Elon Musk’s DOGE Team Building System to Sell ‘Gold Card’ Immigrant Visas

In a bold reimagining of America’s immigration framework, Elon Musk’s government-streamlining task force has begun quietly crafting a new system that would allow wealthy foreign nationals to obtain U.S. residency via a $5 Million Gold Card Visa. Spearheaded by engineers from Elon Musk‘s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the initiative is gaining traction within the highest levels of Washington.

According to sources with direct knowledge and documents reviewed by The New York Times, Elon Musk’s team is collaborating with personnel from the State Department, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to develop a digital application platform for the program.

Elon Musk: From Government Cuts to Revenue Creation

Originally formed to cut bloated government spending, Elon Musk’s DOGE task force is now pivoting toward revenue generation. The $5 Million Gold Card Visa is a centerpiece of this new direction. President Donald Trump introduced the concept in late February, branding it a path to residency for “very high-level people.” The gold card is intended to replace the long-running EB-5 visa program, which offered green cards to investors contributing between $800,000 and $1.05 million to U.S. enterprises that created American jobs.

That program raised roughly $4 billion in the last fiscal year. The gold card, priced at a flat $5 million, could vastly exceed that figure while narrowing the applicant pool to the ultra-wealthy.

“They Pay, They Stay”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, a key proponent of the initiative, stated during a recent podcast appearance that the card grants permanent residency, albeit not full citizenship. “They pay $5 million, and they have the right to be in America as long as they’re good people and they’re vetted,” Lutnick said. He claimed that 1,000 cards were sold “yesterday,” though insiders familiar with the project confirmed that no transactions have yet taken place.

An Exclusive Fast-Track to America

What distinguishes the $5 Million Gold Card Visa from traditional immigration channels is its speed. Elon Musk’s engineers are attempting to design a system that condenses years of background checks and interviews into a streamlined two-week vetting process. Elon Musk’s team is analysing which legacy components of the immigration system can be repurposed, digitised, or eliminated entirely.

A high-profile, laminated prototype of the gold card, complete with Trump’s photo, a bald eagle, and the Statue of Liberty, was unveiled to journalists aboard Air Force One earlier this month. Trump confidently predicted its launch within two weeks, while Lutnick later adjusted the timeline slightly to “within a week and a half.”

Controversies and Unconventional Leaders

The project is led on the DOGE side by Marko Elez and Edward Coristine, both of whom bring unusual—and controversial—histories to the table. Elez resigned from a prior role earlier this year following reports that linked him to a pseudonymous X (formerly Twitter) account promoting racist and eugenicist views. Yet following public support from Trump and Vice President JD Vance, he quietly returned to government work, rotating through five federal departments.

Coristine, a 19-year-old who goes by the nickname “Big Balls,” was previously fired from an internship at tech firm Path after an internal leak investigation. Despite his young age and unconventional public persona, he has taken on a leading technical role in building the gold card infrastructure.

Also involved is Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia, who initially joined Elon Musk’s team to digitize retirement systems but has since expanded his purview to include the gold card project.

Visa-for-Sale or Visionary Policy?

The $5 Million Gold Card Visa proposal has already stirred national debate. Critics worry that it commodifies U.S. residency and accelerates a shift toward plutocratic immigration. Supporters, however, see it as a pragmatic way to generate capital and attract elite global talent.

While the White House, DHS, and State Department have all declined to comment, the project’s backers insist it will launch imminently. Whether it will revolutionize immigration policy or merely ignite further controversy remains to be seen.

One thing is clear: Elon Musk’s influence on the American government is no longer limited to cost-cutting. With the $5 Million Gold Card Visa, he’s helping to reshape who gets to call America home—and how fast they get the keys.

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