Investment migration people in the news this week included:
- Kristin Surak of the London School of Economics
- Philippe Amarante, Christian Kälin, and Juerg Steffen of Henley & Partners
- Kashif Ansari of Juwai IQI
- Luiz Felipe Maia of Maia Yoshiyasu Advogados
- Chris Groves of Withers
- Damian Bloom and Sean Bannister of Taylor Wessing
- Weyinmi Oritsejafor of Passport Legacy
- Sunny Nair of Sharp Tudhope Lawyers
- Rohit Sharma of Glocal Opportunities
- Paul Stannard and Chris Marson of Portugal Pathways
- David Lesperance of Lesperance & Associates
Reuters – EU pressure on Antigua’s ‘golden passport’ trade threatens budget cushion
“Visa-free access to the EU was the big selling point of Caribbean programmes,” said Kristin Surak, an associate professor at the London School of Economics who researches citizenship-by-investment schemes.
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“Because citizenship by investment in general accounts for 10% to 15% of GDP here in Antigua, if that drops precipitously, we might have an existential problem,” Surak added.
South China Morning Post – Will Argentina’s citizenship scheme lure property buyers from mainland China and Hong Kong?
Once opened, this scheme was expected to stand out clearly in the landscape of residence and citizenship by investment (RCBI) and attract affluent individuals from mainland China and Hong Kong, according to Philippe Amarante, head of government advisory for the Americas at international residence and citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners.
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“Direct citizenship frameworks of this scale are rare, particularly in major G20 economies,” he said. “Historically, Asian investors have focused mostly on North American, European, or regional residence options, while Latin America has remained comparatively underexplored.”
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While declining to name specific types of investments that would become eligible under the scheme, Amarante said: “Generally speaking, real estate-linked options tend to fail to yield transformative economic impact unless they are strictly geared toward greenfield productive development, tourism infrastructure, or large-scale urban regeneration.”
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Some property classes could also yield solid returns, said Kashif Ansari, co-founder and group CEO of Asian real estate technology group Juwai IQI, citing local forestry rules that allow investors to lock in tax rates for 30 years.
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“A vineyard in Mendoza gives you lifestyle bragging rights alongside commercial wine production,” he said. “The returns on cattle ranches and row-crop farms are driven by global food demand, not local politics.”
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The country would also serve as a great strategic base for those looking to invest across South America, according to Luiz Felipe Maia, founding partner at Sao Paulo-based law firm Maia Yoshiyasu Advogados.
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“With an Argentine passport, you can establish residence in any Mercosur country and even travel throughout South America using just your national ID card, without needing a passport,” Maia said.
The Telegraph – Labour is hitting the limits of soaking the rich
Chris Groves, a tax specialist at law firm Withers, says there is clear awareness inside the government of the harm caused by abolishing the non-dom status – which had exempted wealthy residents from paying UK tax on their overseas assets for more than 200 years – even if it is impossible for Labour MPs to say so cleanly in public.
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“Before the election, Rachel Reeves was very clear about wanting to get rid of the non-dom rules because she thought they were unfair and that she could raise money from it,” he says. “Now, there is a realisation that the international mobile wealthy are exactly that – mobile – and if you tax them too heavily, they leave.”
WealthBriefing – A Cautious UK Budget – Wealth Managers React
Damian Bloom, partner and head of private client at Taylor Wessing, and Sean Bannister, partner in private client at Taylor Wessing: “Unlike recent Budgets, it was pleasing not to see wide changes for wealthy clients. Following extensive modifications in recent fiscal announcements, not seeing changes that hit successful mobile people was welcome.”
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“Instead, we saw some small measures attempting to relax recent anti-avoidance constraints as well as steps to encourage business mobility through changes to the Global Talent visa route. However, there were no fundamental structural shifts to encourage wealth generators to the UK. The government will hope that stability itself is an attraction.”
