The head of the Gulf Cooperation Council says Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar are “very close” to starting the process that could end the Schengen visa requirement for their citizens. He expects news at the summit of European Union and Gulf leaders on October 24.
Cyprus expects to join the Schengen Area in full during 2027, its deputy migration minister said on October 10. The president of Cyprus said in May 2025 that the country would join in 2026. The 25 European Union countries already in the Schengen Area must all agree before Cyprus can join.
BRICS, NATO and the Commonwealth give citizens of their member countries no right to live or work in another member country. That right comes from blocs like the European Union and Mercosur, so the best citizenship in each power alliance is from a country in one of those blocs.
Philip J. Pierre and Gaston Browne told EU Commissioner Magnus Brunner that citizenship by investment finances development in the Eastern Caribbean. Saint Lucia’s account of the meeting announced no change to the June 2028 phase-out date.
The EU offer covered defense, tech, and the Arctic, but not mobility. Experts put visa-free movement rights years away, if ever.
Eight years would place Ireland above the five-year figure used by Germany, France, the Netherlands, Portugal and Luxembourg. The Justice Minister confirms that applicants four years into the current five-year clock will face the higher bar.
Three settlement blocs, eight metrics. How Mercosur, the EU, and the OECS stack up on mobility, taxation, personal freedoms, rule of law, living costs, citizenship pathways, financial infrastructure, and currency stability for globally mobile investors.
The European Parliament today voted to adopt the TAX3 Committee’s February report calling for a “phasing out” of RCBI in Europe. The IMC has reacted with disappointment, calling instead on MEPs to support its work in raising industry standards.
Brussels is answering the IMC’s calls. The association says it has held a series of meetings with European officials, and taken part in a European Parliament debate.
Residence and citizenship by investment programs have come under criticism in the European Parliament in recent months with several MEPs
