Golden Visa Consultant in Montreal

If you are searching for a golden visa consultant in Montreal, you are almost certainly looking toward Europe — a residence permit and a foothold on the continent, not a Caribbean travel passport. Fast Passport Boutique by Jane Katkova is a licensed CICC advisory that guides Montreal's Europe-facing families and entrepreneurs through European residency by investment in Portugal and Greece. We are based in Toronto and work with Quebec clients entirely remotely, which suits a process that is remote by nature. This page is deliberately about the residency route; if a fast second passport is what you actually want, we cover that separately.

European residency, not a Caribbean passport

Two quite different services hide under the label of investment migration, and naming the one you want saves real time and money. A golden visa is European residency — the right to live in Portugal or Greece and travel across the Schengen Area, with citizenship possible only much later, after years of genuine residence. A Caribbean programme, by contrast, delivers a full second passport in months, prized for mobility and a plan B. They solve different problems, and for some Montreal families they complement one another. If your goal is really a passport, our companion page on citizenship by investment in Montreal covers the Caribbean route; this page is for those whose objective is Europe itself. Still weighing the two? Our guide to citizenship by investment versus a golden visa sets them side by side.

Why Montreal's Europe-facing families choose a golden visa

Montreal is North America's great francophone metropolis, and its outlook has always been transatlantic. Its entrepreneurs trade with France and the wider European Union as a matter of course; its cultural, academic and culinary life is woven into Europe's; and many Montreal families already spend part of the year, or dream of doing so, on the Iberian coast or in the Greek islands. For that kind of household, a European residence permit is not an abstraction but a natural extension of a life already oriented toward Europe. The motivations we hear are consistent: a Mediterranean base for part of the year, a European university pathway for children who can then study and reside without a student-visa scramble, and diversification of currency and jurisdiction. A golden visa delivers all three while your business and home life stay exactly where they are in Montreal.

The Portugal Golden Visa in 2026

Portugal is the flagship European residency programme, but make sure you are reading current rules rather than an old blog. The real-estate route was removed in October 2023, and the programme now runs on economic-contribution routes: an investment or venture-capital fund subscription of €500,000, a €500,000 company investment creating at least five jobs, €500,000 into scientific research, or a cultural and heritage donation of €250,000 (€200,000 in low-density areas). The presence requirement is light — roughly seven days a year. On citizenship, note the important shift: a 2026 nationality law raised the residence requirement from five years to ten (seven for nationals of Portuguese-speaking countries). Any article still promising a Portuguese passport in five years is simply out of date. The full picture is in our Portugal Golden Visa guide.

The Greece Golden Visa in 2026

Greece is the lower-cost, faster route into Schengen residency and, unlike Portugal, still keeps a real-estate option — attractive when you want the investment to be a home you can actually use. Property thresholds are tiered by location: €800,000 in the highest-demand areas (central Athens and Attica, Thessaloniki, and sought-after islands such as Mykonos and Santorini, plus islands with more than 3,100 residents), €400,000 across most of the country, and €250,000 for a qualifying commercial-to-residential conversion or a listed-building restoration, with a minimum property size of 120 square metres. There is no minimum-stay requirement to hold the permit, and Greek citizenship becomes possible only after seven years of genuine residence (about 183 days a year) plus a language and history exam. See our Greece Golden Visa guide for detail.

Portugal or Greece — which fits a Montreal family?

The right choice depends on what you are optimising for: minimal presence and a fund or business contribution, or a usable Mediterranean home. The table sets the two programmes side by side, and our full Portugal vs Greece Golden Visa comparison goes deeper. It is worth adding that Spain closed its own golden visa in April 2025, so Portugal and Greece are now the mainstays of European residency by investment — another reason to confirm current rules before you plan.

Residency now, citizenship much later

The single most important expectation to set is the horizon. A golden visa gives you residency quickly, but an EU passport only after seven to ten years of genuine residence — a long, deliberate path, not a shortcut. That horizon has one practical advantage for Montreal families who hold a nationality they wish to keep: a residence permit is not naturalisation, so it does not by itself affect your current citizenship. The dual citizenship question only arises years later, if and when you actually naturalise, and Canada itself freely permits holding more than one citizenship. We map that out honestly against your specific situation, with qualified counsel where it is needed.

A remote process run from our Toronto office

Distance is not an obstacle. Although we are based in Toronto, the golden-visa process is handled remotely wherever you live, and Montreal families work with us by video call and secure upload throughout. We assess eligibility, recommend a programme, and assemble the clean source-of-funds file that decides whether an application runs smoothly, then coordinate the fund or property, the government submission and biometrics through our partners in Portugal and Greece. You generally travel to Europe only once, for biometrics and to collect your residence card. This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Program terms and thresholds change; confirm current figures on a call.

Why Montreal families choose Fast Passport Boutique

Jane Katkova has spent more than two decades in immigration and citizenship advisory, and we are licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) — regulated professionals, not brokers. We will tell you plainly when a golden visa is the wrong instrument for your goal, or when the Caribbean route suits you better. We serve clients across Quebec and, through our sister service for the capital, families looking for a golden visa consultant in Ottawa too. The quickest path to clarity is a short, confidential conversation: check your eligibility or book a free consultation with our licensed team. Reach our Toronto office at 1110 Finch Avenue West, Unit 406, or call +1 (416) 661-4487.