The exemption card, akin to a digital nomad visa, will allow holders to stay up to 90 days and multiple re-entries, and appears to open a direct pathway to residency.
Under the new rules, 75% of investor visa funds must be in liquid and market assets, rather than “sitting idle in deposit accounts,” says James Hall.
Applicants receive five-year renewable residencies with no physical presence requirements, but the program appears to offer no path to citizenship for non-Muslims as per existing laws.
Thailand’s influential ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra claims a $1 million golden visa could attract $600 billion in investments, but modest uptake of existing pathways tells a different story.
Easy requirements made the Destination Thailand visa popular, but administrative roadblocks may limit its appeal.
Recent policy changes boost Hong Kong’s NCIES applications and approvals as officials project HK$30 billion in inflows by year’s end.
Existing and new Elita Visa holders can save between US$15,500 and US$46,000 per dependent under the limited-time promotion.
Siren Chen said the current six-month DNV attracted an ‘unsatisfactory number of applications,’ prompting the expansion.
Thailand expects crypto tax cuts to drive over $30M in mid-term revenue by stimulating investment and market activity.
Immigration Minister Erica Stanford describes the transformation as moving from “an absolute nightmare” to a streamlined process that has wealthy investors “lining up.”
Gov’t: “We should have not allowed him in the first place” but “can’t just go back and revoke based on information that is discovered later.”
The Thai tax proposal lets wealthy residents bring foreign earnings home tax-free if repatriated within two years of generation.
Ministerial takeover accelerated SMM2H: 1,901 approvals in 5 years versus 1,240 in previous 13 years under Immigration control.
CIES applications continue to surge after government’s policy changes, monthly application average now at 85.
David Lesperance predicts wealthy will flee Australia over unrealized gains tax: “super rich are no longer sticky.”
Vanuatu plans to increase CIIP investment thresholds by 15-20%, as single applicant contributions rise from $100,000 to $115,000.
The government has expressed concerns about foreign agents’ influence, and “strongly rejects any arrangement that compromises sovereignty.”
Six months after Siren Chen’s cautiously optimistic assessment, the HK$10.5B in approved investments suggests her confidence was well-placed.
New Zealand’s investor visa starts off with 44 applications, 7 approvals, and at least NZ$260 million in investments in just two weeks.
Vietnam may join Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia in offering long-term golden visas as regional competition intensifies.