SUPPORTING
STATEMENT
PAPERWORK
REDUCTION ACT SUBMISSION
EMERGENCY
REVIEW
OMB Number [NEW] 1405-XXXX,
DS-260G (Gold Visa Application)
A. JUSTIFICATION
Why is this collection necessary and what are the legal statutes that allow this?
On September 19, 2025, President Trump signed EO 14351 announcing the Gold Card visa program. The EO directs the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security, to establish the “Gold Card” program authorizing an alien who makes a gift to the Department of Commerce under 15 U.S.C. 1522 (or for whom a corporation or similar entity makes such a gift) to establish eligibility for an immigrant visa using an expedited process. The EO states that in adjudicating visa applications, the Secretary of State shall, consistent with applicable law, treat this gift as evidence of eligibility as either an EB-1 alien under INA 203(b)(1)(A), 8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(1)(A), of exceptional business ability or an EB-2 alien of national benefit under INA section 203(b)(2)(A), 8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(2)(A), and of eligibility for a national-interest waiver under INA section 203(b)(2)(B), 8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(2)(B).
The Department, the Department of Commerce (Commerce), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have determined a proper application for a Gold Visa shall require a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)-approved I-140G, Immigrant Petition for the Gold Card Program. Aliens applying for a Gold Visa are also required to furnish information to prove eligibility for an immigrant visa under the EB-1 or EB-2 visa categories. The alien must provide detailed background information for national security vetting purposes in accordance with EO 14161 prior to issuance of an immigrant visa. The Department proposes the DS-260G information collection to serve this purpose.
EO 14351 requires the Department, Commerce, and DHS to take all necessary and appropriate steps to implement the Gold Card program within 90 days of the order. The Department has concluded that it is necessary to seek emergency review and approval for this information collection in accordance with 5 C.F.R. § 1320.13 and certifies that the requirements of 5 C.F.R. § 1320.13(a) are met because:
• The DS-260G is needed prior to the expiration of time periods established under the PRA and its implementing regulations;
• The DS-260G is essential to the mission of the Department; and
• An unanticipated adverse event (the U.S. Federal Government Shutdown which began on October 1, 2025, and continued until November 13, 2025) occurred.
The DS-260G information collection will be used to collect the information necessary for a proper application for an immigrant visa in accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), 8 U.S.C. § 1101 et seq., which mandates the application and eligibility requirements for aliens seeking to obtain an immigrant visa and alien registration in the United States. INA section 221(a), 8 U.S.C. § 1201(a), provides that a consular officer may issue an immigrant visa to an alien who has made a proper application.
As outlined in INA section 222(a), 8 U.S.C. § 1202(a), a proper application requires that an applicant provide personal biographical information, including: full and true name; any other names used or by which he/she has been known; age; sex; date of birth; place of birth; and such additional information necessary to the identification of the applicant and the enforcement of immigration and nationality laws as may be prescribed by regulations. This includes information necessary for national security vetting of aliens seeking entry to the United States. A proper application also requires photo identification (INA section 221[b], 8 U.S.C. § 1201[b]).
INA section 222(b), 8 U.S.C. § 1202(b), further identifies documentary evidence needed to obtain an immigrant visa. Every individual applying for an immigrant visa shall furnish to the consular officer, with his/her application, a copy of certification from appropriate police authorities as to what their records show concerning the applicant, prison records, military records, and record of birth, as well as any other documentation that the consular officer may require.
Grounds for ineligibility of certain individuals to receive a visa or to be admitted to the United States are detailed in INA section 212(a), 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a), and INA section 208(d) (6), 8 U.S.C. § 1158(d)(6), as well as other statutes. This application collects information pertaining to grounds of ineligibility to ensure immigrant visas are granted in accordance with federal law. Regulations on immigrant visas are published in 22 C.F.R Part 42. The regulations pertaining to the filing of an application for an immigrant visa are provided in 22 CFR 42.63.
What business purpose is the information gathered going to be used for?
The Department of State (the Department) will use the DS-260G (Gold Visa Application) in conjunction with a personal interview to elicit the information necessary to fulfill the legal requirements for the issuance of an immigrant visa. The information required on the form is limited to what is necessary for a consular officer to determine the eligibility and classification of an individual seeking an immigrant visa to the United States. A consular officer cannot approve such a visa without collecting this information.
Is this collection able to be completed electronically (e.g., through a website or application)?
The DS-260G will be available online at https://ceac.state.gov/igv/. Applicants electronically complete, sign, and submit the form to receive a record locator (barcode). Electronic submission allows the Department time to review an application prior to the interview appointment. During the interview, a consular officer scans the applicant’s barcode to quickly access his or her information and determine visa eligibility before obtaining the applicant’s sworn affirmation and biometric signature.
Does this collection duplicate any other collection of information?
This information collection collects the same information as the proposed DS-260, however, the Department asserts the DS-260G does not duplicate other collections of information for the same applicant-type as there is no currently approved information collection instrument with the technical capacity to allow the interagency interoperability necessary to process Gold Card applications
The Department acknowledges that it would be prudent to have both the DS-260 and DS-260G information collection instruments contained under the same OMB Control Number and under one information collection. However, the proposed DS-260 is currently undergoing the 30-day notice-and-comment period required under the PRA, 44 U.S.C.A. § 3507(j)(2). This DS-260 PRA approval process was delayed due to the federal government shutdown, which was an unanticipated, adverse event that began October 1, 2025, and continued until November 13, 2025. If the Department were to incorporate the DS-260G to the DS-260 information collection, it would be required to wait until the end of the comment period before requesting a collection change request to add the DS-260G, which would prevent the Department from complying with the December 18, 2025, deadline outlined in EO 14351.
