that can pay $5m, they’re going to create jobs. It’s going to sell like crazy. It’s a bargain,” he claimed in February.
After the announcement, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggested the government had moved $1.3 billion “worth” of the visas.
But during a House subcommittee hearing on Thursday (24 April), the 64-year-old acknowledged that just one applicant has actually been approved so far, according to NBC News.
“They have approved, recently, one person, and there are hundreds in the queue,” Lutnick said while testifying at a House subcommittee hearing.
“They’ve just set it up, and they wanted to make sure they did it perfectly.
“It’s a DHS program done with a rigorous, rigorous vetting.
He also said the screening process for Gold Card applicants is “the most serious … in the history of government”, as reported by CBS News.
The Trump Gold Card is promoted as giving non-US citizens the “ability to spend up to 270 days in the United States without being subject to US taxes on non-US income. It also appeared — at least online — that one had been given to Nicki Minaj.
In January, the 43-year-old artist posted an image on social media that seemed to show a Trump Gold Card, captioned: ‘Welp…’.
She later claimed in another post that she received a “Gold Trump card free of charge” and was “finalizing that citizenship paperwork as we speak”.
However, a Department of Commerce spokesperson reportedly told Snopes by phone that Minaj’s card was simply a “memento”.
The New York Times also reported in January that, per a DHS official, the “Super Bass” rapper has been a legal US resident for more than 20 years — suggesting she likely wouldn’t need to seek a green card through the program.
A request for comment has previously been sent to the White House.