Context
- The US has introduced a Gold Card programme offering a direct route to residency for a payment of $1 million.
- This comes after a steep hike in H-1B visa fees (to $100,000), affecting many Indian tech professionals.
- Launched via executive order on September 19, 2025.
Key Highlights
- Background
- H-1B one-time fee raised to $100,000, disproportionately impacting Indian techies.
- Resulted in 30–40% rise in inquiries about alternative pathways.
- Gold Card conceived to attract high-net-worth professionals.
- About the Gold Card Programme
- Direct purchase of US residency: $1 million (non-refundable).
- Treated as a donation to the US Treasury (different from EB-5 which requires investment in US projects).
- Targets skilled professionals, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders.
- Promises fast-track residency with fewer bureaucratic hurdles.
- Impact on Indian Professionals
- Indian mid-career professionals in their 30s and 40s show high interest.
- Especially appealing to:
- Corporate executives
- Tech entrepreneurs
- Highly skilled professionals frustrated with visa backlogs and green card delays.
- Economic Implications
- Designed to boost US Treasury revenues.
- May mark a policy shift from merit-based to wealth-based migration.
- Raises questions about the future of skill-driven immigration systems.
- Concerns & Criticism
- Favours wealthy elites; excludes meritorious but less affluent professionals.
- May deepen inequities in immigration policy.
- Could distort US labour market dynamics by sidelining traditional visa routes.