American Gold Card for the holidays

Uncle Scrooge must be  one happy duck.

Recently, the US government announced the activation of a new type of immigration form called Form I-140G, specifically designed for filing an immigrant petition to obtain a “Gold Card.”

An offshoot of a visa program created under Executive Order 14351 dated 19 September 2025 by the Trump administration, the so-called Trump Gold Card -– a variance of the more popular “green card” -– grants US permanent residency to any foreigner (and family members) who donates $1 million (per person) to the US Treasury through the Commerce Department.

In lieu of a personal donation, a corporate entity, foreign or domestic, can also make the gift on behalf of the intending immigrant(s) in the amount of $2 million for the principal beneficiary and $1 million per accompanying family member.

The donation is in addition to the USCIS fee of $15,000 per person.

While the program was initially conceived as part of the investor visa umbrella (given that it involves the transfer of a large amount of money), there appears to have been a shift in its characterization for visa-issuance purposes. 

Instead of being treated as an investment-based filing, a Gold Card petition will now be processed under either the employment-based first preference (EB-1) or second preference (EB-2) immigrant worker categories for aliens of extraordinary or exceptional ability, respectively, with the latter requiring an accompanying national interest waiver.

Inexplicably, one must wonder how, under the current statutory guidelines for adjudicating EB-1 and EB-2 petitions, being extremely wealthy or being the beneficiary of a corporation’s generosity can transform an ordinary fellow into a person of exceptional or extraordinary ability, unless accumulating an insane amount of money or becoming a donation’s beneficiary is considered an artistically, academically, or scientifically exceptional or extraordinary act in itself.

Nevertheless, unless the courts nullify it, the program is presumed to be a valid exercise of executive power, similar to the DACA and family reunification initiatives of previous Democratic administrations.

Consequently, assuming that Uncle Scrooge, who is of Scottish ancestry and nationality, makes a Christmas donation of $1 million to the US Treasury and then files a Form I-140G petition for a Gold Card, he will instantly qualify for US permanent residency and eventual US citizenship.

If he chooses to file under the EB-1 category (since he is as famous and artistically avant-garde as his nephew Donald Duck), he can migrate to the US forthwith upon approval of the petition considering that there is no visa retrogression within the EB-1 category.

If, however, he files as an EB-2 applicant, there is currently about a year’s wait in this visa category, which can delay his immigration plans a bit.

Uncle Scrooge’s dilemma notwithstanding, the Gold Card is certainly an attractive option for individuals concerned about their country’s economic and geopolitical stability. However, while the program can also pique the interest of mega-rich people from stable countries like the Philippines, it comes with an important caveat: in order to qualify, the funds must be well-documented to be originating from lawful undertakings, meaning, no financial hanky-panky regarding the money’s origin is permitted.

Unfortunately for Filipino kickback artists and their associates, their truckloads of cash will not net them a Gold Card despite their stupendous peculating ability.