Investment migration people in the news this week included:
- Joana Mendonça and Patricia Casaburi of Global Citizen Solutions
- Megan Copley and Nadia Read Thaele of LIO Global
- Mischa Mannix-Opie of Greener Pastures
- Stuart Nash of Nash Kelly Global
- Paul Stannard of Portugal Pathways
- Suzanna Uzakova of Astons
- Murat Coskun of Get Golden Visa
- Nils Kalns of Henley & Partners
- Philippe A May of EC Holdings
Forbes – Portugal Golden Visa—Pause Of New Law To Extend Citizenship Timeline
General Counsel, Joana Mendonça, for Global Citizen Solutions, an investment migration firm, says, “This is one of the fastest legal review processes in Portugal—the preventive review mechanism is designed for urgent constitutional assessment.” That means the Constitutional Court has 25 consecutive days from November 19th to issue its ruling, meaning there should be a decision by mid-December 2025.
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Patricia Casaburi, CEO of Global Citizen Solutions, expects that the constitutional court review will identify several problematic aspects of the bill that require revision that will, therefore, result in some changes.
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Casaburi says, “We anticipate the court will require transitional provisions that safeguard current applicants and those already in the residency pathway”, adding, “We’re hopeful this version will return significantly changed after review.”
Business Report – How powerful is your South African passport, and where in the world can it take you?
“South Africans are proactive when it comes to securing their futures,” says Megan Copley, Sales Director at LIO Global. “We’ve seen a dramatic increase in demand for investment migration programs, particularly in countries that offer strong global access and financial benefits.”
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Nadia Read Thaele, Founder of LIO Global, mentions, “Our clients are looking for global access, freedom, and the peace of mind of having options for themselves and their families. A second passport or EU residency offers this.”
Forbes – New Zealand Visa—Government Opens New Path To Entice Expats
Client Experience Director Mischa Mannix-Opie at Greener Pastures New Zealand, an integrated residency-by-investment and lifestyle advisory firm, believes the new Business Investor Work visa offers a great way for families or individuals to come to the country who want to build or grow a business and are looking to gain a foothold.
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Mannix-Opie adds, “We are hearing from American investors who are rethinking their long-term plans in light of domestic politics and are seeking a second home, or a thoughtful Plan B, in a country with a stable economy, strong rule of law, and no capital gains, wealth, or estate taxes. New Zealand offers that mix, along with a lifestyle that is deeply aligned to what many families are now prioritising—safety, connection, wellbeing, and the ability to build meaningful lives in a place that values quality and authenticity.”
Fox News – Paradise travel destination sees ‘golden’ visa boom, rolls out brand-new offering
Client Experience Director Mischa Mannix-Opie at Greener Pastures New Zealand, an integrated residency-by-investment and lifestyle advisory firm, told Fox News Digital the firm has seen significant “golden” visa demand from Americans.
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“The shifting political environment in the U.S. has many high net worth individuals reassessing their long-term plans.
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Stuart Nash, former New Zealand minister for economic development and co-founder of Nash Kelly Global, previously told Fox News Digital the visas were becoming more popular.
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“You’ve got a war going on in Europe. You’ve got the tinderbox, which is the Middle East,” he said. “You’ve got a change in the U.S. administration, which is causing more polarization than we’ve seen in a long, long time.
The Economic Times – Portugal sees increase in Golden Visa demand due to change in global wealth migration
The trend is partly driven by the UK, where anticipated Budget changes are expected to increase wealth-related taxes and tighten rules for non-domiciled residents. As per The Portugal News report, Paul Stannard, CEO of Portugal Pathways, said, “Families, investors, and entrepreneurs all ultimately want the same thing: security. Uncertainty in the UK, North America, and other major economies is resulting in affluent people wanting a way out or, at the very least, a ‘plan B’.”
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Stannard added, “Portugal is perfectly positioned to take full advantage of this trend, giving people the flexibility they need and the knowledge that if things go wrong in their home country, they can move to a more stable destination.”
Business Standard – Golden Visa searches surge 378% as global investors brace for higher taxes
“Additionally, Greece’s Non-Dom regime offers major tax advantages. Instead of being subject to standard progressive income tax rates, up to 45% in Greece, eligible individuals can opt to pay a flat annual tax of just €100,000, regardless of the source or amount of their global income,” said Suzanna Uzakova, Senior Consultant for Residency and Citizenship Programmes at Astons.
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“This immense surge in Golden Visa interest demonstrates just how much thought the world’s HNWIs are giving to migration as a strategic financial safeguard, as well as a lifestyle choice,” said Uzakova.
NIKKEI Asia – Europe’s ‘Golden Visa’ landscape shrinks but Asian demand stays high
“Chinese investors primarily seek residency as a ‘Plan B’ for hedging and value retention as a way to secure some peace of mind, rather than seeking citizenship, because China does not permit dual citizenship,” said Murat Coskun, managing partner of Get Golden Visa, a London-based provider of investor visa solutions. “Indians are a smaller market than China, also seeking residency only due to dual citizenship restrictions, but investors from Southeast Asia often seek citizenship, as their home countries allow it.”
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Coskun said Greece remains popular among Chinese, while Malta’s residency program that requires property investment or rental, among other conditions, still draws stable demand despite the change in April.
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“Latvia is also an excellent place to start a business and later expand your market across the EU,” said Nils Kalns, head of Henley & Partners‘ Latvia office, citing the country’s World Bank ranking of 19th among 190 economies for ease of doing business in its last report in 2020.
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“We will be seeing a transition from simple ‘buy property, get residency’ to more structured, regulated investments and genuine host-country contribution,” he [Coskun] said.
The Pasifika – The Golden Atoll: Sovereignty, Survival, and the Pacific’s New Passport Wars
Philippe A May, the Honorary Consul of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in Singapore, and an international expert in second passports and migration, says: More often than not alleged “security concerns” are only an excuse for thinly veiled hatred of the rich by a small, but vocal group of left wing politicians in Europe. The EU has a deep ideological disliking of CBI because it is an exclusive product for one of the most controversial groups of people: the rich.
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The USA and Australia, on the other hand, have a more realistic approach. All citizens of all CBI countries need visas anyway. And everyone knows that a few thousand closely vetted new citizens of small island countries are no threat in comparison to the hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who cross borders to USA and Europe undocumented by land or by sea.
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Most CBI countries take security matters very seriously. While a few cases of bad apples, usually colorful people who had no criminal record at the time of application but fell foul of the law post naturalization, are sensationalised and given disproportionate media attention CBI countries quietly run a very strict due diligence process. Anyone is free to go and test the system. And while I am sure some mystery shoppers and investigative journalists did it, this reality just doesn’t sell. It’s not news. Despite all the noise and complaints about CBI, even the EU knows this very well.
