Many Saint Lucians, Kittitians, and Antiguans will no longer need apply for visas before visiting Canada – presuming they fly in.
Caribbean CBI programs will start interviewing applicants. This is a positive development and no cause for nerves, writes Marina Gabriel.
Opinion of the editor: How mass-market citizenship by investment would bring about a fairer, freer world for everyone – not just the rich.
Before the new administration took office last year, Saint Kitts & Nevis’ CIP had 95 approved real estate options. Today, it has nine.
The villas, which give the owners citizenship in Dominica, are available for whole ownership from $1.39m and fractional ownership from $212k.
Investment migration can fill specific economic gaps. Keeping family businesses from dying with the owner is one way, writes Stephane Tajick.
Great power games have cut Russians off from of banking and immigration in many countries. Hong Kong, however, has left the door open, writes Stephen Barnes.
The French requirement and the $500k walk-away option likely to result from the new rules will cripple the QIIP, laments Nicolas Laurin.
The government indicated the sharply rising application volumes had become “unmanageable” and had informed the decision to close the scheme.
The blog (which listed no author and provided no evidence) claimed a former CIU head and the developer he now works for defrauded investors.
Suspended since 2019, the QIIP is likely to reopen by the end of the year with a new set of requirements, writes Patrick McCarthy.
The Global Investor Program costs millions. Entrepass requires VC funding. For entrepreneurs seeking a base in Singapore, the EP Visa still works best.
Consensus among CBI service providers is that as long as CIUs look the other way and impose no real consequences, the problem will persist.
OFAC has imposed sanctions on a well-known industry firm and its founder for alleged facilitation of sanctions evasion for of Russians.
Taymour Polding of CIP Turkey speaks to IMI about how the results of the Turkish election will impact the country’s citizenship by investment program.
As Portugal’s golden visa draws to a close, Malta throws its hat in the ring for the contest to be American investor migrants’ new favorite.
“Blaming residency by investment programs [for the lack of affordable housing] is a politically attractive but over-simplistic response.”
Greater specialization, bigger networks, and tailored service are among the reasons boutique firms make better advisors, write DZ Advisory.
Appetite for Panama’s investor visas is dwindling. People of independent means, however, are relocating to the country in record numbers.
“The future of the BIIP is uncertain,” writes James Hall, pointing to new planning levels that will exacerbate the already huge backlog.
In this special feature, Varvara Latyntseva details how the EB-5 program changed last year and the effects on applications and stakeholders.
British investors are becoming more numerous and have now appeared in the monthly top-five nationalities list for 6 of the last 8 months.
Sources say the government is considering two options: Higher real estate investment minimums, or no real estate option at all.
Investment migration people in the news this week.
Respondents also said Portugal’s Golden Visa and St Kitts’ CIP were the best-selling programs in 2022 and expressed high hopes for St Lucia.
That such a large proportion of program participants appear to have tried to skirt the rules raise questions about who has been advising them.
Buoyed by fewer competitors and an impending price hike, the program’s application volume has ballooned. So has its backlog of pending cases.
Investors will no longer be able to include parents or in-laws and must show proof of maintained income and investment every year.
Stateless applicants put CIPs in the unique position of assessing whether these individuals should be issued the first passports they have ever held, writes Fabienne de Blois.
Results from the survey reveal the industry is still betting on Africa and that threats to CBI country access to the EU are a broad concern.
Bulgaria no longer has a citizenship by investment program but has just updated its golden visa (which has a path to citizenship).
Attracted by the charm of Italy but repelled by its high tax rates? Here are the three special regimes that make Italy a tax haven – for you.
Instead of closing the golden visa program, Portugal should reform it and use it to solve the housing crisis, argues Anatoliy Letayev.
“The rich will anyways get from point A to point B […]. So, removing the price they have to pay, it’s a lost financial opportunity.”
To the consternation of local authorities, the fugitive diamond merchant will be permitted to remain in Antigua & Barbuda for now.
Three agents alone were responsible for 42% of applications, while 22 agents submitted only a single application.
The UK may restrict visa-free access for countries where “Chinese spies” can buy citizenship. This may start a domino effect, says David Lesperance.
No retroactivity for post-February 16th applications, 7-days-a-year presence requirement preserved, and cultural investment visas kept.
The Saint Lucia CIP’s annual report shows the program is setting new records on all fronts – but regressing slightly on transparency.
Quebec’s Immigrant Investor Program recently saw its suspension extended. But the program still has a future, argues Stephane Tajick.
Portugal is likely to approve a record number of applications in 2023. As long as the housing bill in its current form doesn’t pass, that is.
Governments increasingly balk at passive programs but welcome active investor visas. Ahmad Abbas explains how to successfully pivot to AIVs.
Saint Lucia’s CIU is the third in the region this year to issue a reminder that the minimum investment amount for real estate is absolute.
The quadrupling of the MM2H income requirement has caused a collapse in applications. “Those who now qualify have better options,” say agents.
A government that actually backs the program, more affordable and varied investment options, and a quicker process are chief advantages.
The latest IMI Private Briefing with 12 pages of sensitive information, rumors, and unverified claims we can’t publish.
“I call it gross negligence from the government to allow this to happen to something that was really important to the economy.”
Patricia Casaburi points out that it’s ironic that golden visas are blamed for the housing crisis in Lisbon and Porto, where prices have risen sharply since these cities were excluded from the program.
We are soft-launching two new features – IMI Professionals and IMI Program Finder – to help readers find programs and program specialists.
“This extension relieves the stress of investors,” commented Alexander Varnavas of Athens-based Varnavas Law on the news.
IMI Club members-only benefits:
“Thanks to IMI Club, I am never that one guy in the meeting that hasn’t heard about the latest RCBI program price cut or rule change. Getting those regular alerts is simply necessary for me to stay on top of this rapidly-changing market.”
Eric G. Major
CEO, Latitude Residency & Citizenship
PROGRAM SELECTION TOOLS
IMI Program Pages
Program Comparison and Filter Chart
Pre-Filtered Program Selections
Portugal Golden Visa Funds Comparison and Filter
EU Citizenship by Descent Policies
DATA & STATISTICS
IMI Data Center
IM Firms’ Global Office Distribution
CBI Banned Nationalities
REAL ESTATE
IMI Real Estate
CBI Real Estate Watch
Approved CBI Real Estate Developments
DIRECTORIES & LISTS
The RCBI Company Directory
Approved CBI Agents Lists
Blacklisted CBI Agents
Investment Migration Jobs
Investment Migration Events
RANKINGS & INDICES
The IMI CBI Transparency Index
The Passport Index-Index
Investment Migration Market Eligibility Index
LEARNING TOOLS
History of Citizenship by Investment
Books on Investment Migration
Caribbean CBI Documentary Series