Clients Starting to Think of $80,000 Discount as “A Third Official Option”: Anastasia Barna

Speaking to IMI during Global Citizen Week in Cairo last month, Anastasia Barna, CEO of OneWorld Migration, fields questions about the commentary she provided in her widely-read opinion piece, The Risks of CBI Real Estate “Financing”.

Speaking to IMI’s Ahmad Abbas, Barna warned that just because the current government turns a blind eye (and even gives tacit assent) to unofficial discounting products not provided for in legislation, it could easily become a problem for clients under subsequent administrations.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen in a year. Maybe the government in these countries will change, and they’ll start investigating mistakes made [in connection with] obtaining citizenship. Possible? Yes, it’s possible.”

Indeed, Grenada has already warned that Buyers of Illegally Discounted CBI Real Estate Could Lose Citizenship.

She also spoke of the widespread confusion about such options in the marketplace, which is due to years of active promotion of discounting schemes.

Clients who have initially spoken to other firms, she said, come to her thinking the discount category is “a third official option” alongside the donation and investment routes.

“It’s not the client’s fault,” she remarked. “The client doesn’t know, especially when he is speaking to a licensed company – because, let’s face it – many fully licensed companies also offer this option.”

She said the sales managers of those licensed companies often themselves don’t even understand that discounting is not officially permitted and end up giving the client advice in such a way that the client comes to believe this is really the best deal.

“Of course, the client sees he will get the same result for less money, so why not go for it?”

Sometimes, clients come to her and ask about “the $80,000 option,” to which she responds by pulling up the government website and asking if they see an option for that amount listed.

Clients then often tell her, “Yes, but that’s only officially. But we know others are qualifying for $80,000.” She then concedes to the client that this is happening but that “we don’t know what the consequences will be.”

Watch the full interview with Anastasia Barna below:

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