• The new plan proposed by the U.S. President Donald Trump aims to direct investment flows to rural areas and regions with high unemployment rates, as well as large infrastructure projects.
A recent report predicts that Gulf countries in the Middle East, along with several other global regions, will surpass expectations in the number of applicants for the U.S. investor residency program, which President Donald Trump recently proposed, offering permanent golden residency for investments of $5 million, the Al Qabas newspaper reported.
A report by Arabian Gulf Business Insight, citing data from the U.S. State Department, stated that since 2000, more than 135,500 foreign investors and their relatives have obtained permanent U.S. residency through the investment visa program.
Under the U.S. investor permanent residency program, investors receive a green card by committing substantial capital to U.S. businesses that create or preserve jobs. Currently, the minimum investment required for permanent residency is $900,000. However, under Trump’s proposed plan, a new “Gold Card” would grant investors permanent residency and a pathway to U.S. citizenship for a $5 million fee.
The report quoted Mark Davis, a partner at the immigration law firm Davis & Associates, as saying that the high investment threshold could limit applications from countries where earning or transferring such sums to the U.S. is challenging.
He added that investors from Egypt or Morocco, for instance, may face significant difficulties in securing and transferring the required capital to obtain golden residency in the U.S.
Cap on the number of investors
While the report indicated that the new program is unlikely to have a cap on the number of investors who can apply from any specific country under the current program terms, Davis noted that the new terms proposed by Trump may also attract applicants from India and China, not just from the Middle East and North Africa.
He pointed out that Gulf countries host active American diplomatic centers for issuing U.S. residency to investors, which also serve wealthy expatriates, particularly from India and Pakistan.
Davis emphasized that while the number of beneficiaries of Trump’s proposed golden residency program may be small, the financial commitments it requires are designed to attract affluent individuals from around the world to the United States.
Permanent residency
The report stated that the current permanent residency for investment is not limited to high-priority sectors and regions in the U.S., and the process takes longer to complete.
In contrast, the new plan proposed by President Trump aims to direct investment flows to rural areas and regions with high unemployment rates, as well as large infrastructure projects.
