As Nicki Minaj flashed her Trump Gold Card as the first major celebrity, interest in this new and the fastest route to gain legal residency in the US again garnered attention at a time the US shuts its doors to outsiders acting on its America First agenda. But Trump Gold Card is different as it is only meant for wealthy, corporates who can gift $1 to $2 million for this card. Trump Gold Card applicants have to pay a nonrefundable $15,000 processing fee to initiate the procedure. Following a background check like other visa categories but faster, a $1 million payment has to be made to get a Trump Gold Card which assures lawful permanent status as an EB-1 or EB-2 visa holder.
After five years, Gold Card holders can apply for full citizenship.
Nicki Minaj, however, didn't have to pay for the Trump Gold Card as she called it a 'free gift' that she received while her citizenship paperwork was getting finalized. Nicki Minaj was born in Trinidad and as she revealed in the past, she came to the US as an illegal immigrant when she was five. But later she gained legal status and reports indicated that she would probably use Trump Gold Card to push for her citizenship.
Can the Trump Gold Card be revoked? How is it different from an EB visa?
The Trump Gold Card is a visa, and therefore, it can be revoked on grounds of national security and criminal risk. It gives the applicant the status of EB-1 or EB-2, but Gold Card visa holders do not have to create jobs in the US like EB visa holders.
According to trumpcard.gov, the process should take only weeks after an individual applies for it. The applicant will need to attend a visa interview and submit any additional documents as required.
Corporates can also apply for the Trump Gold Card for their employees. Apart from the processing fee, a $2 million per employee gift has to be made for corporate Gold Card. "The advantage of the Trump Corporate Gold Card is that corporate sponsors may cease sponsoring one employee and use the gift contribution tied to the prior application as a basis for sponsoring a new employee, without a new $2 million gift," the site said.
