Author: Niu Ltd

The federal government has once again stripped Helmut Oberlander of his Canadian citizenship for serving in a Nazi death squad and lying about it to enter Canada.

Oberlander, 93, was an interpreter for the Nazis and served in Einsatzkommando 10a, a group of mobile death squads that participated in the systematic extermination of Jews in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Oberlander has denied taking part in any executions.

It’s the fourth time Ottawa has taken this step after Oberlander defeated government efforts in court three times to restore his citizenship.

“We are determined to deny safe haven in Canada to war criminals and persons believed to have committed or been complicit in war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide,” Pierre Deveau, spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, said in a statement.

Service in notorious death squad

Efraim Zuroff, the chief Nazi-hunter of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the director of its Israel Office, said he was very pleased with the decision by the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to revoke Oberlander’s citizenship.

“I only regret that he has been able in three previous times to have that decision overturned,” Zuroff said in a phone interview with Radio Canada International.

Einsatzkommando 10a, one of the most notorious death squads which operated in Nazi-occupied southern Ukraine during WWII, was responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Jews who were murdered simply because they were categorized as enemies of the Reich, Zuroff said.

“Obviously a man like Oberlander, who started his service at a young age, wasn’t an officer, is not as guilty as the people who planned the ‘Final Solution,’ that was the Nazis’ plan to destroy the Jewish people throughout the world, nor is he as guilty as the officers in that unit,” Zuroff said. “But international law, throughout its inception always rejected the ‘superior orders defence’ and recognized individual criminal responsibility.”

Oberlander, who was born in a Mennonite community in southern Ukraine, has said he was forced into service and he never subscribed to Nazi ideology.

The fact that he served in the notorious SS Einsatzgruppen unit alone should be enough to convict him of being accessory to murder, Zuroff said.

He also has doubts about Oberlander’s insistence that he did not participate in the killing of civilians, Zuroff said.

“We know that in the killing units they made every effort to make sure that every person who served there participated,” Zuroff said. “In a certain sense they wanted to make sure that everyone shared the responsibility. And if people did not want to shoot, they were transferred elsewhere, they were not facing the threat of death or anything like that.”

Canada’s poor record in going after war criminals

In 1995, the government started proceedings to strip Oberlander of his citizenship. The governor in council did so in 2001, 2007 and 2012.

In an emailed statement to CBC News, Deveau said the government “welcomes newcomers” to the country “for all the ways they enrich our society.”

“We also know the value of Canadian citizenship, and cannot allow anyone to defraud the system or diminish its integrity. We don’t take citizenship revocation lightly, but it is necessary in cases of fraud and serious misrepresentation,” the statement said.

But Canada has a very poor record when it comes to going after Nazi war criminals, Zuroff said.

The federal government originally passed legislation enabling criminal prosecution in Canada of war crimes committed elsewhere, Zuroff said.

The first case that came to court in 1987 was the case of a Hungarian gendarmerie officer in the town of Szeged Imre Finta . Finta was accused of assisting the Nazis in the forced deportation of 8,617 Jews from Szeged during the Holocaust.

Finta’s defence was that he simply followed orders.

“Contrary to what happened everywhere else in the world, the court in Ontario accepted that defence,” Zuroff said.

Finta was acquitted after a six-month jury trial. The acquittal was upheld by the Ontario Court of Appeal in 1992 and the Supreme Court of Canada in 1994, which also ruled that that the use of the Criminal Code to prosecute Finta was unconstitutional.

Following an American model

The decision forced the government to follow the American model to try to deal with alleged war criminals – stripping them of their citizenship.

Following that decision, the government stripped 10 people of their citizenship in relation to alleged war crimes committed during WWII.

Of those 10, only two people voluntarily left Canada. The other eight, including Oberlander decided to remain in Canada and fight their deportation. Seven of the alleged have since died in Canada, and Oberlander has successfully fought off three attempts to strip him of his citizenship.

Oberlander is seeking a judicial review of cabinet’s decision, as he has done on three previous occasions. A court hearing is expected in the fall or early 2018.

 

Source: .rcinet.ca

Downing Street has sought to rein in Chancellor Philip Hammondin an apparent attempt to prevent Brexit divisions descending into a cabinet civil war.

Theresa May’s official spokesman made clear that freedom of movement will end in March 2019, despite previous indications from Mr Hammond that a similar system could continue after Brexit.

The No 10 spokesman said further details of exactly how the UK will manage immigration would be published in due course, but said it would be “wrong to suggest” freedom of movement would continue unchanged.

t comes amid reports of deepening cabinet splits over post-Brexit immigration, with one group of ministers led by Mr Hammond arguing for a system close to the current one and another wanting tougher controls.

Speaking on Monday, Ms May’s spokesman said: “Free movement will end in March 2019. We’ve published proposals on citizens’ rights. Last week the Home Secretary said there would be a registration system for EU nationals arriving post-March 2019.

“Other elements of the post-Brexit immigration system will be brought forward in due course. It would be wrong to speculate on what these might look like or to suggest that free movement will continue as it is now.”

