After Rejecting Up to 90% of Applications, Malaysia Freezes MM2H, Again
The government says it aims to relaunch by December, adding “it’s not a permanent closure because the program contributes to our economy.”
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asia-pacific
Vanuatu’s Dual-CIP Era Drawing to a Close? “Hong Kong-Jimmy” Receives Termination Notice
Vanuatu Govt.: “It clearly shows conflict of interest on your side as you clearly knew there would be a change of government when the contract elapsed.”
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Hong Kong’s Already-Hot Migration Market Boils Over Following National Security Law Announcement
As Hongkongers scramble for the exit, mainland Chinese say they are having second thoughts about sending their children abroad for school.
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Vanuatu Citizenship Commission’s New Chairman Tasked With Addressing Dual Program Paradox
Vanuatu’s new government wants more transparency for its two CIPs. Particularly for the VCP, a program exclusively operated by a single agent in Hong Kong.
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In a Pandemic World, Vanuatu Has Placed Itself Under a Microscope
After much discussion, David Lesperance remains unconvinced that Vanuatu’s citizenship by investment programs grant anything but honorary citizenship.
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Solomon Islands Confirm Plans For Citizenship by Investment Program
As Governor-general David Vunagi delivered a speech to Parliament this week, he revealed that the government is evaluating plans for a CIP.
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Harris: In Response to the Question of Honorary Citizenship in Vanuatu
“I am not an official ‘spokesperson’ for the Vanuatu Citizenship Program, and I am not a lawyer,” writes James Harris in a letter to the editor.
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Lesperance: Vanuatu’s So-Called CBI Program is a Ticking Time Bomb
“Honorary citizenship is like being honorarily pregnant; it does not produce the desired result,” writes David Lesperance in his critique of Vanuatu’s CBI.
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Vanuatu Introduces Tax ID Numbers – What Does it Mean for Citizenship Investors?
Vanuatu, itself a CRS signatory member, has in the past struggled to fully meet its obligations due to the absence of a TIN system, writes James Harris.
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Vanuatu Suspends Passport Deliveries Over Coronavirus Concerns
Vanuatu’s Immigration Director has taken the unprecedented step of banning, until further notice, all passport deliveries to Southeast and North Asia.
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After Record 2019, Thailand Elite Visa Eyes 10,000-Member Milestone in 2020
Thailand’s Elite Residence Program again broke records in 2019, growing its member-base by 2,149 individuals, or 28% more than the 1,679 it added last year.
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Chinese Buyers Increasingly Favor Properties in Asia Over Anglosphere, China’s Top Intl. Property Site Reports
The world of golden visa programs is “a buyer’s market in which Chinese citizens have their pick” says Georg Chmiel, Executive Chairman of Juwai.com.
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After Three Years of Decline, Australia’s SIV Program Regains Momentum
The program’s largest fund manager says that, thanks to non-SIV follow-up investments, total FDI arising from the program may be close to A$50 billion.
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Q1 Figures Indicate NZ Investor Visa Program in Decline – Rejections Hit 43%
Q1 of New Zealand’s 2019-2020 reporting year has ended and figures released this month show interest in investor visas is on a decidedly downward path.
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App. Backlog Nears 20,000 for Australia’s Business Innovation & Investment Visa
Close to 80,000 investor migrants and dependents have obtained Australian visas under the BIIP, but 18,682 applicants are “in the pipeline”.
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Has New Zealand’s Ban on Foreigners Buying Houses Worked?
In 2017, New Zealand introduced a partial ban on foreign property buyers. Nearly two years later, Ed Kennedy asks if the policy has had the desired effect.
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Citizenship Sales Outstrip VAT to Become Vanuatu Govt’s Biggest Revenue Source
In 2018, reports Vanuatu’s Ministry of Finance and Treasury, CBI-related revenue reached such unprecedented levels that, for the first time
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Vanuatu Eyes Record CBI-Revenue in 2019, Reaching 75% of Budget Target by End of April
In the first four months of 2019, revenue from Vanuatu’s two citizenship by investment programs nearly equaled the amount raised in all of 2017.
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With More Than 100,000 Participants, Malaysia’s M2H Is The World’s Biggest Golden Visa
Extremely conservative estimates would place the number of program participants at more than 100,000. The actual figure is likely in the 130-150,000 range.
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Malaysia’s M2H Golden Visa Has Raised US$4.5 Billion, Reveals Ministry
Program authorities are also making great strides in dealing with their extensive backlog of unprocessed applications.
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