Investment migration people in the news this week included:
- Martín Hecht of MH Legal Hub
- Jennifer Farquharson of Norte Sur Group
- Get Golden Visa
- Stephan Morais of Indico Capital Partners
- Pedro Lino of Optimize
- António Schwalbach of Spear Legal
- João Magalhães Ramalho of Antas da Cunha Ecija
- Christina Georgaki of Georgaki and Partners
- Chris Farhi of Bayleys Realty Group
- Alex Martelli
- Cam Winter of Oliver Road
- Michael Wildes
- Mona Shah of Mona Shah & Associates
- Ron Klasko of Klasko Immigration Law Partners
- Elena Ruda of Immigrant Invest
- Gavin Lloyd of Trade Me Property
Forbes – Why Argentina Could Become Americans’ New Plan B
According to Buenos Aires immigration lawyer Martín Hecht, Argentina’s citizenship framework remains unusually accessible. Under Argentina’s Law 346, foreign residents may apply for citizenship after two years of continuous legal residence. That timeline is extraordinarily short by international standards.
[…]
Jennifer Farquharson, a Canadian lawyer with Norte Sur Group in Buenos Aires, noted that “Argentina’s new Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program, is in its final implementation phase ahead of an anticipated launch in late 2026. The program will offer qualifying foreign investors a direct pathway to Argentine citizenship and a very strong passport.” She added, “If it gets off the ground, the game changer will be the modification to the Argentine National Tax Code, which removed automatic fiscal tax residency for naturalized citizens under the program.” *
Forbes – EU Citizenship—Which Countries Issued The Most Passports In 2024?
According to Get Golden Visa’s American Retirement Exodus Report, there has been a rising trend of Americans relocating abroad. This may be due to the pull factors of a new place—lifestyle options, cost of living—or push factors driving people away from the U.S., such as increasingly unaffordable healthcare. There are currently about 5.5 million Americans live abroad, and almost 1 in 4 are retired.
[…]
If you are already living in your country of choice, Martín Hecht, founder of MH Legal Hub, a Buenos Aires international relocation agency, highlights the risks of stalling until the right time to apply for citizenship, when political changes can significantly alter the landscape for non-EU nationals.
[…]
“The rules are changing faster than people can plan,” Hecht explains. “Portugal and Italy both closed inside a month… The Americans who get residency or citizenship now are the ones who were ready to go when the door was open.”
Newsweek – Social Security Data Shows Americans Retiring to Italy
Figures from the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA), reviewed by Get Golden Visa, show that approximately 15,465 American retirees currently receive their benefits while living in Italy.
Portugal Decoded – Nationality reform freezes Golden Visa funds
Stephan Morais, President of the Portuguese Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (Associação Portuguesa de Capital de Risco e Investimento, APCRI) and managing partner of Indico Capital Partners, said many investors are deeply disappointed.
[…]
“This demonstrates, in the eyes of investors, enormous disorganisation by the Portuguese State and is incomprehensible for someone investing hundreds of thousands of euros in a programme of this nature,” Morais said.
[…]
Pedro Lino, chief executive officer of Optimize, said from the United States, where he was promoting a fund eligible under the ARI programme, that the manager’s investors are questioning lawyers.
[…]
Lino said he is already seeing a recovery in investment after participating in events in the United States to restore credibility and confidence in the country, but added that “it is not easy”.
[…]
“The political power has no notion of the consequences of its actions,” Lino said.
[…]
António Schwalbach, a partner at Spear Legal, said the assessment makes complete sense because tax legislation is subject to the reserve of law.
[…]
João Magalhães Ramalho, a partner at Antas da Cunha Ecija, said the decision is still new and must be analysed in greater detail.
[…]
“When Portugal is under attack in the Golden Visa case, this could be a huge blow to the country’s credibility,” Ramalho said.
The Parliament – Why investor visa schemes are forcing Europe to rethink Schengen oversight
As Christina Georgaki, Founder & Managing Partner at Georgaki and Partners, took the floor, she stressed the importance of taking a holistic view of the situation so as not to unilaterally restrict the issuance of visas.
