“It Will Be a Stable Year for Investors”: Investment Migration People in the News This Week

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Investment migration people in the news this week included:

• Kara Doherty of Apex Capital Partners
• Mary Dunne of Hamptons International
• Pantelis Leptos of Leptos Estates
• Stuart Wakeling and Peter Ferrigno of Henley and Partners
• Andy J. Semotiuk of Pace Law Firm
• Nomad Capitalist
• Armand Arton of Arton Capital
• Kristin Surak
• Sara Sousa Rebolo of Prime Legal Law Firm
• Matthew T. Galati of Galati Law Firm

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Bloomberg – Caribbean Golden Passport Cost Soars to $200,000 on EU Crackdown

Demand for the Caribbean passports is soaring, said Kara Doherty, managing director at Antigua-based Apex Capital Partners, a firm that advises on second citizenship. Interest has increased almost 300% during the first two months of the year, she said, pinning it on the rise of Bitcoin and other tokens. US citizens, who see a second passport as a hedge against geopolitical turmoil, are propping up sales too.

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The Telegraph – Golden visas and how to get one – from Portugal to Greece

“The scheme has garnered significant interest among UK nationals, particularly following Brexit, which has altered their residency status in Spain,” said Mary Dunne, Hamptons International representative in Marbella. “The primary motivation for seeking a golden visa is the desire for regular access to Spain, often because individuals own a second home there.”

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Pantelis Leptos, chairman of Leptos Estates, said demand from British buyers “seeking to secure their seamless access to the EU” had escalated post-Brexit. Other buyers simply want to spend time enjoying the Grecian lifestyle, and know they can offset the expense by renting their property out when they are not in situ.

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Stuart Wakeling, managing partner at golden visa specialists Henley & Partners said some recent applicants have seen Dubai’s stellar price growth in recent years and simply want a piece of the action. “They can see themselves living there, setting up a business,” he said.

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Peter Ferrigno, director of tax partners at Henley & Partners, said Dubai is particularly popular with people looking to cut their tax bill. “I have got a guy at the moment who has persuaded his employers it is better for him to be based there,” he said. “You get a break from the rain for a few years, and you can save a bit of cash.”

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Forbes – Best Places To Invest In Real Estate And Get A Second Citizenship

Andy J. Semotiuk pens an article for Forbes exploring the connections between real estate investments and second citizenship.

As for evaluating a location from a citizenship or residence point of view, some worthwhile guides are Henley and Partners, Nomad Capitalist, or even our own here at Pace Law Firm, where I am practising law called the Pace Passport Index. However, one of the best resources to check out is that of Arton Capital. Their citizenship and residence evaluations guide investors on the best place to live and which passport to acquire. Founder Armand Arton argues that, “investor immigration helps to change the destiny of individuals,” and he strongly “believes in promoting international mobility.”

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Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) – How the super-rich acquire new citizenships

Translated from German.

The noble piece is usually acquired through a state registration authority, which lends the owner a piece of national sovereignty. One becomes a citizen by birth and/or a jus soli, which is granted to foreigners born in the country, or through naturalization, which is linked to length of stay, language skills and regular income. The republican principle, which relies on the consent of a nation in a future-oriented manner, has recently been called into question by the ethnic primacy of descent and origin. The fact that you can also buy this noble piece is the subject of the book by political scientist Kristin Surak, who works at the London School of Economics. The “golden passport” for the super-rich keeps a global industry running and it exacerbates inequality in global society.

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Surak is not the first to deal with purchased passports, but she has examined the phenomenon empirically, sorted out the motives of both applicants and receiving states and documented the gradual normalization of the citizenship market. You are almost overwhelmed by her knowledge of detail, which is, however, built into an easy-to-read narrative. Their perspective is economic: What does it mean when states market and financialize their sovereignty and thus anchor it in the right of residence through “citizenship by investment”, which is already common practice in the global economy?

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CGTN – Portugal Golden Visa: What are the pros and cons?

CGTN Europe spoke to Sara Sousa Rebolo, Partner at Prime Legal Law Firm.

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I would say that it’s good news because at this moment we have a new law, we have a new regulation, we have a new immigration office working. We also have now very recently or we are about to have a new government so it will be a very stable year for investors to apply.

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I would say that the current habitational crisis mostly depends on the lack of Licensing. City Halls they produce a lot of burocracy for licensing new buildings. 

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The Times of India – No temporary stay on US visa-fee hikes, but lawsuit will continue

Matthew T. Galati, one of the attorneys representing the law suit, told TOI, “While we were disappointed that the judge did not give our plaintiffs and millions of affected immigrants what we asked for, we do wish to note that the court specifically left open — for deciding later in this suit — our most important arguments that the ‘Fee Rule’ is unlawful. In my opinion, the decision seemed to be more about timing than the substance of the arguments we raised. We look forward to continuing the fight, on behalf of immigrants and their sponsors, to ensure that USCIS is held accountable in following its clear mandates from the United States Congress.”