Changes To Citizenship By Investment Programs
There are several investor visa program changes due to take place in January 2022. If you are interested in any of these programs, time is of the essence! You must act now!
Below are the latest updates:
PORTUGAL GOLDEN VISA PROGRAM (ARI) – REGULATION CHANGES
Portugal Golden Visa program is still available until December 2021. As of January 1st, 2022, only properties within the country’s interior will qualify under the newGolden Visa legislation. The new regulation will spread investment throughout the whole country and diversify highly concentrated areas of investment, which has been mainly focused in Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve.
Investors interested in purchasing real estate under the current regulation and taking advantage of the last chance to buy real estate in Lisbon, Porto, or the Algarve must start the process ASAP to meet the December cut-off. An investor will need to have completed the real estate transaction, obtained their Portuguese tax ID number and set up their Portuguese bank account to submit their Golden Visa application. All of this can take a minimum of 6-8 weeks, so it is crucial to initiate this process within the coming weeks to finalize by the end of the year. Our experienced team will, of course, assist with every aspect of the process, which can be completed remotely for ease.
MONTENEGRO CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT – PROGRAM CLOSING
Montenegro’s Citizenship by Investment program is expiring at the end of December 2021. The program was initially launched in 2019 for three years only. In March, the Government of Montenegro announced their decision to close the programme. The programme requires investors to make a donation of $100,000, plus purchase a government-approved real estate project at either €250,000 or €450,000, depending on the region. There is still time to apply, and interested parties will need to initiate the application in the coming weeks to hit the pending December deadline.
SAINT LUCIA CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT – LTO ENDING
In response to the pandemic, Saint Lucia introduced a new investment route in May 2020 named the Covid-19 Relief Bond. Applicants choosing this route are required to invest a minimum of $250,000 for a single applicant or $300,000 for a family of four. The bonds, which are at 0% interest, need to be held for five years and, following this period, can be liquidated. The programme, which has proved very popular, was originally due to expire in December 2020, but the Government decided to renew the limited time offer for the year. We are now just three months away from the expiry date. There are no announcements yet from the St Lucian Citizenship by Investment Unit whether they will extend it again or expire as planned. However, according to the official CIU website information, the programme is still stated to expire as of December 2021. If you are considering this route, now could be the last opportunity to apply.
SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT – LTO ENDING
Saint Kitts has also been running a Limited Time offer over the last year, which will expire in December 2021. The proposal allows families of up to four individuals to apply for citizenship with a reduced contribution of US$150,000 into the Sustainable Growth Fund, as opposed to US$195,000. This offer makes Saint Kitts one of the most affordable options in the Caribbean for families of four. Again, there has been no official announcement from the Saint Kitts CIU yet on whether the offer will be extended or expire, but the Government’s website still states an expiration date of December 2021.
If the last few years have taught us anything, programmes and life can change in a flash. With any programme, it takes time to prepare an application and gather all the required documentation, such as police reports, personal documents and financial documents. The average application can take 6-8 weeks to prepare before submission.
Do not hold back and miss out on the above opportunities. Initiate your ”Plan B” citizenship or residency application today to take advantage of the current terms.
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