The landscape of immigration to the United States has long been defined by a complex web of quotas, family ties, and employment-based pathways. For aspiring immigrants, including many Kenyans, the journey to the "land of dreams" traditionally involved navigating rigorous visa application processes, incurring fees around $160 USD (Ksh 19,200), alongside substantial legal and relocation expenses. However, a recent and highly contentious announcement by U.S. President Donald Trump threatens to fundamentally alter this paradigm, introducing a shortcut to permanent residency that comes with a multi-million-dollar price tag.
Over the past week, discussions have swirled around President Trump's unveiling of a new, exclusive pathway for affluent immigrants to secure permanent residency in the United States. Dubbed the "Trump Card," this initiative offers what is being marketed as permanent residency, notably free of international taxation, in exchange for a hefty investment of USD 5 million, which translates to approximately Ksh 647,000,000.
What makes the "Trump Card" particularly notable is its explicit inclusivity based solely on financial capacity. It is being positioned as an opportunity open to anyone who can meet its formidable price tag, from affluent Asian oil tycoons to wealthy individuals across Africa, including Kenyans. President Trump initially made this groundbreaking announcement last Wednesday, coupling it with the launch of a dedicated website where interested parties can sign up for a waiting list to acquire this unique piece of documentation.
Despite the seemingly astronomical cost, President Trump claimed that the response has been overwhelmingly positive. He revealed that within a remarkably short period—less than 24 hours from the site's launch—hundreds of thousands had already joined the waiting list. "More than fifteen thousand have signed up and joined the Waiting List since we opened the site last night," Trump announced on Wednesday, signaling significant global interest in this expedited route to U.S. residency.
According to President Trump, the substantial funds accrued from this program are earmarked for a crucial national purpose: they will "help balance the budget and strengthen America." He framed the initiative as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" for eligible individuals to live in what he described as "the greatest country, with the largest economy in the world." His statement concluded by reiterating the open status of the waiting list, inviting applicants to seize this unique chance.
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This marks the second notable attempt by Trump's administration to heavily monetize U.S. citizenship or legal residency pathways. In February, he launched a similar, albeit distinct, initiative dubbed a "gold card," which was also designed to target wealthy foreigners seeking to bypass the typical, often protracted, avenues to earning legal residency. For applicants of the "Trump Card," the process requires submitting personal details, indicating whether the application is as an individual or a business, and selecting their region of origin – with Africa explicitly included as an eligible continent.
While the "Trump Card" is being presented as a boon for the U.S. economy and for wealthy immigrants, it has swiftly drawn criticism and raised significant concerns among immigration experts. They point out that the initiative's cost and requirements vastly exceed those of traditional U.S. investment visas, such as the well-established EB-5 program. The EB-5 visa, for instance, typically starts at an investment of $800,000 and critically mandates the creation of a specified number of jobs within the U.S. economy. The "Trump Card," in contrast, appears to be solely a financial transaction for residency, seemingly without the job creation requirement, which many traditional visa categories emphasize.
This new program also emerges amidst an ongoing and intensified crackdown on undocumented migrants across the United States. Statistics indicate a significant presence of undocumented Kenyans in the U.S., with approximately 30,000 living in the country and over 1,200 reportedly facing pending removal orders. The introduction of a multi-million-dollar pathway for the wealthy, concurrently with aggressive measures against those lacking legal status, highlights a stark and potentially controversial duality in the administration's immigration policy. Critics argue that such a program might create a two-tiered system, prioritizing financial contribution over other pathways to legal residency and potentially exacerbating existing inequalities within the immigration framework.
