Trump unveils first $6.6 million ‘gold card’ visa – pricey version of green card

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump unveiled the first “gold card” – a residency permit sold for US$5 million (S$6.68 million) each – aboard Air Force One on April 3.

Holding a prototype that bore his face and an inscription “The Trump Card”, the Republican President told reporters that the special visa would probably be available “in less than two weeks”.

“I’m the first buyer,” he said. “Pretty exciting, huh?”

Mr Trump previously said that sales of the new visa, a high-priced version of the traditional green card, would bring in job creators and could be used to reduce the US national deficit.

The billionaire former real estate tycoon, who has made

the deportation of millions of undocumented migrants a priority

for his second term, said the new card would be a route to highly prized US citizenship.

He said in February that his administration hoped to sell “maybe a million” of the cards and did not rule out that Russian oligarchs may be eligible. AFP