NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump is planning a “gold card” visa with a potential pathway to U.S. citizenship for $5 million.
The program would replace an existing program that offers U.S. visas to investors who spend about $1 million on a company that employs at least 10 people. And it echoes similar “golden visa ” programs in countries such as Canada, New Zealand, Malta and others that have allowed participants to pay a fee or make an investment in order to secure a pathway to residency in desirable places.
“Golden visa” programs all have different frameworks and paths to permanent residency and have had mixed results in spurring investment in a country's economy.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said Trump's gold card would replace an existing program in two weeks, so details about who would qualify and what the application process would look like should be available before then. For now, all Trump has said is they will cost $5 million.
Of recipients, he said, “They’ll be wealthy and they’ll be successful and they’ll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people, and we think it’s going to be extremely successful.”
He added that companies, not just individuals, “ will be able to buy gold cards. ”
Congress created a program called EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program in 1990 to create jobs and encourage foreign investment. Under that program, investors who spent about $1 million on a company that employs at least 10 people can qualify for a visa and a pathway to permanent residency.
About 8,000 people obtained investor visas in the 12-month period ending Sept. 30, 2022, according to the Homeland Security Department’s most recent Yearbook of Immigration Statistics.
Henley & Partners, which advises both governments and people on residence or citizenship by investment programs, says more than 100 countries around the world offer or have offered “golden visas” to wealthy individuals and investors. That list includes the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Greece, Malta, Australia, Canada and Italy, although some countries have tightened their restrictions or ended programs.
Under different programs in different countries, requirements include buying a house, making a financial investment or creating a certain number of jobs.
Basil Mohr-Elzeki, managing partner Henley & Partners North America, said the programs often help countries meet investment goals. But they don't always last.
Spain’s government scrapped its program to allow people from outside the European Union to obtain residency permits if they invested more than half a million euros ($520,000) in real estate. The program was criticized for causing soaring housing prices. The U.K. ended its program in 2022 over security concerns.
Mohr-Elzeki of Henley & Partners said despite the high price tag, there may be an appetite for the program, but it remains to be seen what the parameters are.
“We don’t have that much information aside from the investment threshold and the intention,” he said. But generally these kind of programs can help countries meet investment goals, depending on the goal, he said.
“We do think that there will be significant demand in this program,” he said. “We are just waiting on on the details of what frameworks that they’re going to be outlining.”
The key to whether it will be a success or not will less likely be the $5 million investment threshold and more to do with the process.
“Typically speaking, the lower the residency requirements, the more popular the program as those wealthy individuals globally, they like options,” he said. “So they may be investing in the United States, but they may invest elsewhere as well — to have access to live in the States, access to live in Europe, access to live in the UAE. So all of these come into play. ”
If the new program replaces the existing EB-5 program in two weeks, there are questions over what will happen to people in the existing program. Typically those people get grandfathered in to the new program but there's a possibility they might not be, said Mohr-Elzeki.
In 2022, Congress extended the EB-5 program until 2027, so Congressional action would be needed to change it. But Trump has said gold cards won't require Congressional approval.
President Donald Trump stands before British Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives at the White House, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Lionel Messi used the front of his white-and-blue, sweat-soaked jersey to wipe the tears from his eyes, a flood of emotions cracking his usually calm, confident demeanor after he gave Argentina an early lead in its World Cup opener against Algeria.
Then he scored again. And again.
Suddenly, any questions about Messi's hamstring injury, or whether he could help Argentina become the third team to win consecutive World Cups — even as his 39th birthday approaches next week — had been answered. With a brilliant hat trick in a 3-0 win over Les Fennecs, Messi moved into a tie with Miroslav Klose for the tournament's career scoring record.
"My tears after the first goal? I’ve had some tough days. It wasn’t related to football. And those feelings were because of that,” Messi said afterward, without elaborating. “I thank my teammates, the coaching staff and the delegation for helping me.”
