Sri Lanka’s $75,000 Real Estate Investment-Based Long Term Residence Visa Launches
Sri Lanka now offers visas of 5- to 10-year validities for investments in condominiums from US$75,000 to US$500,000.
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asia-pacific
Uzbek Govt. Submits Bill to Allow US$1 million Citizenship by Investment
Uzbekistan appears to be the latest country aiming to attract the growing diaspora of affluent and/or talented Russians.
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EU Council Fully Suspends Vanuatu’s Visa-Waiver Agreement
The EU Council is extending the visa-waiver suspension to non-CBI citizens of Vanuatu, citing a “lack of progress” in addressing concerns.
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Thailand Elite Membership Passes 20,000 – Approvals of Chinese Nearly Tripled in 2022
The Chinese market recovery in 2022 is borne out by statistics from several programs. Thailand’s Elite visa is a primary beneficiary.
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Laos to Grant Honorary Citizenship to Those Who Invest and Donate US$1.5 million
As in Jordan, the high-ticket CIP is likely to serve more as an incidental bonus for already-existing investment than to attract new capital.
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Australia’s New Home Minister Hints She May Close Significant Investor Visa Program
“It is a visa program that I think isn’t adding value to the country,” said the Home Affairs Minister in a recent press conference.
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In Astonishing Claim, Malaysian Govt. Says Premium Visa Program Got 20,000 Applications on First Day
Industry insiders, however, are not buying the figure, calling it “misinformation” and a practical impossibility.
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Thailand’s Low-Tax “Long Term Resident” Visa Opens Next Month: How Does it Compare to Elite Residence?
HNWIs under 50 will have to make a careful cost-benefit analysis when choosing between the Long Term Resident and Elite Residence visas.
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Cambodia Launches $100,000 Golden Visa With 5-Year Path to Citizenship
Cambodia enters the Southeast Asian golden visa market: A $100,000 property investment and eligibility for citizenship in five years.
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New Zealand Investor Visa Revenue Back With a Post-Pandemic Vengeance in FY2022
2021-22 results brought the program’s performance from nadir to zenith within a year in which it raised NZ$1 billion from just 100 investors.
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South Korea Investor Visa Approvals Hit 16-Year High in 2021: Applications from India up 75%
The program’s applicant nationality profile is decidedly Western: Among the top 10 source countries are the US, Germany, France, and the UK.
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Sri Lanka Cabinet Approves Plans for $75,000 Golden Visa
Sri Lanka is sorely in need of foreign currency to pay for food and energy imports. Now, the government hopes a golden visa can bring cash.
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New Zealand Investor Visa Sees Strong Rebound in 2022: NZ$ Half Billion Raised in First Three Quarters of FY
After two years of falling approvals and investments, all arrows finally point in the right direction for New Zealand’s investor visas.
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St-Hilaire: Vanuatu Was Only the Beginning – Brussels Is on a Crusade Against Global Mobility
By attacking CIPs in small, defenseless countries with no allies, EU politicians rack up PR points at zero cost, writes Martin St-Hilaire.
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Vanuatu Citizenship Program Without Schengen-Access: What Happens Next?
“I do not see any way to please the EU other than stopping the whole program,” says St-Hilaire, while Harris thinks it’s not over yet.
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How Losing Schengen-Access Would Affect Vanuatu Citizenship by Investment
Philippe May and Martin St-Hilaire ask: Would it be the end of CBI in Vanuatu? Would a price cut be in order? Where would demand come from?
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Vanuatu Officials Split Over CS Global’s $10,000-per-Application CBI Contract
The Attorney General and the FIU objected to the contract. Lack of unified messaging undermines the program, indicates Micha-Rose Emmett.
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4 Ways in Which Brussels Is Unfairly Harming Vanuatu’s Citizenship by Investment Program
Martin St-Hilaire points to red herrings, straw man arguments, and other deliberate fallacies the European Commission uses against Vanuatu.
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Vanuatu Appoints CS Global, FACT as International Partners, Plans Retroactive DD on All Applicants Since 2015
Vanuatu appoints international partners and promises retroactive due diligence. Industry observers offer reactions to the EU’s announcement.
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European Commission Proposes “Partial Suspension” of Vanuatu Visa-Waiver Over CBI Concerns
The European Commission has formally proposed that the Council partially suspend visa-free Schengen access for Vanuatu passport holders.
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