Washington, Dec 11 (NationPress) US President Donald Trump introduced a groundbreaking program called the “Trump Gold Card”, aimed at enabling companies to keep the best graduates from American universities, notably thousands from India. This initiative seeks to eliminate what he termed a “ridiculous” system that compels skilled individuals to depart upon graduation.

During a roundtable at the White House with prominent tech CEOs, Trump emphasized that this plan would offer businesses “certainty” in employing highly educated international scholars who often encounter prolonged immigration obstacles despite their academic excellence.

He stated, “You graduate, number one from your college, and there’s no way of guaranteeing… there’s no way of guaranteeing that they’re able to stay in the country,” adding that many have to return to India, China, or France.

Labeling the current system as “a shame,” Trump asserted that the Gold Card would dismantle a significant hurdle for U.S. firms in the global competition for scientific and engineering prowess. “It’s a ridiculous thing that we’re taking care of,” he remarked, noting that complaints from CEOs like Tim Cook of Apple had propelled this change. “Nobody talked to me more about it than Tim Cook. He said it’s a real -- it’s a real problem.”

According to Howard Lutnick, who was introduced by Trump to explain the program, individuals could acquire the Gold Card for $1 million, while companies could obtain one for $2 million. This card would permit firms to retain an employee who has undergone “full vetting, the best vetting the government has ever done.”

Lutnick detailed that the vetting process would cost $15,000 and ensure that the candidate “absolutely qualifies to be an American, absolutely qualifies.”

Once approved, the employee would have a pathway to citizenship after five years. Companies could then “put someone else on the card,” allowing them to rotate foreign employees through long-term, employment-linked residency. “It’s a gift to the United States of America… to help America be great again under Donald Trump,” he added.

Trump projected that the program would also yield significant revenue for the U.S. Treasury, estimating “billions of dollars… many billions of dollars even,” especially since companies had previously relocated personnel to Canada and other countries due to uncertainties surrounding U.S. visas. “The companies are going to be very happy,” he remarked. “As you know, they used to send people up to Canada… So we solved that.”

This roundtable featured key technology executives, including Michael Dell of Dell Technologies, Arvind Krishna of IBM, and Cristiano Amon of Qualcomm, as the administration aimed to highlight the intersection of immigration reform, workforce competitiveness, and the broader goal of achieving U.S. technology “dominance.”

Trump commended the executives for their investments in manufacturing and AI in the United States, emphasizing the nation’s leading position in artificial intelligence. “Our administration is committed to total dominance in technology,” he stated. “We want to stay number one by a lot.”

While the CEOs refrained from directly addressing immigration policy, they stressed the necessity for a stable workforce and affordable energy to facilitate extensive semiconductor and AI investments. Dell noted that AI and chip manufacturing “consume a great deal of power” and applauded the administration’s focus on reducing energy costs.

Krishna underscored the importance of strengthening the entire AI “stack,” which encompasses “semiconductors… software… systems… and the software applications on top.”

The introduction of the Trump Gold Card signifies one of the most substantial shifts in immigration policy impacting Indian students and skilled workers in over a decade. India represents the second-largest group of foreign students in the United States and the majority of H-1B high-skilled visas, making this new program particularly significant for the Indian tech workforce.

Previous administrations, both Republican and Democratic, have grappled with reforming employment-based immigration pathways amidst congressional gridlock.

Major U.S. technology companies have long contended that unpredictable visa lotteries and numerical limits jeopardize American competitiveness, especially in light of Trump’s Gold Card initiative to retain premier foreign talent in the U.S.