And you thought only National Popular Vote liberals were capable of end-runs.
... “The Gold Card is almost too cheap,” said Reaz Jafri of international
law firm Withers. “You get access to the U.S. education system,
health-care system, banking system and financial markets, all for $1
million. It’s a pittance for many of these families. I think they should
have kept it at $5 million to make it special.” ...
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the government plans to issue
80,000 Gold Cards. Together with potential Platinum Card and the new
H-1B fees, which were raised to $100,000, he said the programs are
expected to raise $100 billion in federal revenue. ...
The program is also likely to be challenged in the courts and
potentially by Congress. Because immigration law is set by Congress, the
president created the Gold Card through several legal workarounds,
including using the existing EB-1 and EB-2 programs as the
infrastructure or basis for the Gold Card. The $1 million fee is
officially labeled an “unrestricted gift” to the government rather than
an official fee change. ...
The EB-1 and EB-2 programs (which form the basis for the Gold Card)
already have large backlogs of applicants from China and India,
stretching for years. If Gold Card buyers are allowed to skip to the
front of the line because of their $1 million donation, the applicants
who have been waiting could file lawsuits. At the same time, Gold Card
buyers won’t be willing to spend $1 million if they’re forced to wait
years for approval. ...
