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