The Investment Migration Knowledge Platform
This is the first in a two-part series on now-defunct residence and citizenship by investment programs. This week, we look at residence by investment programs (colloquially called golden visas) that are no longer with us. As we enter 2019, the investment migration industry is surfing confidently on a rising tide of both demand for and
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As part of its plan to reduce overall immigration to the province, the government of Quebec is cutting the number of Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP) applicants it grants a Certificat de Sélection du Québec (CSQ) from 5,900 investors and their family members to as little as 2,100. As the QIIP application quota remains unchanged,
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In a response to the airing of an investigative report on the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP) by Canadian state broadcaster CBC Radio Canada, the CEO of the Investment Migration Council (IMC), Mr. Bruno L’ecuyer, has issued an open letter to all Residency and Citizenship by Investment professionals. For background, see Tajick: Public Broadcaster Investigation Rocks
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On the 20th of September, the whole investment migration industry in Canada was holding its breath before the airing of the Enquête investigation report on the Quebec Immigrant Investor program. The investigation team went undercover in Hong Kong to unravel the darkest secrets of the program and the industry. It came with the purpose to
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Whereas questioning the degree to which unskilled refugees – tens of thousands of which Canada welcomes annually – sufficiently contribute to the economy is sure to earn you scorn, derision, and epithets like “xenophobe”, investor immigrants can be slandered with impunity. That’s because they are rich, a group of individuals it’s culturally acceptable to criticize. When concerns
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The Quebecois government’s official gazette this Wednesday contained details of the upcoming amendments to the Québec Immigrant Investor Program’s (QIIP) regulations. The changes will “definitely be a deterrent” for prospective applicants who are now likely to see the US EB-5 program as increasingly attractive, says an expert on the QIIP. The amendments will apply to
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By Stephane Tajick Is there a form of discrimination in our targeting of wealthy Chinese looking people in Canada? Are all Asian-looking people with money foreign Chinese investors or is it possible that we also put Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Asian ancestry with a bit of money in the same bag because some
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By Kareem El-Assal, Senior Research Associate at the Conference Board of Canada Canada was once the world leader in attracting immigrant investors. Following its launch in 1986, Canada’s federal Immigrant Investor Program (IIP) welcomed more wealthy immigrants than any program of its kind. But then Canada terminated the program in 2014. While the Quebec Immigrant
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By Stephane Tajick Since the end of Canada’s Federal Immigrant Investor program a few years ago by the Conservative Party, who used strong words to bash the program, the industry is still waiting for the new Liberal government to create a set of programs catering to high net worth individuals (HNWI) after the debacle of the Conservative
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During a town hall meeting last week, Canadian premier Justin Trudeau said his government would reconsider allowing visa-free access to citizens of Antigua & Barbuda if the CIP could show “significant improvements” to its vetting standards. The statement was noteworthy chiefly for two reasons; It marked the first time Canada had admitted publicly that its
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Speaking at a town hall meeting in Toronto this week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the audience that his government would consider lifting visa requirements for citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, subject to “significant improvements” to the country’s Citizenship by Investment Programme, according to a story in Antigua News Room. “We will always ensure
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Of the 15,237 individuals slated for deportation from Canada, 2,066 are Chinese nationals. While the number of persons repatriated from Canada this year has fallen to a record low of 7,364, down from nearly 19,000 in 2012, the number of Chinese citizens deported has risen seven-fold since last year, according to a story in 狮城印象. The
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Canada will hand a major boost to the value of Bulgarian and Romanian citizenship on December 1st this year, when passport holders of the latter two countries will at last be able to travel to the former on an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), a privilege long enjoyed by other EU citizens, reports passportindex.com. The early
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Figures obtained by South China Morning Post revealed that 1,210 Hong Kong natives obtained permanent residence status in Canada last year, as compared to 630 in 2015 and 585 in 2014. “Pressure at work was immense and children were also facing so much pressure at schools. Many parents did not want to be monster parents
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By Stephane Tajick In recent decades, property prices have been surging to record heights in both Vancouver and Toronto. Inhabitants in both cities have been voicing concerns about the growing unaffordability of housing. In Vancouver and Toronto, it’s commonly believed that rich Chinese are the main cause of the surge in property prices. The myth
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Launched as a pilot program in 2013, the Canadian Startup Visa program will become a regular feature following the expiration of its five-year initial trial period next year, according to a press release. Launched by Canada’s Conservative government in 2013, the pilot program was intended to replace the Federal Entrepreneur program that existed between the
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Following Canadian immigration authorities’ announcement to end Antigua & Barbuda’s visa-free access – to the shock and chagrin of much of the CIP industry – contours of the full extent of the implications are emerging. Just the beginning Eric Major, former CEO of Henley & Partners, told Investment Migration Insider he believes this development is the
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BREAKING: Effective immediately, Canada reinstates visa requirements for citizens of Antigua and Barbuda. Via Antigua Observer: “The Government of Antigua and Barbuda regrets that it has to inform that the Government of Canada has decided to end visa-free travel for citizens of Antigua and Barbuda. This decision relates to concerns over persons who obtain passports under
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The Canadian Citizenship Act’s Bill C-6 received royal assent and formally became law yesterday, reports CIC News. Among the most notable changes are that immigrants to Canada will now only need to be physically present in three out of five years preceding a citizenship application, rather than the four out of six years previously required.
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