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The Gold Card visa program, priced at $1 million per applicant and championed by U.S. President Donald Trump, has attracted far fewer applicants than initially expected, according to figures released by the U.S. Department of Justice on April 29, 2026.
First announced last year, the program has received only 338 applications to date, a relatively modest total compared with early hopes. The Department of Justice said the Gold Card program does not affect the processing of other visa categories, which have attracted tens of thousands of applications.
Applicants are required to pay a visa processing fee of up to $15,000. However, only 165 people have made this payment, and 59 have advanced to the next step with the Department of Homeland Security, which vets applicants together with the U.S. State Department. The document also states that only one person has been approved, while hundreds remain in the pipeline.
The U.S. Department of Commerce did not disclose the identity of the first recipient of the Gold Card.
When the program was announced, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the Gold Card would replace the EB-5 program for foreign investors. He later suggested that as many as 200,000 visas under the new program could generate up to $1 trillion in revenue for the U.S. Treasury.
Lutnick later said the concept for this type of visa originated with billionaire John Paulson, a Trump supporter. Paulson described it as a way to boost government revenue and help accelerate paying down Washington’s $37 trillion national debt.
One factor cited for the program’s limited appeal is its cost and competition from other visa options. The Gold Card price was initially set at $1 million but was later reduced in an effort to attract more interest.
The U.S. government also introduced a higher-end version, the Trump Platinum Card, priced at $5 million. Under that program, the owner can remain in the United States for up to 270 days per year without paying income tax on income earned outside the United States.
The program also faced opposition from the American Association of University Professors, which argued that it illegally replaces a merit-based system with a visa “sold” to wealthy applicants. The group’s concerns contributed to a lawsuit challenging the program’s legality.
Despite promotional efforts, including launching trumpcard.gov to collect contact information from interested individuals, the results have not matched expectations.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Lutnick said nearly 70,000 people had expressed interest in the visa, but the number of people who proceeded to file applications was very low.
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