Trump Gold Card requirements: a $15,000 processing fee and $1 million individual gift, Form I-140G, background checks and visa availability. Official guidance reviewed in October 2026.
Key Takeaways
- An individual Gold Card requires a $15,000 processing fee and, after background approval, a $1 million non-refundable gift.
- Corporate sponsorship requires a $2 million principal gift; included spouses and children have additional per-person fees and gifts.
- Register at trumpcard.gov before filing Form I-140G online after acceptance; this is not the standard I-140 application workflow.
- Petition approval is not itself permanent residence: visa availability and further immigration processing still apply.
- The official programme advertises weeks, but warns that some countries may wait a year or more; no universal completion deadline is guaranteed.
The Trump Gold Card is an investment-related US immigration programme, not an automatic residence purchase. The official programme advertises a $15,000 DHS processing fee and, after background approval, a $1 million gift for an individual. USCIS requires a dedicated Form I-140G process and further immigrant-visa steps. This guide was checked against government sources on 21 October 2026.
Costs and requirements at a glance
| Item | Official guidance |
|---|---|
| Individual gift | $1 million after background approval; not a repayable property investment |
| Processing fee | $15,000 per included person; do not double-count DHS and I-140G descriptions without further instructions |
| Corporate-sponsored principal | $2 million gift |
| Included spouse or unmarried child under 21 | Additional $15,000 fee and $1 million gift per person |
| Application | Register at trumpcard.gov, obtain acceptance, then file I-140G online |
| Completion | Depends on adjudication, visa availability and further immigration processing |
Legal basis and eligibility
Executive Order 14351, dated 19 September 2025, directs the relevant departments to establish a programme in which an unrestricted gift can support eligibility for specified employment-based immigrant visa classifications. The order does not turn a payment receipt into a visa or guarantee entry.
The USCIS I-140G instructions explain the petition requirements and lawful-source-of-funds evidence. Applicants still face background checks, immigration requirements and adjudication. Do not rely on an unsupported $10 million minimum-net-worth condition, or assume that purchasing US property or Treasury bonds substitutes for the required gift.
The $1 million gift and $15,000 fee
The official programme describes the $15,000 DHS fee as non-refundable and the $1 million individual contribution as payable after background approval. USCIS describes the I-140G filing fee as $15,000 for each person in the petition. These are descriptions of the fee in two official sources, not evidence of two separate $15,000 charges.
Corporate sponsorship uses a $2 million gift for the principal beneficiary. The official FAQ says included spouses and unmarried children under 21 each need an additional $1 million gift and $15,000 fee. Professional advice, medical examinations and other visa-related charges can increase total expenditure. Obtain a personalised itemised quote rather than assuming one gift covers a whole family.
The official site’s $5 million figure refers to its separately advertised Platinum Card, marked Coming Soon. It is not the current advertised individual Gold Card gift. The Gold Card gift is not a liquid asset, an equity investment or a property purchase with a resale exit.
How to apply: Form I-140G
- Read the official programme and USCIS requirements. Have a qualified US immigration lawyer assess the proposed application and lawful-source-of-funds documents.
- Register through trumpcard.gov and follow its current screening and payment instructions.
- Wait for confirmation that the programme accepted the submission. USCIS expressly says registration and acceptance precede filing.
- File Form I-140G through your USCIS online account. USCIS does not accept this form by mail. Do not substitute the ordinary I-140 process or assume its fees and premium-processing rules apply.
- Respond to requests for evidence. If the petition is approved and an immigrant visa number is available, complete the further immigrant-visa process described by USCIS.
The USCIS page lists an I-140G edition of 09/11/26, meaning 11 September 2026 in its US date format. Always check for a newer edition and instructions before filing.
Processing time: an estimate is not a promise
The official programme FAQ says the process should take weeks after receipt of the fee and application. It also warns that some countries may have wait times of a year or more because of visa availability. USCIS makes clear that petition approval is only one stage and that visa-number availability matters.
We have not verified a universal 6–12-month, 8–14-month or 12–18-month completion timeline. Nor have we verified the previously cited 1,200 petition figure. Those claims are removed rather than presented as government statistics. Do not commit to a relocation, property settlement or school start date on the basis of the programme’s promotional estimate.
