Lutnick says Trump's 'Gold Card' visa program has just 1 approval, hundreds await review
Source: Scripps News
Posted 3:12 PM, Apr 23, 2026
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Thursday that only one person has been approved under President Donald Trump’s “Gold Card” visa program, but hundreds of others are awaiting review for the pay-to-enter pathway to U.S. residency.
Speaking before the House Appropriations Committee, Lutnick said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) oversees applicant vetting and that those applicants have paid $15,000 for what he described as a “rigorous” process. However, he said the program remains in its early stages.
“This is a new program, and they’ve just set it up. They wanted to make sure they did it perfectly, and so we’ve worked through that,” he said. “But it’s a DHS program conducted with rigorous, rigorous vetting.”
Lutnick added that revenue from the program and decisions about its allocation would be left to the Trump administration.
Read more: https://www.scrippsnews.com/politics/immigration/lutnick-says-trumps-gold-card-visa-program-has-just-1-approval-hundreds-await-review
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Who is surprised by this?
Link to tweet
The 'Gold Card' residency initiative that would supposedly allow wealthy individuals to secure US residency in exchange for US$5 million was tied to US President Donald Trump's administration.....
Lutnick's statement starkly contrasts with his March 2025 statement on the All-In Podcast, where he claimed that 1,000 of the Trump Gold Cards had been sold ahead of their launch. Linked to the program was Nicki Minaj after a post on social media in January suggested she had received the 'Gold Card' after attending a presidential summit.
Minaj shared an image of the card and later implied it had been given to her at no cost, adding that she was completing citizenship paperwork. In the post, the rapper wrote about 'Finalising that citizenship paperwork as we speak as per MY wonderful, gracious, charming President.'
Who is surprised by this?
Link to tweet
The 'Gold Card' residency initiative that would supposedly allow wealthy individuals to secure US residency in exchange for US$5 million was tied to US President Donald Trump's administration.....
Lutnick's statement starkly contrasts with his March 2025 statement on the All-In Podcast, where he claimed that 1,000 of the Trump Gold Cards had been sold ahead of their launch. Linked to the program was Nicki Minaj after a post on social media in January suggested she had received the 'Gold Card' after attending a presidential summit.
Minaj shared an image of the card and later implied it had been given to her at no cost, adding that she was completing citizenship paperwork. In the post, the rapper wrote about 'Finalising that citizenship paperwork as we speak as per MY wonderful, gracious, charming President.'
