'Going to sell like crazy': Trump says US companies can hire Indian graduates with $5 million 'gold card'
“I want to ensure that person can stay in the country. These companies can buy a gold card and use it as part of their recruitment process,” he said.
Trump predicted the programme would be popular with businesses, adding, “I happen to think it’s going to sell like crazy. It’s a bargain.”
More Indian students than ever before hold U.S. student visas, show the latest data and the golden visa offer for hiring would prove good for them.
Trump unveiled the gold visa proposal on Tuesday, with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announcing that the initiative could launch within two weeks without the need for congressional approval, unlike other similar visa programmes.
In 2024, India became the leading source of international students for the first time since the 2008/2009 academic year, with over 331,000 students studying in the United States. Additionally, India continued to be the largest sender of international graduate students for the second consecutive year, with the number of Indian graduate students rising by 19 percent to nearly 200,000.
India also "remained the largest sender" of international graduate (master's and PhD level) students to the US for the second consecutive year. The number of Indian graduate students rose by 19 percent, reaching 196,567. The number of undergraduate students from India also grew by 13 percent, reaching 36,053, while the number of non-degree students saw a 28 percent decline, totaling 1,426 students, according to the report.
In the 2022-23 academic year, China was the leading source country for international students in the US, followed by India.
The top five source countries for international students in the US for 2023-24 are -- India, China (2,77,398), South Korea (43,149), Canada (28,998) and Taiwan (23,157).
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