Since the two forms are nearly identical, the Department intends to submit a non-substantive change request to merge the DS-260G and the DS-260 information collections under OMB Control Number 1405-0185. This will be done after OMB has approved the proposed DS-260 through the standard PRA process and within 180 days of the emergency PRA approval for this DS-260G information collection.
Does this collection impact small business?
This collection does not burden small businesses.
What are consequences if this collection is not done?
This information collection is essential to determining whether an applicant is eligible for a Gold Visa. If this collection is not done, Gold Visas may not be issued in accordance with EO 14351, federal law, and relevant regulations. Delaying approval for this information collection would prevent the Department from complying with the EO’s December 18, 2025, deadline. It would also result in public harm, as it would erode public confidence in the United States’ ability to administer the program. It is not possible to conduct this information collection less frequently than once per application.
Are there any special collection circumstances?
No special collection circumstances are associated with this collection.
Did the Department solicit public comments on the collection?
This is an emergency submission, and the Department will not solicit public comments at this time, however, the Department has solicited comments on the DS-260, which is nearly identical to the DS-260G.
The Department published a notice in the Federal Register soliciting public comments on the proposed DS-260 for a period of 60 days on July 9, 2025 (90 FR 30543). The Department received four comments before the comment period ended on September 8, 2025, and two comments were nonresponsive to the collection. Comments are publicly viewable on regulations.gov and the Department addresses the comments in the 30-day PRA package for the DS-260. The Department published a second notice in the Federal Register on 11/19/2025 to solicit comments for an additional 30 days as required by the PRA
Are payments or gifts given to the respondents?
No payments or gifts are provided to respondents by the Department of State.
Are any assurance of privacy/confidentiality provided to respondents?
The Department includes a confidentiality statement on the DS-260G noting the following: INA section 222(f), 8 U.S.C. § 1202(f) assures that information obtained from applicants in the immigrant visa application process is considered confidential and is to be used only for the formulation, amendment, administration, or enforcement of U.S. laws, with the exemption that information provided may be made available to a court of law, or provided to a foreign government, if the relevant requirements stated in INA section 222(f), 8 U.S.C. § 1202(f) are satisfied. This collection is covered under the Department’s System of Records Notice 39.
Are any questions of a sensitive nature asked?
Some questions on the forms may be considered sensitive in nature. Consular officers may not issue a visa to aliens who are ineligible under applicable provisions of INA section 212, 8 U.S.C. § 1182, or any other provision of law (unless a lawful waiver is authorized).
To protect U.S. national security and adjudicate a visa, the forms specifically request biographical information on a variety of issues, including information concerning the alien’s health, marital status, employment, social media, financial support, criminal offenses, narcotics addiction, political affiliation with subversive organizations, and participation in genocide or terrorist activities.
The sensitive information collected is essential to the Department and its vetting partners, who need a holistic view of the applicant to ensure no alien who poses a threat is allowed to enter the United States. As noted in paragraph 10 above, such information is confidential under INA section 222(f), 8 U.S.C. § 1202(f).
What is the hour time burden and the hour cost burden on the respondent needed to complete this collection?
The Department estimates the time burden for each form to be a maximum of 155 minutes and 5,000 annual responses. If 5,000 respondents spend 155 minutes completing the DS-260G, the total time burden for all respondents is approximately 775,000 minutes. This means the total hourly burden is about 12,917 hours. Using the 2024 BLS median wage as an estimate for the value of this time, the Department estimates the total annual cost burden for the DS-260G will be $307,424 (12917 hours x $23.80).
What is the monetary burden to respondents (out of pocket costs) needed to complete this collection?
Respondents to this information collection must submit a digital photo and print a confirmation page, which may result in a minimal cost. The Department estimates that the average cost of obtaining these will be 5 USD, based on estimate values provided by oversea embassies. The total respondent monetary cost burden for photos is $25,000 (5,000 applicants x $5).
The monetary donation for eligibility to the Gold Visa program is not considered a visa application fee and will not be processed by the Department of State. As such, it is considered outside the scope of this information collection, and the Department does not include associated burden figures.
What are the costs incurred by the Federal Government to complete this collection?
The Department of State’s Cost of Service Model (CoSM) estimates the cost value for data intake and review is $717,950. This figure encompasses the time associated with form review, records management, system checks, and all related activities within Data Intake and Review. The Department conducts an annual review of consular costs using the CoSM. Consular fees are generally set based on the policy of full cost recovery, and the Model is updated annually to account for all costs to the U.S. government associated with providing consular services. Since these costs are fully offset by visa application fees, the net cost to the Federal Government is $0.
Are there any changes/adjustments to this collection since the previous submission?
This is a completely new information collection, and the Department is requesting a new OMB Control Number. As such, there are no changes or adjustments.
Will any data gathered by this collection be published?
No. The data gathered by this collection will not be published, however, a quantitative summary of all Department of State visa activities is published in the annual Report of the Visa Office. The Report of the Visa Office is an annual report providing statistical information on immigrant and non-immigrant visa issuances by consular offices, as well as information on the use of visa numbers in numerically limited categories. The Visa Office currently has annual reports available from 2000 to 2023. The link to the site is: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-statistics.html.
Will the OMB expiration date be displayed?
Yes. The Department will display the OMB expiration date on the collection.
Are any exceptions to the OMB certification statement being sought?
No. The Department is not seeking exceptions to the OMB certification statement.
B. COLLECTION OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS
This collection does not employ statistical methods.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Moreno-Mendez, Anabel |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2025-11-21 |