Evolution in the Investment Immigration Market

Investment immigration experts agree that the industry is soon going to see an evolutionary leap. If this does not occur in 2024, it will occur next year. Immigration agents that practice an individual approach to clients are going to be especially successful.

An eventful year

Last year was eventful for the investment immigration industry indeed. Several ‘golden visa’ programs were terminated, many programs were amended, the pressure on the Caribbean states running citizenship-by-investment programs was increased on the part of the USA, the EU, and Great Britain, and a popular Canadian investment program was relaunched. There was a lot of breaking news in 2023.

Ireland has no ‘golden visa’ program today. Portugal has made it impossible to acquire legal residence in the country by purchasing real estate there. Greece has doubled the required investment amounts if property is purchased in popular tourist regions. The Federation of St Kitts and Nevis has doubled all investment amounts.

Some of the changes are attributable to the geopolitical turbulence in the world. For instance, citizens of Russia and Belarus are unable to file applications for Caribbean citizenship as well as European ‘golden visa’ programs.

Some investment immigrants are also facing unexpected problems after obtaining second passports. In particular, Dominica has lost visa-free access to Great Britain. Cyprus is stripping its economic citizens of their citizenship as a result of retrospective investigations that reveal fraudulent activities on the part of those economic citizens.

Visa-free access to the Schengen zone has been one of the most powerful selling points for Caribbean citizenship-by-investment programs. Wealth citizens of China, India, Russia, and many other countries have been interested in this opportunity without doubt. The example of Dominica looks scary in this perspective. Currently, the Government of the country works hard to win back the British authorities’ hearts. St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, and Grenada are adapting their economic citizenship programs to the toughened requirements put forward by the EU and the USA. The investment immigration industry is developing vibrantly.

Individual approach

Investment immigration is a tool that helps serve certain tasks. Immigration agents that push a single citizenship-by-investment or residence-by-investment program act unwisely. Every customer will have his or her own tasks to solve by acquiring foreign citizenship or a legal residence card. Therefore, customers have to be given a choice of investment immigration programs to find the one that satisfies their needs best of all.  

In the modern world, people are better informed about the available opportunities as the information spreads quickly today. However, the process of acquiring second citizenship/ legal residence in a foreign country is complicated and many nuances are involved. For this reason, every customer needs an individual approach and this is exactly what Offshore Pro Group practices.

Evolution of investment immigration industry

It would be silly to sell a single citizenship-b-investment program because any such program can be closed and there have been many examples of that. We offer several citizenship- and residence-by-investment opportunities to our customers.

Every investment immigration program will have certain features that can appeal to a particular customer. Some people are happy with acquiring Caribbean citizenship, others wish to relocate to the EU and they need a European ‘golden visa’ program while still others would prefer a citizenship or residence-by-investment program in Southeast Asia or in Eastern Europe. We can help find the solution that would meet the requirements of a particular individual.

What is more, we draw our clients’ attention to some investment immigration opportunities that are usually kept out of sight. There are several well-beaten paths to second citizenship or legal residence in a foreign country but there are also less traditional paths that can lead to the same goal.

Foreign citizenship for exceptional services instead of a ‘golden passport’

We read national immigration laws very carefully. This fact allows us to pleasantly surprise our clients sometimes. Every country offers several immigration opportunities and some of them are often ignored because they look too complicated or too expensive. However, a non-standard opportunity may turn out to be exactly what a particular person needs.

Many countries, for example, grant citizenship to foreign nationals who make ‘exceptional contributions’ or provide ‘exceptional services’ to them. What counts as ‘exceptional’ is different in every case but this opportunity certainly should not be ignored while it often is.

We know what particular national governments consider ‘exceptional services’ and, not surprisingly, a considerable monetary contribution will be considered an ‘exceptional service’ in many cases. What does this mean? This means that our customers can acquire foreign citizenship even if the country that they are interested in administers no citizenship-by-investment program.

Cases

• A multimillionaire’s dream was having a restaurant on an island. We found an island in the Caribbean for him that had a hotel and a restaurant, helped him make the purchase deal, and register a business in the country. Even though he was not looking for a second passport, the amount of the investments that he had made allowed him to qualify for citizenship of the Caribbean country. So second citizenship was a sort of ‘side benefit’ for him. Now he is running one of the most popular restaurants in the country.
• Another HNWI wanted to obtain a passport of a European country that did not have a citizenship-by-investment program. We knew, however, that the country would grant citizenship to a foreigner in an accelerated manner if he/ she made a ‘significant contribution’ to the country’s economy. We found an investment project for the person and even though the contribution amount was high and the process was extended in time, the person became a naturalized citizen of the European country in a manner much faster than usual.

So, there are alternative routes to foreign citizenship. We dig deep and we find pearls for our clients that allows them to change their lives for the better. It is a more difficult task than promoting long-standing economic citizenship programs but our vast experience allows us to outperform ourselves at times.

Ceaseless monitoring of the market and the national legislations

We monitor all the changes in the investment immigration market closely. In this way, we are able to find the best solutions for our customers. Since recently, for example, legal residents of the UAE have been able to file online applications for Schengen visas. This spares them the need to visit a visa agency or a consulate. Caribbean passports give visa-free access to the EU but a UAE residence card is almost as good now.

Acquiring a ‘golden visa’ to the UAE is neither too difficult nor too expensive and we will be delighted to assist you in the process. The ‘golden visa’ can be extended infinitely, which means that you can gain lifelong access to the Schengen zone if you become a legal resident of the UAE.

Legal residence programs are also amended on a regular basis and some of their advantages are sometimes gone while some other advantages suddenly appear. For instance, a legal residence permit in Japan now makes you eligible to file an online application for a Schengen visa. Thus, legal residence in Japan brings the same advantages as legal residence in the UAE does as far as access to the EU is concerned.

If you acquire a ‘golden visa’ to one of the EU countries, you thus acquire visa-free access to the entire European Union. However, some Latin American countries provide the same opportunity in addition to free access to all MERCOSUR states. Acquiring a legal residence permit in Paraguay or Uruguay is less challenging than acquiring a European ‘golden visa’ and it also costs less.

Professional assistance in investment immigration matters

Offshore Pro Group experts know all the ins and outs of the investment immigration industry and we are keen on monitoring the changes in the national immigration-related legislations. We will be happy to assist you with all issues involved in acquiring second citizenship or legal residence in a foreign country. Taxpayer’s number, national ID, driving license, property purchase, bank accounts, trust and company registration in foreign countries – we will gladly assist you in these and other related matters. Please contact us without hesitation if you need help. We always respond promptly!