Citizenship-by-investment — The freedom to live, work, invest and travel

Gain Portuguese residency for you and your family

We have been at the forefront of GVP applications since the programme's inception and are the GVP market leaders. The steps can be complex, but we have key partnerships with legal advisors and consultants in Portugal across all critical areas.

Golden Visa Portugal: Qualifying criteria

There are four routes to qualify for in the Golden Residence Permit Programme. Our experts can help pick the right one for you depending on your unique circumstances.

While there are a number of investment options that could qualify you for the Golden Visa, the three most popular routes are:

Irish Immigrant Investor Programme: Qualifying criteria

The IIP is officially now closed as of 15 February. However, the government provided a three-month window for qualifying approved funds to be able to accept final investors and to make final submissions.

Applicants need to be able to meet the minimum net wealth requirement of EUR 2 million and make a qualifying investment of EUR 1 million into an approved fund for at least three years.

Malta Permanent Residence Programme (MPRP): Qualifying criteria

The MPRP allows for the granting of indefinite residency to individuals and their families. The estimated programme timeline is around six months and has a number of requirements which the main applicant must meet, including:

1. Real estate

   Hold a qualifying property in Malta for five years from the date of issuance of the residency certificate, through either of the following:

• Purchase of property:

A minimum of €350,000 for properties in Malta (€300,000 for properties situated in Gozo and the South of Malta)

• Lease of property:

A minimum of €12,000 per annum (€10,000 for properties situated in Gozo and the South of Malta)

2. Government contribution

   Make a contribution to the Maltese government of €40,000 for administrative costs and then a further government contribution of either €58,000, if an applicant is taking the property lease investment path, or €28,000, if an applicant is pursuing the property purchase investment path.

3. Charitable donation

   A €2,000 charitable donation/philanthropic donation must be made to a Maltese organisation as proof of genuine links and ties to Malta.

4. Assets

   The main applicant is required to possess capital/assets of not less than €500,000 of which €150,000 must be in financial assets. The main applicant and family members must also hold full EU medical insurance to the value of €30,000 for an indefinite period.

Malta ESDI: Qualifying criteria

Applicants must meet all four of the following requirements:

1. Government contribution

   All individuals and families applying to the Malta ESDI programme are required to have held Maltese residency for either 12 or 36 months prior to the submission of their citizenship application. The main applicant’s government contribution amount directly corresponds to the residency time frame followed.

• The main applicant must make a non-refundable contribution of €600,000 to the National Development and Social Fund, provided that the applicant has held residency in Malta for 36 months.
• By exception, residency may be reduced to a 12-month period but the contribution for the main applicant will increase to €750,000.

Please be advised that an additional €50,000 contribution is also applied to each dependant.

Real estate investment: Property purchase or rental

All applicants are required to fulfil one of the following property requirements:

• Purchase residential real estate with a minimum value of €700,000, to be held for five years
• Lease a residential property with a rental of at least €16,000 per annum for five years

2. Charitable donation

   A €10,000 charitable donation/philanthropic donation must be made to a Maltese organisation as proof of genuine links and ties to Malta.

3. Residence

   The main applicant and all adult applicants must have been legally resident in Malta, with proof of genuine links to Malta, for a minimum period of 36 months before the application for citizenship can be submitted. This is reduced to 12 months if the investor has chosen to pursue the expedited timeline.

Green card through investment

The EB-5 visa rewards investors and their family (spouse and dependants under the age of 21) with a green card (permanent residence) and the initial application process takes around 24 months. We can ensure you have credible legal advice and consultation, as the steps for your application can be complex and the correct selection of project imperative.

EB-5 citizenship-by-investment: Qualifying criteria

For the EB-5 programme there are two qualifying investment options. Our immigration specialists can help you choose the one that’s right for you.

1. Passive investment

   The most popular of the two options, a passive investment requires a minimum of $900,000 to be made into a Regional Center in a Targeted Employment Area (TEA), which is an investment that is managed by a third party and is pre-approved by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

   This investment must also create 10 full-time employment opportunities for US workers.

2. Active investment

   You are required to make a minimum investment of $1.8 million in a new or existing commercial enterprise that was established after 29 November 1990. If you’re investing in a TEA, your minimum investment will be $900,000.

   Your investment must create at least 10 jobs for US workers and you must play an active role in the day-to-day management or policy formation of the enterprise.

Grenada citizenship-by-investment: Qualifying criteria

To qualify for citizenship, the main applicant must be over 18 years of age, meet the due diligence requirements and be able to meet one of the following options:

1. Investment

   A minimum amount of $220,000 for the purchase of an approved business or property from a government-approved real estate project. You must own the shared ownership property for a minimum of five years before selling on to another CBI investor

   There is an additional government contribution of $50,000 for a family of up to four persons. Each additional dependant incurs a $25,000 contribution, with the exception of dependent parents ($50,000) and siblings older than 18 ($75,000).

2. Donation

   You can make a one-time non-refundable donation of a minimum amount of $150,000. This donation will go to the National Transformation Fund (NTF), a government fund created with the aim of developing the economy of Grenada.

Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (subclass 188): Qualifying criteria

1. Business Innovation Stream (subclass 188A)

   This visa is for those wanting to establish a business in Australia or develop and manage an existing one. You must have already owned a successful business that had a turnover of at least AUD 500,000 in two out of the four fiscal years immediately before applying. You must be under the age of 55 and also have a total net personal and business worth of at least AUD 800,000.

2. Investor Stream (subclass 188B)

   To qualify for this visa, you must be under the age of 55 and have had a successful career in business ownership or investment management. Before the visa is granted you must make a designated investment of at least AUD 1,5 million into an Australian state or territory and maintain business and investment activity in Australia.

3. Significant Investor Stream (subclass 188C)

   This visa does not have an upper age limit. To qualify for this visa, you must invest at least AUD 5 million into complying significant investments in Australia and wish to maintain business and investment activity in Australia.

4. Premium Investor Stream (subclass 188D)

   To qualify for this visa, you need to invest at least AUD 15 million into complying premium investments in Australia and must maintain business and investment activity in Australia.

5. Entrepreneur Stream (subclass 188E)

   To qualify for this visa, you must be under the age of 55 and have a funding agreement from a third party for at least AUD 200,000 to undertake a complying entrepreneur activity.

Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) visa (subclass 888): Qualifying criteria

1. Business Innovation Stream (subclass 888A)

   This permanent visa lets you continue to own and manage a business in Australia. To apply for the subclass 888 visa under this stream, you must:

• Hold the 188 Provisional visa in the Investor Stream for the four years prior to making your application
• Have maintained a designated Australian investment for at least four years
• Have lived in Australia for two of the past four years

2. Investor Stream (subclass 888B)

   This permanent visa lets you continue your investment and business activity in Australia. To apply for the 888 visa under this stream, you must:

• Hold the 188 Provisional visa in the Investor Stream for the four years prior to making your application
• Have maintained a designated Australian investment for at least four years
• Have lived in Australia for two of the past four years

4. Significant Investor Stream (subclass 888C)

   This permanent visa allows you to continue maintaining your investment and business activity in Australia. To apply for the 888 visa under this stream, you must:

• Hold the 188 visa in the Significant Investor Stream
• Have held a complying investment for at least four years
• Have lived in Australia for 160 days in the past four years

6. Premium Investor Stream (subclass 888D)

   For you to be able to apply for the Premium Investor Stream of the 888 visa, you must:

• Have held a Provisional 188 visa in the Premium Investor Stream for at least one year and be nominated by the Commonwealth government
• Have held a complying premium investment continuously for at least one year

7. Entrepreneur Stream (subclass 888E)

   To apply for the 888 visa under this stream, you must:

• Have held your Provisional 188 visa in the Entrepreneur Stream for at least four years prior to making an application
• Have evidence that demonstrates a successful record of your entrepreneurial activities in Australia

Mauritius residency-by-investment: Qualifying criteria

The Mauritius investment programme permits the investor and family members to obtain long-term residency status. 

1. Real estate investment

   A non-citizen is eligible for a residence permit through the acquisition of a qualifying property in a government approved scheme at a minimum investment of USD 375,000.

   • Residency status for the investor and family members will remain valid for as long as the property is owned. 
   • If the non-citizen would like to be professionally active in Mauritius, they would need to apply for residency via one of the Occupational Permit paths as indicated below. 

2. Occupation permit

   An occupation permit is a combined work and residence permit which allows foreign nationals to work and reside in Mauritius under three specific permit categories, namely investor, professional and self-employed.

   1. Investor permit

      An investor is defined as a shareholder and director in a company incorporated in Mauritius under the Companies Act 2001.

      • The minimum investment required into the company is USD 50,000
      • An investor permit holder is initially granted residency for 10 years
      • For the purposes of renewal after the initial 10 years, the company should generate a minimum gross income of MUR 4 million per year as from the third year after initially obtaining the investor permit

   2. Professional permit

      A professional is defined as an expatriate employed by a company incorporated in Mauritius to deliver professional services

      • A professional should earn a basic monthly salary of at least MUR 60,000 per month, except for professionals working for an ICT company where the basic salary should be at least MUR 30,000 per month
      • A professional permit holder is initially granted residency for three years or as per the duration of the employment contract

   3. Self-employed permit

      A self-employed person is defined as a non-citizen engaged in a professional activity registered with the Registrar of Businesses under the Business Registration Act 2002. A self-employed person operates a one-person business, working exclusively for his own account

      • The minimum investment required into the business activity is USD 35,000
      • A self-employed permit holder is initially granted residency for 10 years
      • For the purposes of renewal after the initial 10 years, the business activity should generate a minimum gross income of MUR 800,000 per year as from the third year of registration

3. Retired permit

   A non-citizen who is aged 50 years or above may apply for a retired permit to immigrate to Mauritius

   • A retired non-citizen should make an initial transfer at least USD 1,500 from his/her personal bank account in his/her country of residence at time of application to his/her personal bank account in Mauritius. Thereafter the retired non-citizen should transfer at least USD 1,500 monthly or a sum by instalments amounting to at least USD 18,000 annually during a period of 10 years
   • A retirement permit holder is initially granted residency for 10 years

4. Permanent residence permit

   Permanent residency is initially granted for 20 years. This permit is an initial extension to the three categories of occupational permits (investor, professional, self-employed) or to the initial retirement permit with stricter financial conditions to be met.