What is a gold card? What is a green card? What to know about Trump's proposal
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said America would sell "a gold card" to foreigners allowing them to live and work in the United States.
Trump introduced a replacement to the "EB-5" foreign investors program in the form of a $5 million gold card.
The move, which came while speaking to reporters and signing executive orders inside the Oval Office, is among throngs of pitches by the president, who even previously during his first 100 days in office, announced plans to redraw the map of the world from Greenland to Gaza.
What is a gold card? How is it different than a green card? Here's what to know about Trump's idea:
What is a green card?
A green card is an ID issued by the U.S. government that authorizes a non-U.S. citizen to live and work in the country permanently.
The green card, an identity document showing a person has permanent residency in America, was created 35 years ago.
"The first receipt cards were printed on Form AR-3 on white paper and were the result of the Alien Registration Act of 1940," according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website. "Passed in response to the start of WWII, the Act required all aliens in the U.S. to register with the federal government."
Green card holders were formally called lawful permanent residents.
Most people who apply for a green card must fill out two forms:
◾An immigrant petition:
◾A Green Card application (Form I-485).
To apply for a Green Card, visit USCIS' Green Card Eligibility Categoriespage online to see the categories to apply under and what the eligibility requirements are.
Those eligible must determine which process to use: adjustment of status inside the U.S. or consular processing outside the country.
Often, another person must file an immigrant petition for an applicant − often referred to as sponsoring or petitioning for the individual.
In some instances, a person will be eligible to file for themself.
What is a gold card?
The card offers a path to citizenship after paying $5 million to the government.
"We are going to be selling a gold card," Trump said. "We are going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million," Trump said Tuesday.
The EB-5 program would grant "green cards" to foreigners pledging to invest in American businesses.
Trump said it would replace the "EB-5" immigrant investor visa program, which allows foreign investors of large sums of money that create or preserve U.S. jobs to become permanent residents, with the dubbed "gold card."
Contributing: Reuters
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for Paste BN. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.