India, July 24 -- Indian investors exploring US residency options are increasingly comparing the EB-5 immigrant investor program with President Donald Trump's proposed Gold Card initiative, but the two pathways represent very different approaches to investment migration, according to Sandeep Wadhwa, Chairperson of Fay Invest Group and FAY EB-5.

Wadhwa said the Indian EB-5 market has expanded rapidly over the past 12 to 18 months, with investors becoming younger, more informed and more focused on visa availability, processing timelines and long-term certainty.

Citing USCIS data, Wadhwa said 668 Indian investors filed I-526E petitions in the first quarter of FY2026, exceeding China's 649 filings. India accounted for nearly 38% of all 1,76...