Trump immigration ‘gold card’ applicants could have to pay $1 million if courts end program

KANIKA SINGH RATHORE,

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trump administration this week President launches immigration “gold card” A program that allows applicants to pay $1 million to become lawful permanent residents is underway, but legal experts have warned that these hopefuls’ money could be wasted because the initiative is based on flawed legal reasoning and could be struck down in court.

Other Trump made new changes to the immigration system $100,000 fee For H-1B applicant are already gave rise to major lawsuitsAnd if the Gold Card melts down in a court battle, applicants face little chance of getting their money back, said Shev Dalal-Dheny, senior director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association. told Axios.

“At the very least, they’ll have to sue the U.S. government to get it back,” he said.

In addition to depriving applicants of $1 million, the court challenge could also jeopardize the status of those who have already received their pay gold card,

Critics have warned that the Gold Card program, which grants permanent residence to applicants Visas typically reserved for people with extraordinary abilities, such as renowned academics or artists, exceed the legal powers of the President through the EB-1 and EB-2 visas. He says Congress can make new immigration laws, not the President.

Critics argue that Trump took Congress's powers and made his own law by creating the Gold Card program, leaving applicants facing the possibility that their $1 million application fee could be lost in a legal battle.

Critics argue that Trump took Congress’s powers and made his own law by creating the Gold Card program, leaving applicants facing the possibility that their $1 million application fee could be lost in a legal battle. ,AFP via Getty Images,

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, called the entire process “very illegal”. Post This week on X.

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“The Trump administration says anyone who pays $1 million will be deemed to have ‘exceptional business potential’ and become eligible for an employment-based immigrant visa,” he wrote. “But no one can stop someone from taking a loan or using parents’ money.”

“Certainly, nothing exemplifies the Trump ethos more than ‘every rich person is extraordinary in business,'” he said, “but that doesn’t change the fact that people getting these visas won’t necessarily meet the legal requirements, and could risk deportation under a future administration.”

Independent The White House and State Department have been contacted for comment.

After an Afghan civilian reportedly shot two National Guard soldiers in Washington DC last month, the Trump administration further tightened access to the immigration system for applicants from different countries.

After an Afghan civilian reportedly shot two National Guard soldiers in Washington DC last month, the Trump administration further tightened access to the immigration system for applicants from different countries. ,Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.,

Legal concerns aside, the administration is poised to continue tinkering with the immigration system away from the most vulnerable And toward the wealthiest applicants.

The White House says the $5 million “Platinum Card” is supposed to provide foreigners with temporary residency in the US without being subject to US taxes on foreign income.

After an Afghan civilian reportedly shot National Guard soldiers in Washington, the administration halted all asylum decisions, ordered a review of green cards from a series of mostly poor countries on its so-called travel ban list, and indefinitely blocked immigration applications from Afghans.

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