“The very concept of citizenship (…) requires a fundamental rethinking”: Investment migrants in the news this week – IMI

Investment migrants in the news this week included:

Matt Anderson of Anderson West Armando Arton of Arton Capital Christina Cespedes of Golden Partners Balearic Legal & Tax David Lesperance of Lesperance & Associates Dr. Christian H. Kaelin and Dr. Jurg Steffen of Henley & Partners US Immigration Nicolas Mastroianni of the Foundation Manoj Dharmani of Donoso & Partners Global of DUDigital.

Matt Anderson, an American who works as a real estate agent on Mallorca, said, “The requests keep coming in.'' He said American buyers to the Spanish island increased 12% last year, citing the quality of international schools and the warm climate as the main reasons why many Americans move.

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But even after the program ends, Americans who still want to take advantage of it are in a race against time. Armando Arton, CEO of investment consultancy Arton Capital, said his agency has seen a “noticeable increase in inquiries” in recent months. Spanish luxury real estate investment firm Golden Partners also reported a “surge” in demand in recent days after the new policy was passed.

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Cristina Cespedes, a lawyer at Balearic Legal & Tax, said Spain's policy of processing documents within 20 days, unlike Portugal's months-long backlog, meant that many people tried even when the time was up. He said that he started to try it out. However, she said many customers who have not yet purchased a €500,000 property are starting to look for alternative ways to obtain residency.

Henley & Partners, which helps wealthy investors move abroad, has estimated that Britain is on track to lose a record 9,500 billionaires in 2024, more than any other country except China.

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David L'Esperance, founder of tax and immigration advisory firm L'Esperance & Partners, said inquiries about departures had doubled since it became clear Labor would win July's general election.

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“Ever since Rachel Reeves started talking about the 'financial black hole', my wealthy non-UK and domiciled clients have been staring anxiously at the exit door,” he told MailOnline.

“As temperatures rise and natural disasters become more frequent, citizenship and “We need to fundamentally rethink that very concept of a birthright lottery.” and seriously, displacing communities and rendering their environments uninhabitable. At the same time, political instability and armed conflict are occurring in various regions, forcing countless people to flee their homes in search of safety and shelter. The need to introduce Free Earth Cities to harness the untapped potential of displaced people and other migrants and transform them from victims of circumstance into architects of their own futures is more pressing than ever. And it never became clear. ”

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U.S. citizens currently make up the largest group of Alternative Residency and Citizenship applicants, accounting for a staggering 21% of all Investment Migration Program applications accepted by Henley & Partners in 2024. occupies . CEO Dr. Jürg Steffen says the company has more customers than Americans. The next four largest nationalities are Turkish, Filipino, Indian, and British. “In the face of unprecedented volatility, investors and wealthy families can obtain additional residency and citizenship options to avoid jurisdictional risk and protect themselves from each country's legal, economic, political and social We employ geopolitical arbitrage strategies to exploit and optimize differences in conditions: personal, economic, and lifestyle outcomes.”

The Henley Passport Index is a unique ranking of all passports in the world according to the number of destinations the holder can access without a prior visa. The rankings are based on proprietary data from IATA, which maintains the world's largest and most accurate travel information database, and are powered by ongoing research by Henley & Partners' research division.

Two African countries have recently been added to the list of destinations offering citizenship by investment programmes, according to the latest update from Henley & Partners.

This will be one of the largest transfers of wealth, according to a report published in Henley & Partners.

According to Henley & Partners, thanks to the residence-by-investment program, individuals and their immediate family members can become Spanish residents (with a temporary residence permit) within one month.

Nicholas Mastroianni and Ignacio A. Donoso have written an article examining visa retroactivity and how it affects EB5 investors.

Visa retrogrades occur when the demand for certain categories of immigrant visas exceeds the annual supply, causing delays for applicants. In the EB-5 program, a reversal occurs when the U.S. Department of State sets a deadline on the Visa Bulletin. Only investors whose priority date (the date the I-526E petition was filed) is earlier than the closing date may proceed with their application.

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Visa retroactivity creates significant legal hurdles for EB-5 investors, especially those currently in the United States on an H-1B or F-1 visa. Even if your I-526E petition is approved, setbacks can delay important milestones in the immigration process.

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The Child Status and Protection Act (CSPA) allows you to “freeze” the age of a dependent child when applying for AOS. However, if the AOS application is delayed due to retroactivity, children who turned 21 years old before the application was filed may be “aged out” and ineligible for a green card as a dependent. For many families, this is one of the most significant risks of regression.

“Previously, employers had to pay at least the median wage to hire foreign workers. This requirement has been removed, giving employers more flexibility when hiring. They still have to offer competitive salaries, but this change will make it easier to find workers,” said Manoj Dharmani, CEO of DUDigital Global.

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Mr Darmani added: “These reforms demonstrate New Zealand's commitment to attracting skilled workers and solving labor shortages.”