Rs 43Cr for U.S. Citizenship: Expensive or Affordable?

Since becoming president for the second time, Donald Trump has been continuing his unique approach, disregarding past policies and driving forward his own agenda. Despite complaints from some countries, Trump has not backed down. A notable example is his vote against Ukraine in the United Nations, which highlighted America’s conflicting stance. Even though America has been indirectly and directly supporting Ukraine for years, Trump has distanced himself from that involvement.

In the same vein, Trump has introduced another bold initiative: the Gold Card Visa. Here's how it works: if you have $5 million (approximately Rs 43 crore), you can pay that amount and purchase U.S. citizenship. Trump has announced this new law, replacing the previous one that required investment in job creation and business for citizenship eligibility.

Under the previous 1990 law, individuals could invest $1 million and create jobs for at least 10 people for seven years to gain U.S. citizenship. This was designed to bring foreign investments to the U.S. However, Trump’s new law eliminates the need for job creation and allows individuals to directly buy citizenship by paying the full amount in cash.

The advantage of this system is that individuals who pay this hefty amount will likely spend a lot of money, which in turn benefits the U.S. economy through taxes and other expenses. Trump has clearly stated that this approach will bring significant financial benefits to the country.

However, the question remains whether wealthy individuals will choose the U.S. over other countries that offer citizenship for a lower investment. While Trump's offer is bold, it remains to be seen how much interest it will generate from potential investors. Some analysts believe there will be responses from certain countries, but it’s still uncertain how successful this new initiative will be.