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Washington, USA – US President Donald Trump has announced the launch of a programme to sell “golden cards” – special permanent residence permits for foreigners who are willing to invest at least $5 million in the US economy. He told Fox News journalists at the White House on Tuesday, 25 February.
What is a gold card?
Unlike the traditional green card, which gives the right to permanent residence in the US, the new golden card will be available only to the richest foreigners who make significant financial investments in the country.
“We will sell a ‘gold card’. There is a green card, and this is a gold card. Its price will be set at about $5 million,” Trump explained during a press conference.
According to him, this programme will not only attract investors, but will also become a pathway to American citizenship.
Criticism and potential consequences
The idea of “golden cards” has already provoked controversial reactions among experts and politicians.
– Supporters of the initiative believe that it will attract capital to strategic industries and strengthen the US economy.
– Critics fear that the programme will open the door to corruption and the “buying” of American citizenship, which could cause outrage among ordinary immigrants who have been waiting for years to be legalised.
Context: changes in global migration policy
In parallel with the US initiative, the European Union is considering a radical revision of the Refugee Convention, which prohibits countries from refusing asylum seekers at their borders. If adopted, these changes will be the biggest transformation of EU migration policy in decades.
The new approaches of the US and Europe to migration could significantly change the global rules of the game – from mechanisms for legalising foreigners to border control and ways of obtaining citizenship.
Meanwhile, the world awaits the official launch of the gold card programme and the reaction of the US Congress, where the position on Trump’s policies often remains ambiguous.
