The Mobility Standard

Peru has exited the short list of countries with a two-year citizenship timeline, leaving Argentina as the only Mercosur member with a quick pathway to citizenship.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

New Zealand may relax its foreign buyer ban, in place since 2018, but experts doubt it will significantly boost demand for investor visas.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

The Saudi Premium Residency program approved 8,000 residents in 2024. Real estate agent Mohammed AlWahhabi said foreign residents seeking “stability and freedom” are driving the surge.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Real estate investment has rebounded, and Turkish applicants lead. Latvia is on pace for its strongest year since 2021.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Alaattin Kilic writes that lead generation alone no longer drives results for RCBI firms when product-market fit and clear messaging are absent.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

A court has ruled that investors must keep capital at risk for only 2 years, reducing the sustainment timeline for backlogged countries.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Nick Stevens, Serhan Aysever, and Gokce Emer share contrasting views on the impact of a 30-day stay rule on Caribbean citizenship by investment.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Patrick Peters and Kevin Hosam see ECCIRA boosting credibility but warn delays loom if five parliaments don't ratify in September.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Japan plans to hike the visa's financial requirement to 30 million yen following the recent arrest of a visa holder accused of facilitating fraudulent applications.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Following its 2024 overhaul, MM2H posted an 84% boost in inflows, including RM237 million in property and RM597 million in deposits.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

President Rebelo de Sousa vetoed Portugal's immigration law after court ruled it violated family reunification rights.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Marco Mesina warns the exodus could worsen, while Jimmy Sexton says that even wealthy shoppers now avoid the UK market, including Brits.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Nauru CIU CEO Edward Clark confirmed that 20 applications are already in the pipeline, while agents have 20 more approaching submission.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Citizens of citizenship by investment countries may soon need to post up to $15,000 in bonds to obtain a US tourist visa.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

São Tomé's Dubai-based CIU will process applications in six weeks via a public-private model, offering agents US$20k commission.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

As Argentina's category-defining CBI program takes shape, three industry experts weigh in on how to design it for maximum impact and benefit.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

A Chinese man wanted by Interpol for bribery claims Cypriot authorities didn't notify him of his passport's revocation, but the court found no ‘irreparable harm.'View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

A single unreported tax form from years ago could now be grounds to strip someone of US citizenship.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

CBI law is now official in Argentina. The government must establish investment thresholds and complete system integration before launch.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

The exemption card, akin to a digital nomad visa, will allow holders to stay up to 90 days and multiple re-entries, and appears to open a direct pathway to residency. View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Jean-Francois Harvey sees the potential EU visa requirement as a manageable change, not a threat to Caribbean investment programs.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Argentina steps up its efforts to join the US visa waiver program, potentially providing a massive edge to its planned CBI program.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

CBI is “dangerous,” says the EU. Meanwhile, Germany quietly naturalizes nationals from the same countries it flags as security risks.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Golden Visa experts weigh in on retroactivity, investor confidence, possible outcomes, and the future of the program.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Under the new rules, 75% of investor visa funds must be in liquid and market assets, rather than “sitting idle in deposit accounts,” says James Hall.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Malta's fast-tracked citizenship bill would remove agents from the equation and shift to direct government applications.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Pakistan's Federal Tax Ombudsman has issued a warning and set a deadline for local tax authorities as it ramps up efforts to tax Pakistanis with overseas assets.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Applicants receive five-year renewable residencies with no physical presence requirements, but the program appears to offer no path to citizenship for non-Muslims as per existing laws.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Thailand's influential ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra claims a $1 million golden visa could attract $600 billion in investments, but modest uptake of existing pathways tells a different story.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Ryan Darmanin explains the new changes to the MPRP, including fee alterations and provisions allowing investors to rent out their properties.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Easy requirements made the Destination Thailand visa popular, but administrative roadblocks may limit its appeal.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Officials refuse to dismiss wealth tax plans despite expert warnings that most countries abandoned such levies after they failed.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Grenada lifts four-month suspension on Heng Sheng citizenship applications after finding no evidence of prohibited financing.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

73 investors donated €14.6 million to the museum, with €6.8 million more pledged. Cardoso says ending the program would “kill our dreams.”View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Malta ditches CIP for expanded citizenship by merit system targeting philanthropists, tech innovators, and job creators.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Recent policy changes boost Hong Kong's NCIES applications and approvals as officials project HK$30 billion in inflows by year's end.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Experts dismiss tax fears over potential Caribbean CBI residency requirements: “That argument doesn't hold water.”View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Anastasia Barna says the old rules pushed people out. Mahmoud Elwakil says the new ones finally let them in.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Alaattin Kilic argues that investment migration firms must abandon all-or-nothing packages to build sustainable client pipelines.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Starting at as little as US$35,000, gaining residency or citizenship in Africa is within easy reach for foreigners.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Ruslan Kosarenko argues that the UK's immigration framework creates a policy paradox, courting entrepreneurs while blocking entry.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Charles Savva has dismissed opposition concerns, labelling them as “complete and total political nonsense.”View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Major advocates for a “light-touch” approach, while Arton labels St Kitts residency requirements a “vacation obligation.”View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Under new IRCC rules, speculative start-ups are out. Melissa Godmer breaks down the tougher business immigration criteria.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here.