Business immigration programs offer foreign investors a unique opportunity to diversify their portfolios while also ensuring global mobility. Such initiatives provide immediate residency permits or citizenship in exchange for a financial investment, a business, the creation of jobs, or a monetary contribution. Each country has different terms, but all require a minimum investment of at least $100,000.
Business Immigration to the Caribbean
Several Caribbean islands are implementing the world’s most affordable citizenship by investment programs. People choose to migrate to the Caribbean because of its year-round tropical weather and extraordinary natural beauty. Year-round sunshine and wind combined with the beautiful surrounding beaches have created a perfect paradise amongst the world’s friendliest peoples.
These countries, particularly those belonging to the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, such as Grenada and Saint Kitts and Nevis, also have an international reputation for social, economic, and political stability. They all practice parliamentary democracy and are considered independent Commonwealth nations governed by a representative government.
The islands in the Caribbean also have favorable taxation laws, establishing their place as the world’s most famous tax havens, where people and corporations can benefit from financial anonymity, the absence of income tax, and tax exemptions on their international income.
Applicants from anywhere in the world can obtain Commonwealth citizenship in some Caribbean countries by making a financial contribution to the country’s economy or investing in its real estate market. Having a passport from one of the Caribbean countries, such as Saint Kitts and Nevis and Grenada, allows you to travel visa-free.
A Caribbean passport provides security, global mobility, and the potential to live and work in the United States in some cases. The Caribbean is a strategic choice that provides key financial benefits to high net worth individuals, including tax relief from global taxation. There has never been a better time to secure a second citizenship that can protect your wealth and family from financial and political turmoil as the world economy undergoes massive changes during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Saint Kitts & Nevis
The Citizenship by Investment Program in Saint Kitts and Nevis is the most affordable and has the quickest with turnaround time. Citizenship by Investment Programs require candidates to make a financial contribution to the government and in exchange, the applicants and their families are granted full citizenship after an application process that includes a thorough and rigorous background investigation.
To be eligible for citizenship, the main candidate must be at least 18 years old, complete the application requirements, and either submit a non-refundable commitment of US$150,000 to the Sustainable Growth Fund, or purchase real estate from an approved real estate development with a minimum value of US$200,000. An accelerated application process with a 45- to 60-day processing time frame is also available, and the program’s documentary requirements are modest, and the procedures are simple.
Grenada
Grenada’s Citizenship by Investment grants you a passport which allows you to travel visa-free to 153 countries. There are a number of other advantages to applying for Grenadian citizenship, such as a 90% reduction in undergraduate tuition in St. George’s University under the Grenada Partnership Award.
It is also the only Caribbean country where the primary investor can include four generations in a single application. Investors can include dependent grandparents and any unmarried siblings in addition to a spouse, dependent children, and dependent parents. Inclusion of this many family members is uncommon, making this a very appealing option for large families in search of the best value for money.
Because Grenada and the United States have an E2 Visa Treaty, Grenadian citizens can apply for an additional US residency visa by investing in a business in the United States. Although the government has not specified a specific sum, it is advised that candidates invest at least $120,000 and become a 50% shareholder in the company. The process will take around three months, and applicants will be granted a five-year resident visa in the United States with unlimited renewals.
Business Immigration Programs in Europe
Countries in Europe also offer Citizenship by Investment through Golden Visa programs. A Golden Visa for an EU country is especially appealing because it permits the holder (and their family members) to travel freely throughout the Schengen Zone. If the Golden Visa leads to EU citizenship, the resulting passport will allow visa-free travel to more than a hundred destinations across the world, depending on the issuing country.
Spain
Spain is a lovely country with white sand beaches and snow-capped mountains to the north. According to a new survey by The Expat Insider, Spain is the 7th greatest country in the world for foreigners in terms of quality of life, finances, ease of settling in, and work-life balance. Spain: fast and with various investment options, allows you to live and work. A €500,000 real estate investment will secure family residency. Every two years, the Spanish investor visa can be renewed. After five years, permanent residency is attainable, and after ten years, citizenship is conceivable. To keep and renew the resident visa permit, it is not necessary to live in Spain. The cost of doing business with the government is minimal, and the process is swift.
Portugal
Portugal is a wealthy country with a diverse range of cities to choose from, depending on your interests. The Portuguese are educated and hardworking, and they speak English far better than their European counterparts. Portugal provides an attractive platform for European travel and business as a member of the European Union, with visa-free travel inside the Schengen Area. A family with dependent children can obtain a residency visa in Portugal by investing €500,000 in real estate. The golden visa can be renewed every two years as long as the applicant stays in the country for two weeks every two years. After five years, the Golden Visa Program guarantees Portuguese and European Union citizenship.
Greece
The Greek Golden Visa Scheme is the cheapest residency program in the European Union, allowing quick access to the Schengen Zone. The program offers a five-year residency status in exchange for a real estate investment. There is no minimum stay requirement, and the family application includes children up to the age of 21. The minimum investment required is at least €250,000 in real estate. If the property investment is maintained, the visa is issued for five years and can be renewed every five years. To keep and renew an investment visa, it is not necessary to stay in Greece. Citizenship, on the other hand, can only be given after seven years of residency.
You can consult the professionals at Orience to see if you qualify for investment programs in the Caribbean and in Europe. If you are, Orience can assist you with both the investment and the visa application processes.