The Mobility Standard

Russia's golden visa offers permanent residency in just 6 months through blue-chip investments with surprising flexibility and growing interest from Western applicants. IMI Pro Ilja Belobragin, a featured guest at IMI Connect Rome, reveals which route saves investors a full year of waiting time.Read more about the Russia Investor Visa here in IMI's residency and citizenship program encyclopedia.

Wellington delays the NZ$5 million real estate carve-out until 2026; experts split on whether it's “mostly noise.”View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

“Chile has the reputation and stability. What's missing is action,” writes María Esperanza Schorr Donoso.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

2025 brought unexpected twists in the RCBI world, with once-dominant programs slipping and new contenders rising fast.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Chinese applicants dominated MM2H approvals, followed by South Koreans, Japanese, Bangladeshis and Britons.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Novak Djokovic just made a surprising move to Athens after years in Monaco and Marbella. And the reasons go far beyond tennis. From his kids' school enrollment to permanent residency to a €100K flat tax that could save him millions, discover what's really driving this shift.Learn more about the Greece Golden Visa in IMI's residency and citizenship program encyclopedia. 

Armenia unveils a no‑stay, five‑year investor fast track, retires “special passports,” and, as Astghik Pepanyan says, enters “uncharted territory.”View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here.

Socialists bypass presidential action and trigger a preventive review of the nationality law, halting its entry into force.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

After 15 years in Monaco and five in Marbella, men's tennis superstar Novak Djokovic makes a move to Greece with a real estate purchase in southern Athens.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Most citizenship programs promise 3-6 months but take years to deliver. Even residency programs like the Portugal golden visa are backlogged 3-4 years. Philippe May from IMI Official Partner company EC Holdings reveals the only 4 countries in 2026 that process citizenship by investment applications in under 180 days – plus the real reasons why programs like St Lucia and Portugal have massive backlogs.Sort, filter, and find the perfect residency or citizenship program for your needs and the specialist who can help you apply.

Ottawa sets a 250–1,000 admission range for the Startup Visa but locks in 500 yearly spots as Bill C-3 expands citizenship rights.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

When Canada cut Startup Visa organization approvals from 400 to just 10, everyone thought the program was dead. But Canada immigration expert and IMI Pro Slava Apel explains why the cap actually improved approval speeds and quality. Learn about Canada's hidden priority pathway that's processing new applicants in a fraction of the normal time.Learn more about the Canada Startup Visa and find a specialist who can help you plan and apply for the program.

Gibraltar's new immigration law doubles permanent residency requirement from five years to ten, full status to twenty.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Italy's 2025 citizenship by descent law blocked millions of applicants from qualification with new restrictions including a two-generation limit for ancestral claims. Italian citizenship expert Marco Bersani reveals why thousands will bypass the ban through constitutional court challenges and what's to come in 2026.Learn more about the Italian citizenship by descent changes here. 

Half of firms in the 2025 Investment Migration Executive Survey say Americans are their fastest-growing client group.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

An Indian agent fled Vanuatu before raids as police investigate four CIIP agents for forging payment receipts.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

IMI Pro Rafael Cintron of Wealthy Expat reveals why a new form of citizenship is rapidly replacing traditional CBI programs and why countries like the UAE, Serbia, and the rest of the Balkans have become the new frontier for high-net-worth investors seeking access and mobility. Learn more about citizenship by merit and future opportunities here.

Stephane Tajick suggests the US' $20 billion loan may pressure Milei to abandon the CBI program or inadvertently become its best defender.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Fewer files, richer returns. Grenada's CBI earns record revenue per investor even as intake slows.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Do popular havens like Dubai, Singapore, and Monaco provide the long-term legal security wealthy individuals need? Or do investors overlook other destinations that offer permanent residency and citizenship pathways, safety, and self-sufficiency? Philippe May of IMI Official Partner company EC Holdings reveals the critical factors and the jurisdictions most individuals ignore when evaluating their Plan B.Explore these countries' residency and/or citizenship programs and the specialists who can help you plan for them.

The program will offer residency up to 10 years for the highest threshold of $5 million, placing it among the world's priciest.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

UK's proposed 20% exit tax could trigger a massive wealth exodus. Rachel Reeves plans to tax unrealized gains when UK-based high-net-worth individuals leave Britain, potentially raising £2B or backfiring spectacularly. Tax lawyer and IMI Pro Marco Messina warns the mere announcement may accelerate relocations as undecided millionaires won't wait for Parliament's verdict.Learn more about the incoming levy and the industry's reaction here.