Gold Card versus other US investment pathways
The Gold Card contribution is a gift, not an investment expected to be returned. A different route such as EB-5 has its own statutory investment, job-creation, petition and eligibility requirements. Do not treat different programmes as interchangeable or infer the same processing time. Read the United States residency and investment guide and consult counsel before selecting a route.
Legal, currency and tax risks
Check programme rules and applicable immigration requirements before paying a non-refundable fee or gift. Executive-policy changes can affect future applications, but this guide does not assert unverified litigation outcomes, injunctions or retroactive cancellations. Get advice about what happens if a petition is refused and which payments are refundable under the current terms.
Australians funding a US-dollar gift must consider exchange rates and transfer charges. Compare the total received amount and fees through your chosen provider, including Wise, rather than relying on an unverified percentage saving. Tax residency is a separate issue from the application itself.
Do not attribute a foreign-income exemption to the Gold Card. The official site’s special tax promotion concerns its separate Platinum Card, which is marked Coming Soon. Obtain US and Australian tax and estate-planning advice before accepting permanent residence; this guide makes no unverified tax-threshold or savings promise.
Further research and official sources
Continue with the US investment-residency guide, United States country profile and property encyclopedia. Australian context is available through our sister publication Australian Property Forum.
- Official programme costs and FAQ
- USCIS Form I-140G page
- USCIS I-140G instructions
- Executive Order 14351
Reviewed 21 October 2026. This is general information, not personal immigration, legal or tax advice. Official instructions and the applicant’s circumstances take precedence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Trump Gold Card?
The programme established under Executive Order 14351 of 19 September 2025 uses an unrestricted gift to support eligibility for specified employment-based immigrant visa classifications. USCIS treats the I-140G petition as the first step, not a guarantee of admission. Sources: whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/the-gold-card/ and uscis.gov/i-140g.
How much does an individual Gold Card cost?
The official programme site states a $15,000 DHS processing fee and, after background approval, a $1 million gift. USCIS also identifies a $15,000 I-140G filing fee per included person. Do not treat those descriptions as two separate $15,000 fees without payment instructions establishing that. Additional visa, medical and professional costs can apply. Sources: trumpcard.gov and uscis.gov/i-140g.
Is a $5 million investment or $10 million net worth required?
Those requirements are not supported for the individual Gold Card by the official sources reviewed. The individual contribution is $1 million. The official site separately advertises a $5 million Platinum Card as Coming Soon; it should not be confused with the Gold Card. Source: trumpcard.gov.
Can family members be included?
The official programme FAQ says an included spouse or unmarried child under 21 requires an additional $15,000 fee and $1 million gift. The principal gift for a corporate-sponsored application is $2 million. Confirm the final per-person payment instructions before applying. Sources: trumpcard.gov and USCIS Form I-140G.
Which form do I file?
Register at trumpcard.gov and wait for confirmation that the submission was accepted. USCIS says Form I-140G can then be filed only through a USCIS online account, not by mail. The edition listed on the USCIS page is dated 11 September 2026. Source: uscis.gov/i-140g.
How long does the process take?
The programme FAQ says the process should take weeks once the fee and application are received, but also warns that some countries may have wait times of a year or more because of visa availability. USCIS says petition approval must be followed by immigrant-visa processing when a visa number is available. Neither a universal 6–12-month nor 12–18-month completion promise is established. Sources: trumpcard.gov and USCIS I-140G instructions.
Does paying guarantee residence or remove legal risk?
No. Lawful source of funds, admissibility and the applicable immigration requirements still matter. The petition is one stage of the process. This guide does not claim that courts have issued injunctions, or that approved cards will be retroactively cancelled: those earlier statements were not supported by the official sources reviewed. Sources: Executive Order 14351 and USCIS I-140G instructions.
Does the Gold Card exempt foreign income from US tax?
Do not assume a Gold Card provides a tax exemption. The programme site’s special non-US-income promotion refers to a separate Platinum Card marked Coming Soon. Obtain US and Australian cross-border tax advice before becoming a US permanent resident. Source: trumpcard.gov.