A task force linked to Elon Musk, originally created to downsize the federal government, is now working on an ambitious plan: allowing the United States to sell special immigration visas for $5 million each. Former President Donald Trump has dubbed these visas “golden cards.”
Engineers close to Musk are collaborating with officials from the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to build a website and application process, according to three people familiar with the project and documents reviewed by The New York Times.
The initiative marks a shift in the mission of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which initially focused on cutting government spending, and is now turning its efforts toward generating revenue.
In late February, Trump publicly introduced the idea of “golden cards” as a new pathway to U.S. citizenship for people of “very high level.” Alongside Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, he offered few details but suggested the program would replace the EB-5 visa, which grants permanent residency to foreigners investing between $800,000 and $1.05 million in U.S. businesses and creating at least 10 American jobs. Last year alone, the program brought in around $4 billion in federal revenue.
The project is being led by DOGE members Marko Elez and Edward Coristine. They’ve met with officials from various agencies involved in immigration oversight to determine which existing processes can be integrated into the new, streamlined model.
The White House and the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment. The State Department referred inquiries to the White House.
In a recent podcast, Lutnick claimed to have “sold 1,000 visas yesterday,” although a source close to the project clarified that no money had yet changed hands.
“With a gold card—which used to be a green card—you become a permanent resident in the U.S.,” Lutnick explained, implying that most recipients wouldn’t necessarily pursue full citizenship. “They pay $5 million and have the right to be in the U.S., as long as they’re good people, pass background checks, and don’t break the law.”
According to Lutnick, Musk is currently developing the software, and the program is expected to launch within two weeks. In early April, Trump showed reporters aboard Air Force One a plastic card featuring his face, the Statue of Liberty, and a bald eagle, announcing it would debut “in less than two weeks.” On Thursday, Lutnick updated the timeline, saying it would be ready “in a week and a half.”
The technical team is still working on how to bypass the traditional visa process—which often takes years—and streamline background checks, interviews, and approval stages so wealthy applicants could gain residency within just two weeks of applying.
The project hasn’t been without controversy. Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal linked Marko Elez to an anonymous X account that posted racist content and called for immigration policies rooted in eugenics. Elez resigned in February following the report, prompting Trump and Vice President JD Vance to call for his reinstatement. Since then, Elez has worked for at least five federal agencies, including the Department of Labor and the Social Security Administration, according to court documents.
Meanwhile, Coristine—a 19-year-old publicly known online as “Big Balls”—was fired from an internship at Arizona-based cybersecurity firm Path in June 2022 after an internal investigation into a company data leak coinciding with his time there.
Joe Gebbia, billionaire co-founder of Airbnb, has also joined the project, according to sources close to the discussions. He joined Musk’s team in February, initially to help digitize the federal employee retirement process.