Sierra Leone now has the most flexible dependent criteria worldwide, allowing multiple families to qualify under one investment.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

IMI Official Partners Daisy Joseph Andall and Patrick Peters reveal the new 30-day residency requirement coming to all five Caribbean CIPs and why it may be an opportunity rather than a obstacle. Recorded at IMI Connect Rome, this video will expose how a unified Caribbean move could save EU visa waivers and boost Caribbean citizenship by investment programs long-term.Learn about Caribbean citizenship by investment and 250+ other tax, residency, and citizenship programs here.

The proposed levy could take effect as soon as November 26; Marco Mesina warns that the proposal itself could accelerate capital flight.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

The OECD's new agreement adds real estate to the global web of tax data already covering bank accounts and cryptocurrency.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Seven countries have engineered radical approaches to personal freedom that most governments refuse to admit are possible – from abolished armies to zero income tax to citizens who can literally fire their king. These jurisdictions prove that sovereignty, wealth protection, and individual liberty can coexist when state power is limited by design.Explore these countries' residency and/or citizenship programs and the specialists who can help you plan for them.

Socialist abstention killed citizenship tax by one vote. Lawmakers then rejected Zucman wealth tax.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

New security protocols require international background checks and intelligence screening for all MM2H applicants.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Stephen Barnes, program architect of Sierra Leone's GO-FOR-GOLD residency initiative, reveals how 4,000 families will secure citizenship in 90 days – without traditional CBI legislation. Africa's fastest-growing economy chose special naturalization over citizenship by investment: What does this mean for the industry's future? Watch to discover the program parameters and why this non-CRS jurisdiction is attracting investors.Learn more about the Sierra Leone GO-FOR-GOLD program here.

André Miranda characterized the minister's statements as “very offensive and shameless.” Madalena Monteiro finds it “hard to believe in any promises.”View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Chamber proposes SAT$2M threshold tied to creating 15 skilled jobs or 50 total positions depending on sector.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

IMI Pro Mona Shah breaks down why Trump's Gold and Platinum Card proposals are unlikely to succeed, revealing critical intel on upcoming EB-5 program changes that could raise investment thresholds. Do H-1B curtailments signal a major shift in US immigration policy? What does this mean for Chinese and Indian investors facing unprecedented backlogs?Learn more about the US EB-5 program and find a specialist who can help.

Henseler says it took 18 months of hard work, market insight, and “a little bit of luck” to bring São Tomé's CIP to life.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

The new threshold could give Qatar's program a price edge over regional rivals such as the UAE, albeit with caveats.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Jeffrey Henseler, Chairman of Passport Legacy and IMI Person of the Year 2025, reveals how he built São Tomé and Príncipe's citizenship by investment program in just 18 months. Discover the untold story of the program's lofty year 1 goals, the strict agent requirements, and what made this launch different from every other CIP in the market.Learn more about the São Tomé & Príncipe citizenship by investment program.

Malta revoked Semen Kuksov's citizenship after he was sentenced to five years in UK prison for money laundering.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Counting begins at residence permit issuance, potentially adding a further 2-3 years to the naturalization timeline.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Pablo Ostrick from Holborn Pass reveals why Dubai's Golden Visa program is poised for explosive growth as 81,200 millionaires have already made the move to this low-tax haven. Learn about the 10-year residency program's requirements and why professionals expect Dubai to become even more dominant as wealthy individuals seek alternatives to increasingly restrictive policies in Europe and North America.Learn more about the UAE Golden Visa and contact a specialist here.

Matthew Galati welcomes the proposal but argues it amounts to a concession that DHS overcharged EB‑5 investors for 18 months.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

After the European Commission ruled Malta's Citizenship by Investment program illegal, what's left for investment migration options in the small Mediterranean EU country? Malta-based IMI Pros James Muscat Azzopardi and Ryan Darmanin explain how the newly revealed citizenship by merit constitutional clause works and how investors can get involved.Learn more about the opportunity here.

The proposal would once again place high-earning French nationals in the sights of domestic taxation rules even after they leave the country.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Two new proposals means the vote was postponed to tomorrow, but the death of a former PM may push it further.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Botswana recently announced a forthcoming citizenship by investment program that will immediately rank among the most affordable in the world. Mohamed Bennis from program architect Arton Capital breaks down the program's investment options, processing time, benefits, and potential future changes in this interview at IMI Connect Rome.For the latest news on the planned citizenship by investment program in Botswana, check out this link: https://www.imidaily.com/intelligence/botswana-cbi-program-records-464-registrations-in-first-week/

The message from Rome is clear: You can still buy certainty, but it'll cost more. Italy's flat tax overhaul is less about politics and more about arithmetic.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here. 

Investment options reportedly include €400,000 in bonds, real estate, listed shares, or ASF-authorized investment funds.View the full article here.Subscribe to the IMI Daily newsletter here.