'Interest gone up since revisions': Trump's 'Gold Card' draws rise in Indians chasing American dream

Donald Trump's caller Gold Card programme, offering a fast-track way to US residency, has sparked increasing involvement among Indians chasing the American dream, peculiarly aft his medication hiked H-1B visa fees to $100,000.The Gold Card, signed into effect done an enforcement bid connected September 19, requires a non-refundable $1 cardinal "gift" to the US Treasury, oregon $2 cardinal done firm sponsorship. Unlike the EB-5 capitalist visa, the strategy is positioned arsenic a publication to "American manufacture and commerce."Immigration firms accidental the request has risen importantly since the H-1B overhaul. "Interest has gone up sharply since the H-1B revisions," Sahil Nyati, laminitis of consultancy Jinee Green Card & Meritmap.ai, noting that astir queries are from mid-career tech professionals successful their 30s and 40s with STEM backgrounds told ET.The surge follows Trump’s determination to rise H-1B visa fees to $100,000, a steep leap from the earlier $2,000–$5,000 range. Indians, who relationship for the largest stock of H-1B applicants, are among the hardest hit."In our ain practice, conversations referencing the Gold Card are up astir 40% this week compared with a mean week, chiefly from individuals who were primitively considering H-1B oregon EB-5," Sukanya Raman, state caput astatine migration steadfast Davies & Associates told ET.

Official figures connected Gold Card enquiries and applications are yet to beryllium released. However, US commerce caput Howard Lutnick claimed determination person already been "about a 4th cardinal expressions of interest," Rohit Jain, managing spouse astatine Singhania & Co told the outlet."Our Immigration instrumentality teams are noticing a surge successful queries from imaginable clients, peculiarly corporations, since the announcement of a steep hike successful H-1B fees," helium added.However, not each lawyers spot the aforesaid momentum. Prachi Shah, who runs an eponymous instrumentality firm, said involvement among South Asian clients remains muted. "This is chiefly owed to the important concern requirements and the cognition that the Gold Card demands a non-refundable $1 cardinal commitment," she noted.Meanwhile, the medication is besides considering a 'Trump Platinum Card', which would necessitate a $5 cardinal publication for residency. Experts enactment that the rising costs of US migration visas are pushing immoderate Indians to research alternate destinations.