PANews reported on March 24 that U.S. Commerce Secretary Ruttinger claimed to have raised $5 billion by selling 1,000 golden cards at a price of $5 million each, despite the lack of a formal application system. "I sold 1,000 yesterday," Ruttinger said on a podcast discussing the proposed immigration plan. The golden card proposed by the Trump administration would grant permanent residency in the United States to wealthy foreign investors without the current EB-5 program's requirement of creating job opportunities. On the podcast, Ruttinger explained that Musk is developing software for the application process, with plans to launch it in about two weeks. This ongoing development suggests that the reported sales may represent a preliminary agreement rather than a completed transaction. Trump previously estimated that selling 1 million golden cards could generate $5 trillion in revenue. The timeline for officially opening applications remains undetermined, and the plan may require congressional approval for implementation.
