Empowered Startups
IMI Official Partner
To the untrained eye, pyrite may appear to be gold. Upon further inspection, it is clearly a poor representation of one of the world’s most valuable metals. No reasonable consumer would consider the two interchangeable, and no reputable business would attempt to sell one as the other.
Unfortunately, there always has been and will continue to be a small percentage of people that are willing to misrepresent themselves or their offerings. It is the reason that due diligence is of utmost importance when making a considerable investment.
This holds true in the world of global mobility; not all Residency By Investment (RBI) or Citizenship By Investment (CBI) programs or providers are what they appear to be at first glance. While the majority of operators are running legitimate programs that adhere to the rules set forth by the respective jurisdictions they operate in, there are several bad actors who masquerade as authentic agents. They talk a good game and are skilled at creating the appearance of legitimacy, but they are nothing more than high-end hustlers.
On the surface, it can be difficult to distinguish these grifters from those who conduct their business with integrity. It’s only after a closer look that separating the wheat from the chaff becomes much easier.
Case in Point: the HQA® Visa Program
A fine example of this currently exists with the HQA® Visa Program, a relatively new program in the global mobility ecosystem. This novel program for accomplished businesspeople has become an increasingly popular pathway to Portugal thanks to the collaborative efforts ofEmpowered Startups, the Government of Portugal, and the broad partner network of respected research institutions within the country that both endorse and participate in the HQA® Visa Program.
Each of these stakeholders has taken great care to create a program that can be trusted by everyone who chooses to take part in it, from the transnational entrepreneurs who opt to invest their time and resources to the recognized professionals who ensure the HQA® Visa Program operates with integrity.
Exclusively Empowered
Having worked alongside the Portuguese Government to develop and implement this program.
Empowered Startups has the exclusive right to use the HQA® brand throughout the EU. Only those resellers authorized by Empowered Startups are entitled to market the HQA® Visa Program.
Any unapproved companies that are promoting themselves as sanctioned suppliers of the HQA® Visa Program are illegitimate and infringing counterfeit programs. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay greatness, but there is nothing flattering about deliberately deceiving people by impersonating legitimate providers.
In recent months, Empowered Startups was made aware of unauthorized agents attempting to market the HQA® Visa Program. These entities were misleading clients by suggesting their programs were affiliated with the HQA® Visa Program and causing reputational damage to the program itself.
Empowered Startups took action, and the specific parties agreed to cease any activity related to the HQA® Visa Program. There remains a possibility that other unscrupulous imitators are attempting to pass themselves off as authorized agents, so Empowered strongly suggests that clients thoroughly scrutinize the people and providers they consider working with.
Whom Can I Trust?
For those not immersed in the global mobility industry, it can be difficult to differentiate between the genuine artifact and well-presented yet bogus claims. So how are potential clients able to safeguard themselves from unintentionally working with a fraudulent agent or program?
In the case of the HQA® Visa Program, it’s simple. Navigate to the Empowered Startups’ HQA® Visa Program page and scroll down to the HQA® Verification widget. Type in the name of the agent or firm you are in contact with, and with the press of a button, you will see whether they are authorized to market the HQA® Visa Program or not.
As the only HQA® Visa Program delivery partner endorsed by the Government of Portugal, Empowered can verify any agent or firm that purports to be authorized to market the HQA® Visa Program. In the case of an agent or firm that wants to partner in marketing the HQA® Visa Program and desires authorization, the initial contact details are exactly the same.
Empowered Startups has worked alongside governments and top-tier research institutions to create the best business immigration programs available in Europe and North America, respectively. For more details on the HQA® Visa Program or Empowered’s comparable programs in Canada and the USA, please visit empoweredstartups.com
