{"id":5021,"date":"2025-03-08T17:57:03","date_gmt":"2025-03-08T12:27:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trending.niftytrader.in\/?p=5021"},"modified":"2025-03-08T17:57:03","modified_gmt":"2025-03-08T12:27:03","slug":"us-gold-card-visa-too-costly-for-indian-investors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/us-gold-card-visa-too-costly-for-indian-investors\/","title":{"rendered":"US Gold Card Visa Too Costly for Indian Investors, Says Legal Expert"},"content":{"rendered":"

$5 Million Price Tag Makes It Unattractive Compared to Cheaper Alternatives<\/h2>\n

New Delhi \u2013 The recently introduced US Gold Card visa, a $5 million investment-based residency program championed by Donald Trump, is too expensive and impractical for Indian investors, according to Rishabh Shroff, a partner at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, one of India’s leading law firms.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the India Today Conclave 2025, Shroff criticized the steep price tag, arguing that there are cheaper alternatives in other countries that offer similar residency benefits.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIt\u2019s incredibly expensive. What was $800,000 a few months ago is now \u20b943 crore. Just the absolute number itself causes a bit of sticker shock,\u201d Shroff remarked.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He pointed out that countries like Malta offer residency programs at a fraction of the cost.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cYou can get the same thing in Malta for $650,000. Why would you pay $5 million for essentially the same level of access?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Who Benefits from the Gold Card Visa?<\/h3>\n

Shroff emphasized that the Gold Card visa only makes sense for those who actively want to live and do business in the US.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re just an Indian businessman with a foreign passport, it doesn\u2019t make economic sense to get a US Gold Card. I don\u2019t see many opting for it, though some wealthy families may consider it,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

What is the US Gold Card Visa?<\/h2>\n

The US Gold Card visa was introduced by Donald Trump in February 2025 as a replacement for the long-standing EB-5 visa program, which had been in place for 35 years.<\/p>\n

Key Differences Between EB-5 and the Gold Card Visa:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Feature<\/th>\nEB-5 Visa (Old Program)<\/th>\nGold Card Visa (New Program)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Investment Requirement<\/td>\n$800,000 \u2013 $1 million<\/td>\n$5 million<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Investment Type<\/td>\nRequired in job-creating US businesses<\/td>\nDirect payment to the US government<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Residency Status<\/td>\nProvides permanent residency (Green Card)<\/td>\nOffers a more privileged status (as described by Trump)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Path to Citizenship<\/td>\nYes<\/td>\nYes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tax Obligation<\/td>\nMust pay US taxes on global income<\/td>\nMust pay US taxes on global income<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Trump\u2019s Justification for the Gold Card Visa<\/h2>\n

In his first joint address to the US Congress after returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump praised the initiative, calling it:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cLike the Green Card, but better and more sophisticated.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He further stated:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cFor $5 million, we will allow the most successful job-creating people from all over the world to buy a path to US citizenship. It\u2019s like the Green Card, but better and more sophisticated. These people will have to pay tax in our country.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Why Indian Investors Are Unlikely to Choose the Gold Card Visa<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. High Cost \u2013 At $5 million (\u20b943.54 crore), the visa is significantly more expensive than other global residency programs.<\/li>\n
  2. Lack of Business Investment Requirement \u2013 Unlike the EB-5 program, which allowed investors to place funds into US businesses, the Gold Card visa requires a direct payment to the US government, making it less attractive for entrepreneurs.<\/li>\n
  3. Better Alternatives \u2013 Countries like Malta, Portugal, and the UAE offer similar residency and business benefits at a fraction of the cost.<\/li>\n
  4. Tax Burden \u2013 Gold Card holders would still be subject to US global taxation, which could be a major deterrent for Indian investors.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Not Worth It for Most Indians<\/h2>\n

    While the US Gold Card visa provides a fast-track route to American residency, its $5 million price tag makes it unappealing for most Indian investors, who have cheaper and equally beneficial options elsewhere.<\/p>\n

    As Shroff summarized:<\/p>\n

    \n

    \u201cIf you\u2019re not planning to live in the US permanently, this visa makes no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    With India\u2019s wealthy investor class increasingly looking at global mobility options, the US may struggle to attract them under the Gold Card visa scheme.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    $5 Million Price Tag Makes It Unattractive Compared to Cheaper Alternatives New Delhi \u2013 The recently introduced US Gold Card visa, a $5 million investment-based residency program championed by Donald Trump, is too expensive and impractical for Indian investors, according to Rishabh Shroff, a partner at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, one of India’s leading law firms. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1362,1366],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[1331],"class_list":{"0":"post-5021","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-finance-and-economy-news","8":"category-world-news"}," _eael_post_view_count":0,"authors":[{"term_id":1331,"user_id":4,"is_guest":0,"slug":"sourabh","display_name":"Sourabh Sharma","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/trending.niftytrader.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Sourabh-Sharma.png","url2x":"https:\/\/trending.niftytrader.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Sourabh-Sharma.png"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5021"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5023,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5021\/revisions\/5023"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5021"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.niftytrader.in\/markets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=5021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}