Messi scored that emotional first goal in the opening minutes on a nifty feed from Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul, the second off an opportunistic rebound early in the second half, and the third on a crisp strike moments before subbing out to a standing ovation from a crowd of 69,045 tilted heavily toward the three-time World Cup champions.
“At a loss for words about Leo. What can I say?” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “He’s incredible."
His incredible trio of goals came 20 years to the day that Messi made his World Cup debut in a match against Serbia and Montenegro — he scored in that one, too — and made the pride of Rosario only the second player to score in five editions of the tournament.
Messi has 16 goals in his record six World Cup appearances overall, and it seems inevitable that Klose's record will fall in the coming weeks. The hat trick was the 61st of Messi's career and his 11th while playing in his national team colors.
It also was the fifth straight World Cup game in which Messi has scored.
“It makes me very happy to have lived through everything that came my way. What I’m living though now is the cherry on top,” Messi said. “I’m very happy an grateful for this wonderful group. I enjoy it so much.”
Messi upstaged two of soccer's other stars — Kylian Mbappé of France and Erling Haaland of Norway — who had big games of their own on Tuesday. Mbappé scored twice in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal to move into a tie for fourth on the World Cup goals list with 14, while Haaland scored twice for Norway in its 4-1 victory over Iraq.
“Messi is a madman,” Haaland said in a post on Snapchat during Argentina's game.
Messi had been dealing with a minor hamstring injury with Inter Miami that slowed him in the lead-up to the World Cup. But the eight-time winner of the Ballon d'Or, which honors global soccer's best player, had no problems in a tuneup last week with Iceland, scoring on a penalty kick while playing 20 minutes in a sharp performance.
“This is my sixth World Cup, and I still feel like I’m in good shape,” Messi said. “Fortunately, I’m doing well, and today we managed to win a tough match. It’s important to start the tournament with a victory in the first game, as that’s never easy in a World Cup.”
Messi's appearance against Algeria was the 200th of his international career, which began in 2005 at age of 18. The only players with more are Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, who will play his 229th on Wednesday, and Bader al-Mutawa, who played in 202 for Kuwait.
Messi and Ronaldo are the only players to have scored in five World Cups.
“Class is permanent,” Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic said. “He's fortunate to have the privilege that the entire Argentina team works for him, and supports him, and for a number of years now — decades — he's done incredible things.”
Argentina is among four national teams making their base camps in the Kansas City metro. And much as it has the rest of the world, Messi-mania has swept through the area ever since La Albiceleste's arrival in the Heartland about two weeks ago.
On match day, thousands of fans wearing his No. 10 jersey trekked into the home of the NFL’s Chiefs on the outskirts of Kansas City, singing odes to their hero. Meanwhile, during a watch party at the downtown Power & Light District, a goat accompanied by former NFL quarterback-turned Fox broadcaster Jameis Winston came on stage wearing an Argentina jersey.
The humorous moment seemed to have foreshadowed a big night for Messi when he scored an hour later, and the argument that he's soccer’s GOAT — the greatest of all time — is becoming no argument at all with every match he plays.
“It’s an advantage to have Leo because of how he handles the group and pushes it forward. Because of who he is,” De Paul said. “He doesn’t care about individual records. He prioritizes the group, and for us it’s incredible.”
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) shoots and scores their third goal against Algeria's Riyad Mahrez (7) and Nabil Bentaleb (19) during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
Argentina's Lionel Messi reacts after scoring his third goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) celebrates after scoring his second goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
Argentina's Lionel Messi is congratulated by teammate Cristian Romero, left, as Rodrigo de Paul, right, watches after scoring his team's first goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Argentina's Lionel Messi, third left, celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's first goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) battles for the ball with Algeria's Fares Chaibi (10) during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
Argentina's Lionel Messi (10) celebrates with Rodrigo de Paul (7) after scoring their opening goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
Argentina's Lionel Messi, right, celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Argentina and Algeria in Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
