After President Donald Trump announced that his Gold Card program is officially up and running, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has released the application forms prospective applicants will need to file.
Form I‑140G, the Immigrant Petition for the Gold Card Program, can be submitted through the new Trumpcard.gov website, which features an “Apply Now” option and allows prospective applicants to pay the required $15,000 fee to the Department of Homeland Security for expedited processing.
“The gold card announcement further signals and reinforces the concept that the Administration intends to reshape the immigration system,” Morgan Bailey, a partner at Mayer Brown and former senior official at DHS, told Newsweek.
Why It Matters
The Gold Card visa program, a key focus of the Trump administration, combines high financial requirements with expedited immigration benefits to attract skilled workers and substantial foreign investment. It offers a high-profile pathway to U.S. permanent residence and eventually citizenship for applicants who meet both the financial and standard employment-based immigration criteria.
What’s On The Gold Card Form?
Gold Card recipients will fall under existing EB-1 or EB-2 categories, which are typically used for individuals with extraordinary ability or other high-level qualifications.
On the first page of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) form, applicants are immediately required to choose a classification, and the only options available are EB-1A, for individuals with extraordinary ability, or EB-2 National Interest Waiver, for those seeking a waiver based on exceptional ability and national benefit.
“Taken at face value, the implication is that a Gold Card Applicant would still need to fully meet the traditional EB-1A or NIW criteria,” Immigration attorney Zoe Ji Wilson wrote in a blog post.
“Please refer to the U.S. Department of State’s Visa Bulletin to see the availability of immigrant visas for each classification,” the form reads.
The mention of the Visa Bulletin indicates that Gold Card applicants are subject to the same visa allocation system currently used for EB-1A and EB-2 petitions. The program does not establish a new visa category or set aside a dedicated number of visas for Gold Card applicants, experts said.
“There is no separate queue or any type of priority access,” Wilson said.
Gold card applicants are required to provide full personal and identity information for the principal beneficiary, including legal name, birth details, passport information, and other identifiers, according to the form.
The final form focuses on the principal applicant, streamlining earlier draft language that referred to each individual applying. Applicants must also disclose net worth and provide evidence of funds sufficient to cover the mandatory contribution, $1 million for individuals or $2 million for corporate-sponsored applicants, along with fees and supporting documentation.
Supporting evidence can include bank statements spanning multiple years, tax returns, business records, property documentation, and cryptocurrency wallets or transaction histories.
“If using crypto funds, those must be traceable through blockchain with wallet identification with a known wallet exchange through additional evidence,” the form reads.
Applicants must detail the path and source of all funds to demonstrate that they are lawfully obtained.
The form also asks questions covering criminal convictions, money laundering, terrorism, human trafficking, and exposure to U.S., EU, or UK sanctions.
“Are you, any of the entities you have legal ownership in, or the sources of your Gold Card funds engaged in, ever been engaged in, or sought to engage in any activity related to money laundering,” the form reads.
Applicants must provide comprehensive employment and education histories, marital history, travel records, and details on family members seeking a Gold Card through supplemental forms. They are required to declare if an interpreter or preparer assisted in completing the petition and certify the accuracy of all information provided.
“The government is providing a more structured set of criteria that gives high-value applicants a clearer playbook for the gold card—but there remain a number of questions, including how applicants will be evaluated, how it fits into the existing system, and whether legislative or legal developments will change the rules,” Bailey told Newsweek.
Filing is online only, and paper submissions are not accepted. All non-English documents must be accompanied by a certified translation.
The government’s latest announcement introduced a dedicated website for the Platinum Card programs, which is still under development.
It would allow individuals to spend up to 270 days a year in the United States without becoming subject to U.S. tax on foreign income, in exchange for a $5 million contribution. Visitors to the site can join a waitlist for the Platinum Card program.
What People Are Saying
Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social: “THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT’S TRUMP GOLD CARD IS HERE TODAY! A direct path to Citizenship for all qualified and vetted people. SO EXCITING! Our Great American Companies can finally keep their invaluable Talent. Live Site opens in 30 minutes!”
Mark Penney, Director at SunCap Visa, wrote in a post on LinkedIn: “This just looks like a rich man playing thing, or worse an opportunity for undesirables to enter the U.S permanently.”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick wrote in a post on X: “What a monumental day. @POTUS launched the Gold Card, and our immigration system will finally benefit the American people.”
Immigration attorney Zoe Ji Wilson wrote in a blog post: “I hoped that the USCIS website and the form would clear up at least some of gaps left by the initial Executive Order, but instead the structure only repeats and raises many of the same uncertainties and is no easier to fit into any logical immigration framework.”
“The structure of the Gold Card, as it currently appears, suggests that the framework may not have undergone the practical vetting that usually ensures alignment with real world adjudication. It is difficult to understand why these gaps were not addressed before the form became public.”
“Unless USCIS releases additional guidance that clarifies a concrete advantage, the Gold Card appears to function as an alternative pathway in name only. At the moment, it resembles a far more expensive version of a process that already works efficiently, which makes it a difficult sell for any well advised applicant. For now, the Gold Card leaves us with more questions than answers, and only time will tell whether future guidance brings clarity to a framework that currently lacks a clear rationale.”
What Happens Next
Prospective applicants can now sign up to begin the Gold Card application process, while the Platinum Card program is expected to be introduced later.