[…]
Citing in particular the case of Greece, which, she said, had received only “around 10,000 applications for this type of visa” in 2025, Georgaki called for a continental mechanism involving more checks to prevent the abuses previously observed. This would ensure that investments are accompanied by “integration into local communities” and actual residence in the area.
[…]
Georgaki argued that residency-by-investment schemes should not simply be treated as immigration tools, but as instruments with wider geopolitical and financial implications. “Residency by investment should be treated as a totally different policy tool. It sits in the middle of finance, sociology, and geopolitical issues of the EU,” she said.
NZA – Golden visa buyers reshape NZ’s luxury map – but not the market
Bayleys Realty Group head of insights Chris Farhi told OneRoof the early wave likely reflects existing demand that had been waiting for the rule change.
[…]
“It’s unclear if we are going to see an initial ramp up, which then slows down once that pent-up demand has cleared through,” Farhi said.
[…]
Buyer’s agent Alex Martelli says most AIP purchasers already know the country well.
[…]
“A lot of the AIP deals that are being done at the moment aren’t sudden deals. It’s not like people suddenly get their visas and go, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got to go and buy in Auckland right now,’” Martelli said.
[…]
Oliver Road managing director Cam Winter expects more deals as qualifying stock becomes available, arguing that “Sixteen consents in two months is the start of a longer-term trend, not a failure of policy.”
The Washington Post – Lawyers for the global elite aren’t buying Trump’s gold card visa
Immigration attorney Michael Wildes has represented first lady Melania Trump and her parents, who are naturalized citizens. He has secured visas for Miss Universe titleholders when President Donald Trump ran the pageant organization. He has done legal work for the Kushner family.
[…]
But when he has received calls from potential clients interested in a gold card visa that Trump has touted for wealthy foreigners, he has told them there is little he can do because the program is legally dubious. “It would be unethical of me to retain them,” Wildes said.
[…]
Mona Shah, an attorney with two clients at various stages of the gold card visa application process, said the court filing indicated to her that previous promises of speedy processing were “false advertising,” and she has warned her clients that their gold card applications might go nowhere. However, she said her clients — who are from Nigeria and Pakistan — have been frustrated by travel bans and restrictions and have money that they are willing to waste for the chance at residency. But, she said, it’s only a chance.
[…]
“They want me to say ‘Yes, you are going to get it,’ and I can’t say that to them,” Shah said.
[…]
Ron Klasko, an immigration attorney who has taken one gold card visa case for a Ukrainian businessman, hired an attorney to advise him on the ethical considerations, and he has created a chart to explain to clients the distinctions between the gold card visa and EB-5 visa to help inform their decision-making.
[…]
“Typically, they say ‘Thank you, we’ll think about this and we’ll let you know,’” Klasko said, “and typically they get back to me and say ‘We decided to go EB-5.’”
[…]
Immigration attorney Rosanna Berardi said she has heard from clients interested in the gold card but has “made the professional decision not to accept these cases,” due to concerns about the legality and the application cost that comes with no guarantee of approval.
[…]
“As immigration counsel, our obligation is always to protect our clients’ interests,” she said, “and we do not believe it is appropriate to recommend a program with such significant legal uncertainty and financial risk, even when clients express a desire to proceed.”
The National Law Review – São Tomé and Príncipe issues first citizenship by investment passport in January 2026
“The first passport issuance in January 2026 marks an important milestone for the programme’s functionality,” says Elena Ruda, Chief Development Officer at Immigrant Invest. “It confirms that the legal and administrative mechanisms are in place not only to review applications, but also to deliver citizenship outcomes.”
[…]
“For new programmes, the transition from accepting applications to issuing passports is a critical step in establishing operational credibility.”
NZA – Golden Visa drives millionaire property hunt beyond Auckland
Trade Me Property customer director Gavin Lloyd(pictured) said the geographic spread reflected something deeper than a search for prestige addresses.
[…]
“High-net-worth buyers from the US and UK aren’t just looking for luxury in Tāmaki Makaurau, they’re looking at coastal Northland and the lifestyle blocks of the Bay of Plenty,” Lloyd said.
