The US "Gold Card" Visa vs EB-5 in 2026: What's Certain, What's Not

Published on: July 10, 2026

Last verified: 10 July 2026. US immigration programs, and the Gold Card in particular, are changing and legally contested. Verify before acting.

In February 2025, President Trump proposed a "Gold Card" that would let wealthy foreigners buy US residency for $5 million, pitched as a replacement for the long-running EB-5 investor visa. If that is the number in your head, update it: the standard Gold Card that actually exists in 2026 costs $1 million for an individual (or $2 million when a company sponsors an employee). The $5 million figure now belongs to a separate, still-proposed tier called the Platinum Card, which does not yet exist as an application.

This guide separates what is settled from what is not, because with millions of non-refundable dollars at stake, the difference matters more here than in almost any other residency decision.

What the Gold Card actually is

Despite the "card" branding, the Gold Card is not a new visa category. It was created by Executive Order 14351, signed on 19 September 2025, and it repackages two existing employment-based green cards, the EB-1 and the EB-2 National Interest Waiver, and treats a large payment as supporting evidence of eligibility.

Here is how it works and where it stands:

• The applicant makes a $1 million "gift" ($2 million if a corporation sponsors an individual) to the US Department of Commerce, which is treated as evidence of eligibility for an EB-1 or EB-2 green card.
• The program is run by the Commerce Department, not USCIS, using Form I-140G with a $15,000 non-refundable processing fee.
• Applications opened in December 2025 via an official government portal, following a December 18, 2025 implementation deadline set by the executive order.
• The payment is a gift to the government, it is not an investment, is not recoverable, and is not tax-deductible.

Two structural facts constrain it. First, because it operates inside the existing employment-based system, it is bound by the annual visa limits and per-country caps Congress set in statute, so it creates no extra capacity, and applicants compete for the same green-card numbers as everyone else in the EB-1 and EB-2 lines. Second, it rests on an executive order rather than a statute, which means a future administration could modify or rescind it by executive action.

The Platinum Card: still just a proposal

A second, higher tier, informally the "Platinum Card," has been described at roughly $5 million. The stated concept was that holders could spend up to about 270 days per year in the United States without paying US tax on income earned outside the country. As of mid-2026, the Platinum Card is a proposal only: it was not part of the executive order, no application exists, it is listed as not yet released, and officials have indicated it would likely require congressional action, which the executive branch cannot accomplish on its own. Any special tax treatment tied to it is therefore speculative.

What EB-5 is

The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program is a congressionally created immigrant visa category with a decades-long track record, most recently overhauled by the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA). In 2026, the minimum investment is:

• $800,000 in a Targeted Employment Area (TEA, a rural area or a high-unemployment area at least 150% of the national average) or a qualifying infrastructure project; or
• $1,050,000 for a standard project outside a TEA.

Every EB-5 investment must create or preserve at least 10 full-time US jobs, the capital must remain "at risk" with no guaranteed return, and the source of funds must be fully documented and traceable. Roughly 10,000 EB-5 visas are allocated per year. Most investors go through a Regional Center, which allows indirect and induced job counting; Regional Center administrative fees (typically $50,000 to $100,000) and the ~$11,160 I-526E filing fee are separate from the investment capital.

Two EB-5 deadlines matter in 2026:

• September 30, 2026, grandfathering deadline. Filing Form I-526E before this date locks in today's investment amounts and rules for the full lifecycle of your case under RIA Section 104(a), and preserves statutory protection if the Regional Center program later lapses.
• January 1, 2027, first inflation adjustment. The RIA requires the thresholds to rise with the Consumer Price Index every five years. Based on data through early 2026, analysts project the TEA minimum rising toward roughly $900,000 and the standard minimum toward roughly $1.2 million, projections, not final figures, but the direction is clear.

Side-by-side comparison

Which is more established?

As of 2026, EB-5 is the active, tested, well-adjudicated pathway; the Gold Card is operational but legally untested and expensive. Uptake has been very limited: by spring 2026, only a few hundred people had applied and just one had been approved, and reporting indicated the program had "failed to catch on among the world's wealthy." Immigration attorneys cited the legal uncertainty and, following a court filing suggesting Gold Card applicants would not receive faster processing, that skepticism deepened, because without expedited processing, paying $1 million for the same green-card queue offers little advantage.

There is also active litigation. A lawsuit argues that only Congress can create a visa category and define its eligibility, and that allowing a payment to substitute for the statutory criteria of the EB-1 and EB-2 categories violates federal immigration and administrative law. As of mid-2026, no court had ruled on the merits and no injunction had stopped the program, but the case remains unresolved. Because the entry cost is measured in millions of non-refundable dollars, a program that is later enjoined, wound down, or never fully implemented could leave an applicant without a path and with limited recourse for the payment.

It is worth remembering that even EB-5 carries execution risk: the Regional Center program itself lapsed for roughly nine months (June 2021 to March 2022), and EB-5 has a documented history of fraud cases and failed projects. Careful project due diligence, confirming a Regional Center is currently designated and in good standing, and that principals have no enforcement history, is essential regardless of which path you consider.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the Trump Gold Card cost in 2026?
$1 million for an individual applying on their own behalf, or $2 million when a corporation sponsors an employee, plus a $15,000 non-refundable processing fee. The often-quoted $5 million figure refers to the separate, still-proposed Platinum Card.

Is the Gold Card the same as a new visa?
No. It repackages the existing EB-1 and EB-2 National Interest Waiver green cards and treats the payment as supporting evidence, so it is bound by the same annual limits and per-country caps.

What is the EB-5 investment amount in 2026?
$800,000 for a Targeted Employment Area or qualifying infrastructure project, or $1,050,000 for a standard project outside a TEA, with 10 full-time US jobs required. These amounts are set by the 2022 Reform and Integrity Act.

Why does the September 30, 2026 EB-5 deadline matter?
Filing Form I-526E before that date locks in today's investment amounts and rules for the whole case and preserves statutory protection, ahead of the first inflation adjustment scheduled for January 1, 2027.

Does the Gold Card offer tax benefits or faster processing?
As of mid-2026, no. Special tax treatment (270 US days without tax on non-US income) is tied to the still-proposed Platinum Card, and a court filing indicated Gold Card applicants would not receive expedited processing.

Which is the more reliable path today?
EB-5 is the active, statute-based, well-adjudicated program. The Gold Card is operational but legally untested, non-refundable, and the subject of ongoing litigation, factors that make it a higher-risk primary strategy.

Compare US investment routes with JanusHermes

JanusHermes covers residency- and citizenship-linked property markets across 50+ countries so you can weigh a US pathway against alternatives before committing capital. For the deeper EB-5 breakdown, see our EB-5 visa and US real estate guide, and if you are weighing a US purchase, read the foreign buyer's guide to US real estate and our 2026 international real estate statistics.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal, tax or immigration advice. US immigration programs, and the Gold Card in particular, are changing and legally contested; figures and program status can shift quickly, and some elements described here were established after prior reporting. Do not commit non-refundable funds to any investor-visa program without advice from a qualified US immigration attorney and, where relevant, a cross-border tax adviser.

A note on the numbers: where no source is named, the market figures in this article (prices, yields, costs) are indicative estimates compiled from publicly available market data and industry reporting at the time of writing. Markets move and rules change, so treat them as a starting point and verify current figures with official sources before acting on them.