Purchasing US Citizenship is at least ~30 years old, the price just keeps going up. Canada has a similar system of citizenship in trade for investment or job creation.
*head on desk* Ah yes, "just" 49 days ago, a simpler time, 17 days before Trump began illegally kidnapping people without charges or trial, and throwing them into a concentration camp for the rest of their lives.
Even with the scar-tissue from his first-term grifting of taxpayer funds, this is exhausting.
Does this disproportionately select for criminals? Like who is getting in on this who wouldn’t get in on other merit based visas, like entrepreneur or skilled worker visas?
You should have been asking this question the last 4 years. But I guess when Kamala Harris declared the border was secure that meant the border was secure.
No, the people who buy these are going to be rich oligarchs, they won’t be held to the same standard as the PhD students that are being deported by the dozens.
> the people who buy these are going to be rich oligarchs, they won’t be held to the same standard as the PhD students that are being deported by the dozens
Anyone telling themselves they’ve safe from the maws of autocracy isn’t familiar with the history of lawless systems. It’s only a matter of time and complacency before summary deportation turns into proscription [1].
Once they've got a sunk-cost of $5,000,000 for a visa, they'll be strongly encouraged to take advantage of very special offers that somehow put cash into Trump's own pocket, just to head off any... misunderstandings with the paperwork.
Purchasing US Citizenship is at least ~30 years old, the price just keeps going up. Canada has a similar system of citizenship in trade for investment or job creation.
https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/permanent...
https://citizenshiplawyer.ca/canada-citizenship-by-investmen...
You could go invest in LTT and have a brand spankin' get the hell out of the US card.
Other countries offer various schemes to purchase citizenship.
Related US will sell "gold card" giving foreigners right to live/work for $5M (34 points, 49 days ago, 39 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43179276
*head on desk* Ah yes, "just" 49 days ago, a simpler time, 17 days before Trump began illegally kidnapping people without charges or trial, and throwing them into a concentration camp for the rest of their lives.
Even with the scar-tissue from his first-term grifting of taxpayer funds, this is exhausting.
Russia, Iran and China like that idea.
Does this disproportionately select for criminals? Like who is getting in on this who wouldn’t get in on other merit based visas, like entrepreneur or skilled worker visas?
You should have been asking this question the last 4 years. But I guess when Kamala Harris declared the border was secure that meant the border was secure.
“Should”
Thank goodness for the precedent by this administration regarding the legal rights of visa holders!
No, the people who buy these are going to be rich oligarchs, they won’t be held to the same standard as the PhD students that are being deported by the dozens.
I'm sure they'll find some more profitable and ego-stroking standards to hold them to, yes.
> the people who buy these are going to be rich oligarchs, they won’t be held to the same standard as the PhD students that are being deported by the dozens
Anyone telling themselves they’ve safe from the maws of autocracy isn’t familiar with the history of lawless systems. It’s only a matter of time and complacency before summary deportation turns into proscription [1].
[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proscription
He’s trial ballooning it _now_.
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/16/nx-s1-5366178/trump-deport-ja...
Once they've got a sunk-cost of $5,000,000 for a visa, they'll be strongly encouraged to take advantage of very special offers that somehow put cash into Trump's own pocket, just to head off any... misunderstandings with the paperwork.