The United States' proposed "Gold Card" visa, a plan promoted by President Donald Trump, is under renewed evaluation as debate continues over what the programme would actually deliver to applicants and to the federal budget.

LiveNOW from FOX aired an assessment of the proposal, examining how the visa would work, who could qualify, and what remains unresolved before the programme can operate.

The Gold Card concept would offer wealthy foreign nationals a route toward US residency and, according to the President's framing, a path to citizenship, in exchange for a substantial payment to the US government. The initiative has attracted scrutiny because it would sit alongside, and potentially overlap with, the existing EB-5 immigrant investor programme, which Congress created in 1990 and which currently requires qualifying investments and job-creation requirements tied to US businesses.

Key questions in the evaluation include:

• Legal authority. Analysts continue to debate whether the executive branch can create such a visa category without new legislation from Congress, which normally holds power over immigration categories and naturalisation rules.
• Citizenship claims. The discussion examines whether a purchased card could genuinely shorten or guarantee the naturalisation process, which follows statutory steps regardless of how a green card is obtained.
• Revenue estimates. The proposal rests on projections that sales to high-net-worth individuals would generate significant federal revenue, and the evaluation tests how realistic those numbers are.
• Security screening. Any applicant, regardless of wealth, would still face standard background checks, and the broadcast reviews how vetting would apply.

The report also places the Gold Card in context: similar "golden visa" schemes operate in several other countries, typically trading investment for residence rights, though most stop short of a direct citizenship track.

For prospective applicants, the practical takeaway is caution. The Gold Card does not currently exist as an available immigration programme. No application process, fee schedule, or eligibility criteria has opened. Anyone approached by intermediaries selling access to the card should verify status directly with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of State, the agencies that administer lawful immigration routes.

Existing investor options, including the EB-5 programme, remain the lawful channels for investment-based immigration, with their statutory investment thresholds and job-creation requirements intact.

Passport File will track the proposal as it moves — or stalls — through the policy process, and will report on any official rulemaking, Federal Register notice, or congressional action that would make the Gold Card a real programme rather than a proposal.

This article reports on a policy debate and does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult a licensed immigration attorney and official government sources for guidance on individual cases.