Trump Announces "Open Today" on Social Media
Stricter Screening for ESTA "Travel Visa"
Mandatory Submission of Five Years of SNS Account Information
An image of the "Trump Gold Card" posted by U.S. President Donald Trump on Truth Social on the 10th (local time). Trump Truth Social
The "Gold Card Permanent Residency" program, which allows individuals to receive permanent residency in the United States by donating 1 million dollars (approximately 1.47 billion won) to the U.S. government, was implemented on the 10th (local time). On the same day, the U.S. government also announced stricter screening measures that will require applicants for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) to provide their social networking service (SNS) account information for the past five years.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the launch of the "Trump Gold Card" on his social media platform, Truth Social, stating, "The Trump Gold Card of the U.S. government has been launched today." He added, "Now, great American companies will be able to retain irreplaceable talent," and mentioned that the official application portal would open within 30 minutes.
Upon accessing the Trump Gold Card application website, users can choose from options such as the Personal Gold Card, Personal Platinum Card, and Corporate Gold Card. However, the Platinum Card, which is a higher tier than the Gold Card, is marked as "coming soon" and not yet available for application. Applicants for the Platinum Card can obtain it by donating 5 million dollars, which is five times the Gold Card amount.
As outlined in the previously released draft, applicants for permanent residency must also pay a separate fee of 15,000 dollars to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Once an applicant submits the application and pays the required fees, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin the review process. USCIS has previously estimated that there will be around 1,000 applicants per year.
Additionally, the Trump administration officially announced on the same day its plan to strengthen the screening process for ESTA applicants. ESTA is a program that allows citizens of visa waiver countries, including Korea, to visit the United States without a visa for up to 90 days, and it currently covers 42 countries.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published a proposed regulation in the Federal Register requiring ESTA applicants to submit their SNS account information from the past five years. This measure is in accordance with President Trump's executive order to strengthen foreign entry screening.
CBP may also require applicants to provide their phone numbers from the past five years and email addresses from the past ten years. Family information, such as the names and contact details of parents, spouses, siblings, and children, may also be required. Submission of biometric data, including fingerprints, DNA, and iris scans, will also be possible.
Going forward, ESTA applications will only be accepted through a mobile application, not via the website, and applicants will be required to submit a selfie photo in addition to a passport photo. The proposed regulation will be finalized after a 60-day public comment period.
Previously, the Trump administration had expanded SNS verification in existing visa screenings. For example, in the review process for H-1B visas, which are considered "professional visas," authorities check whether applicants are engaged in online censorship work, while in student visa screenings, they look for any hostile posts toward the United States. The New York Times (NYT) reported that with the expansion of information collection, the ESTA approval process may take longer and more applicants could be subject to enhanced scrutiny.
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