Overview
- The Department of Homeland Security told a court the program has 338 applicants, and only 165 have paid the nonrefundable $15,000 fee.
- The filing also states Gold Card petitions will not be processed faster than standard EB‑1 or EB‑2 cases, undercutting promises of quick approvals.
- Specialist immigration attorneys are steering clients away, with Michael Wildes saying it would be unethical to take Gold Card cases.
- The program relies on executive action that treats a $1 million payment as proof of extraordinary ability or national interest, and it is now challenged by lawsuits and FOIA suits.
- Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s statements have shifted, after touting large sales last year and later telling Congress only one person had been approved.