Investment migration people in the news this week included:
- Stuart Nash of Nash Kelly Global
- Fragomen
- David Lesperance of Lesperance & Associates
- Michael Wildes
- Rosanna Berardi of Berardi Immigration Law
- Mona Shah of Mona Shah & Partners Global
- Dwayne Chauhan of Vancis Capital
- Joe Rice and Patricia Casaburi of Global Citizen Solutions
SBS News – A ‘safe haven’ in times of turmoil. Why demand for this country’s ‘golden visa’ is rising
New Zealand’s system, the ‘Active Investor Plus Visa’, was first introduced in 2022 by then prime minister Jacinda Ardern’s government — specifically by Stuart Nash, who was minister of economic development at the time. He now runs a consultancy specialising in golden visa applicants.
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But Nash says his clients are not “political refugees” looking to leave the country because of the Trump administration. Instead, they’re people who view New Zealand as being more secure and safe in general.
Business Standard – Paraguay’s new Golden Visa could cost Indians ₹1.9 cr, but offers direct PR
“Previously, investors could only make commercial and industrial investments to qualify for permanent residence. Permanent residence permits in Paraguay are valid for 10 years, renewable every 10 years, and authorize holders to engage in lawful work and business activities in Paraguay. These new categories will create additional opportunities for individuals to obtain permanent residence in Paraguay,” said immigration consultancy firm Fragomen.
The Sun – HARRY COLE Britain’s in the middle of a ‘taxodus’ & it’s not just the super rich – wealth-destroying Labour should be reeling
It’s not just those hard-done-by billionaires we need to worry about. Take the warning from global tax adviser David Lesperance who said he had 20 UK-based multimillionaire international clients two years ago. He now has zero.
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He says the Taxodus is far from over in the UK, adding: “The next is the home-grown British wealth creators who don’t want to be hit by higher capital gains tax, a possible exit tax or even a wealth tax after a big moment like selling their business.”
MSN – Billionaire Chamath Palihapitiya warns California’s billionaire tax could hit the middle class with penalties for undervaluing what they own
David Lesperance, an advisor to ultra high net-worth clients in California, told ABC10 (7) that eight of his clients have left for Florida, Texas and Nevada, and 10 are preparing to leave.
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“They’re doing everything they can to fight the fire,” Lesperance said.
The Times of India – No one is buying Trump’s Gold Card? Immigration attorneys say the $1 million visa scheme is ‘unethical’
Even lawyers with close links to the Trump family have distanced themselves from the programme. Michael Wildes, an immigration attorney who has represented first lady Melania Trump, her parents, members of the Kushner family and several Miss Universe winners, said he would refuse to take on clients seeking a Gold Card.
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The biggest issue for many attorneys is that the visa has not been approved by Congress, meaning a future administration could potentially scrap it. Rosanna Berardi, another immigration lawyer, said that uncertainty alone was enough to discourage clients from applying.
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A handful of applicants are still testing the waters. Immigration attorney Mona Shah said she currently has two clients, from Nigeria and Pakistan, at different stages of the application process. However, she said she warned both of them that the programme could amount to “false advertising” and may ultimately lead nowhere. According to Shah, her clients were prepared to lose the money if the plan collapsed.
Forbes – Second Citizenship As A Part Of Long-Term Business Risk Planning
Dwayne Chauhan, Group CEO of Vancis Capital writes an op-ed for Forbes.
Each major disruption of the past several years has produced the same surge: founders and executives asking how quickly they can establish a second citizenship or residency. But in more than a decade of advising globally minded leaders, I’ve seen that the ones best positioned through every one of those moments had made that decision long before it felt necessary. Not in response to a crisis, but before one.
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I saw that Ukrainian business leaders who had established residency or citizenship elsewhere before February 2022 had options. They could move, restructure, rebuild. But the lesson is not unique to Ukraine. It applies whenever a political or economic shift fundamentally changes the environment a leader has built their life around.
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I want to be clear about what this is and what it is not. Second citizenship and residency planning is not primarily a financial decision. The professionals who navigate serious disruptions well are not the ones with the most assets in the most places. They are the ones who think carefully about their personal structure with the same clarity they bring to their professional one.
Business Standard – Citizenship Rankings 2026: New luxury asset for the rich? A backup passport
“For the small island states of the Eastern Caribbean, citizenship by investment is a development engine that has translated mobility demand into schools, hospitals, climate-resilient housing, and post-disaster reconstruction,” said Joe Rice, Head of Caribbean Programs at Global Citizen Solutions. “The GCP Index captures the technical strength of these programs, but the deeper story is what they make possible: a model in which sovereign reputation, family legacy, and national development are mutually reinforcing.”
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“The most important shift in our industry is no longer about which single program is best suited to your needs, but about which combination of programs is the right one,” said Patricia Casaburi, CEO, Global Citizen Solutions. “Families today are constructing citizenship portfolios of mobility, tax residence, and legal access that reflect a far more sophisticated understanding of risk, opportunity, and belonging in a fragmented world.”
