“The Golden Visa in Oman is Not New”: Investment Migration People in the News This Week

Investment migration people in the news this week included:

• Nick Warr of Taylor Wessing
• Daniel Thomson of Malcolm Pacific Immigration 
• Andri Boiko of Garant In
• Paresh Karia of Acquest Advisors
• Matt Boyd of Sovereign Group
• Irina Cotescu of Oliviri Consultancy
• Marcus Beveridge of Queen City Law
• Stuart Nash of Nash Kelly Global
• David Lesperance of Lesperance & Associates

Wealth Briefing – More Americans Want UK Citizenship, Official Data Shows

“We’ve certainly seen an uptick in clients wishing to leave the US for the UK, with those clients expressing disquiet at the political discourse and the increasing social tensions in the US,” Nick Warr, UK senior partner and private client partner at law firm Taylor Wessing, said in a statement late last week

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“Sadly, for Americans this regime means little due to their worldwide taxation. The extent of the exodus following the changes to the non-dom regime was far greater than most anticipated, although statistically it will not become apparent for over 18 months,” Warr said. “While it is heartening to see an inflow, we are still seeing a significant imbalance between the immigration versus emigration with another wave of people now leaving after the rumours of a wealth tax or exit tax. The real impact will be felt in the coming years.”

Stuff – Will new million-dollar investment visa grow the economy? Erica Stanford thinks so

Daniel Thomson director at Malcolm Pacific Immigration backed her approach and agreed the entrepreneur visa had “failed”.

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“It didn’t attract people to apply because it required people to essentially try and establish high growth, innovative businesses with export potential. And… predicting the future of a business you’re setting up in a new country is pretty hard, right?”

Business Standard – Greece Golden Visa: With ₹3 cr, Indians can live with family, travel Europe

“The Greece Golden Visa is among Europe’s most accessible residency-by-investment programmes, offering a minimum property investment of €250,000 for select properties (such as heritage buildings under restoration or conversions), with standard thresholds now €400,000 (other regions) and €800,000 (Athens, Thessaloniki, islands),” Andri Boiko, founder and CEO of international advisory firm Garant In, which focuses on residency and citizenship programmes, told Business Standard. “Application fees are €2,000 for the main applicant and €150 per family member, plus additional legal and property fees of about 11–12 per cent of the property value. Family inclusion extends to spouses, children under 21, and parents of both applicant and spouse.”

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According to Paresh Karia, CEO of immigration advisory firm Acquest Advisors, Indians who invest receive:

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“This means you and your family can live and do business in Greece while enjoying visa-free travel across the Schengen Zone,” Karia explained.

Gulf News – Oman’s new Golden Visas targets more business-linked investments

“The Golden Visa in Oman is not new – these categories for longer-term residency have existed since 2021,” said Matt Boyd, Business Development Manager at Sovereign Group. “This may represent a relaunch of the programme with a stronger focus on promotion.

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“Investors have always been able to obtain extended visas connected to investments in a business or property for many years. Compared to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Oman’s investment requirements are significantly higher, which has historically limited uptake of its Golden Visa programmes.”

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Irina Cotescu is co-founder of Oliviri Consultancy, and she says: “Oman is clearly charting its own course – one that’s slower by design, but far more integrated. What stands out is the shift from transactional incentives to a long-term partnership model.

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“By combining regulatory clarity, digital infrastructure, and targeted investor programs, Oman is signaling that it values not just capital, but commitment. That’s what makes Oman one of the most thoughtfully structured gateways for foreign investment in the region.”

The Post – Govt gives wealthy business buyers a fast-track to residency – but they can’t buy a house, yet

Immigration and property law expert Marcus Beveridge, who is also the managing director of Queen City Law, said what was being proposed sounded great in terms of an injection of cash into the country, even if it was likely to be on a very small scale.

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“For those who are willing to come here and invest in NZ companies and employ Kiwis, not to be able to buy a house for three years is going to be tough. We will hopefully know more about changes to the foreign buyers’ ban in a few weeks and see what is being proposed.”

Wealth Briefing – HNW Individuals Seeking Foreign Residency Must Plan, Show Realism – Former New Zealand Minister

To make all this work, applicants must plan and reach out to those who are able to make them feel at home. That is the view of Stuart Nash (main picture), a former New Zealand government minister in the Jacinda Ardern administration who today leads Nash Kelly Global, a relocation consultancy. (He is a lawyer by professional background.)

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“FDI [foreign direct investment] is important in New Zealand and if you are moving to the other side of the world you have to be welcomed and appreciated,” Nash told this news service in a call. “It is very difficult to be in a network [of people] unless you are already part of this.”

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“There’s nothing worse than to be in the middle of the New Zealand winter and talking to friends in Switzerland or wherever and hear them saying that life there is lovely,” Nash said. 

Business Day – David Lesperance on the Trump Card: Separating noise from policy

David Lesperance, an international tax and immigration advisor, has offered his assessment of the much-publicised “Trump Card” proposal and its potential implications for investors and high-net-worth families.

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One area of contention has been the claimed market size for the Trump Card compared with actual global eligibility. Lesperance described the figures as inflated. “I honestly think it was just salesman ‘puffery’ and that someone told Trump and Lutnick an unrealistic figure and in typical fashion they exaggerated these numbers beyond reason. Par for the course,” he explained.

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The Trump Card debate also raises questions about the credibility of U.S. residency or citizenship-by-investment programmes. “I laugh at current headlines pushed by salespeople on uninformed journalists that the US is the #1 destination for HNW families fleeing the UK,” Lesperance said.