The Guardian Nigeria – Passport Legacy reiterates commitment to solutions beyond citizenship process
Regional Country Manager, Passport Legacy, Weyinmi Oritsejafor, disclosed this to newsmen shortly after a side event at the Africa Wealth Summit held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos.
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“Nigeria is not just a strong market; it is an emerging global powerhouse of ambitious, globally minded families and entrepreneurs. This platform allowed us to engage in honest conversations about the future of wealth and mobility, and to demonstrate that Passport Legacy is committed to walking alongside our clients well beyond the citizenship process,” she said.
Impact PR – Law Firm Flags Private Banking Risk In NZ’s Golden Visa Rules
However, Sharp Tudhope Lawyers partner Sunny Nair says a growing number of international applicants under the Active Investor Plus (AIP) visa are encountering problems when acceptable investments identified through overseas private banks are later assessed by Immigration New Zealand (INZ).
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“Under the Active Investor Plus programme, acceptable investments include listed equities, philanthropy, managed funds and direct investments into private New Zealand businesses,” he says. “What is happening in practice is that applicants are often introduced to investment opportunities through international private banking networks before anyone has checked whether the structure actually meets Immigration New Zealand’s requirements.”
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“Many of the international banks simply do not understand the detail of New Zealand’s immigration policy,” says Nair. “An investment can look entirely legitimate from a financial perspective, yet still fall outside what Immigration New Zealand considers an acceptable investment.”
The Tribune India – Residency by Investment in Europe: Glocal Opportunities Chairperson Rohit Sharma shares insights
According to Rohit Sharma, Founder and Chairperson of Glocal Opportunities, one of the strategic architects of global RBI and CBI programmes, Europe’s enduring appeal lies in its stability and predictability.
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“High-net-worth families are no longer making reactive decisions. Residency by Investment in Europe is viewed as a structured, long-term diversification strategy – one that safeguards generational interests while offering access to world-class institutions,” he explains.
The Portugal News – Portugal’s Golden Visa legacy puts investment and housing affordability in the spotlight
Chris Marson, Private Wealth Advisor at Portugal Pathways, says this reflects what he is hearing directly from applicants and investors.
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“People are losing patience,” Marson said. “Some applicants have waited several years for biometrics and final approvals. Meanwhile, the rules around nationality and timelines have become less predictable.”
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“There is clearly nervousness in the market,” Marson added. “High-net-worth individuals are asking whether Portugal still wants their capital and whether the goalposts will move again.”
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Paul Stannard, Chairman and Founder of Portugal Pathways and the Portugal Investment Owners Club, argues that the post-real estate Golden Visa model has been misunderstood.
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“Since real estate was removed from the Golden Visa in late 2023, investment has shifted into regulated alternative investment funds supporting sectors like renewable energy, technology, healthcare, tourism, hospitality, media, and international events,” Stannard said. “These investments create jobs and support Portuguese companies – they do not take homes away from local people.”
AAP News – Borders and Mobility: The Global Citizenship Conference Marks 20 Years
Dr. Christian H. Kälin, Chairman of Henley & Partners, says: “Twenty years ago, we founded this conference on a simple conviction: where you are born should not define the limits of your future. For families, additional citizenships and residency rights can open opportunities for generations. For countries, well-designed pathways can attract the talent and investment that underpin lasting prosperity.”
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Dr. Juerg Steffen, CEO of Henley & Partners, notes that the global environment surrounding mobility and capital has changed markedly in recent years. “Over the past two decades, we have seen investment migration move from the margins of international policy into the mainstream of wealth planning and economic strategy.”
Bloomberg – British Tycoon Shakes Up $1.5 Billion Fortune After UAE Move
David Lesperance, a global tax and immigration adviser, said the letters made the UK an “outlier” in terms of invading taxpayer privacy.
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“No other G20 country asks for this level of detail from its taxpayers about what they own,” he said. “The letters almost look like a scam email to extract information from sophisticated people who are unlikely to fall for something like this.”