An apparent cabinet split over the UK’s approach to freedom of movement emerged as the Prime Minister went on holiday last week, when both Mr Hammond and Home Secretary Amber Rudd highlighted the need to avoid an immigration “cliff edge” that could starve both the public and private sector of skills.

Mr Hammond signalled free movement would continue for a three-year period in all but name after Brexit, with an added element of migrants having to register in the UK, while Ms Rudd sought to reassure business there would be no sudden drop in access to skilled EU workers.

Tensions then heightened after an interview with Brexit-backing International Trade Secretary Liam Fox was published, in which he insisted unregulated free movement after Brexit would “not keep faith” with the referendum result and highlighted that the Cabinet had agreed no stance.

There were reports that neither Mr Fox nor Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson were pre-briefed on the comments made by Mr Hammond or Ms Rudd, with Mr Johnson even forced to deny that he was preparing to resign over the issue – though Downing St said it did not recognise this version of events.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt joined the fray on Monday morning, defending the need for immigration from the EU and saying any post-Brexit deal must serve the need for the NHS to recruit staff from all over the continent. He said: “It has to be a Brexit that works for business, it has to work for the NHS.

“The NHS needs to recruit doctors and nurses from all over Europe and that is going to continue after we leave the European Union.”

He added there would be no cliff-edge after Brexit and there would be an implementation period of no more than three years after the UK’s exit in March 2019. Mr Hunt denied there were deep splits in the Cabinet over Brexit, instead claiming there was unity on securing a deal that restores control over Britain’s laws, borders and money.

In a further sign he is softening the UK’s approach to Brexit, Mr Hammond also gave an interview to Le Monde on Monday in which he downplayed claims Britain could try to become a Singapore-style low tax economy if it does not get the Brexit deal it wants.

He had himself suggested the move before the election, but told the French newspaper: “I often hear it said that the UK is considering participating in unfair competition in regulation and tax. That is neither our plan nor our vision for the future. The amount of tax we raise as a percentage of our GDP puts us right in the middle of the pack.

“We don’t want that to change, even after we’ve left the EU. I would expect us to remain a country with a social, economic and cultural model that is recognisably European.”

 

Source: independent.co.uk

A new set of tax residency rules that were approved last month in Cyprus are meant to supplement the country’s existing “183-day rule” rather than replacing it, International Investment now understands.

They are also deemed to have entered into force on 1 January 2017, rather than being set to go live next year.

As reported here yesterday, there was some initial confusion as to whether the new regs would be in addition to the existing 183-day rule or whether they would replace it, and when they would take effect.

The new “60 days rule test”, as some are calling it, creates an alternative way for those wishing to be deemed Cyprus tax resident to do so, should they find themselves unable to meet the 183-day requirement.

According to a spokesperson for the Cyprus office of an international business that is actively involved in helping people with their citizenship, residency and tax-related issues – who requested anonymity – Article 2 of  Cyprus’s Income Tax Law  has added as an option for an individual wishing to be considered a resident in the republic of Cyprus the meeting of the following new set of provisos:

That the individual

• does not remain in any other state for one or more periods which in total exceed 183 days within the same tax year
• is not tax resident in any other state for the same tax year, and…
• fulfils cumulatively the following conditions:

(i) remains in the Republic for at least 60 days within the tax year,

(ii) carries on any business in the republic and/or is employed in the republic, and/or “holds an office at a person tax resident in the republic at any time during the tax year”, and

(iii) maintains a permanent residence in the republic that they either own or rent themselves.

This set of provisos is considered not to be valid if, during the tax year in question, the Cyprus business that the individual has been carrying out, or their employment in the country, or their “holding of any office at a person tax resident in the republic” is terminated, the spokesperson said.

As noted yesterday, Cyprus’s tweaking of its tax residency rules comes at a time when many countries around the world are making changes to their visa, citizenship and residency requirements, in response to changing attitudes about globalisation.

The UK’s decision to leave the European Union, following a referendum on the matter last year, is seen as making many EU countries and countries with historic ties to the UK, such as Cyprus, re-evaluate and in some cases update their policies.

Cyprus has been an attractive destination for affluent Russians in particular since 2013, when its banking system fell on hard times, and the exchange of passports for investments helped to revive the island’s economy. This can be seen in the numerous Cyrillic street signs, restaurants and other elements of Russian culture in Limassol, on the island’s southern coast.

 

Source: internationalinvestment.net

Citizenship applications for the Caribbean island of Grenada have boomed in the last three years. Reports have emerged that Grenada’s citizenship by investment program, introduced in 2014, is being used to fast-track US E2 visa applications.

Grenada is the only Caribbean country with a fast-track citizenship programme, which signed a Commerce and Navigation Treaty with the USA. As a result, Grenada’s citizens are eligible for the US E2 non-immigrant visa. This means Grenadians can secure US citizenship with a substantial investment in a US-based business and employing a minimum of five staff.

The rise in Grenadian citizenship applications is partly attributed to the ever-increasing backlog of immigration applications in the US. Citizens of China, El Salvador, Guatemala and India in particular are facing severe delays, with some facing a 10-year wait.

As a result, wealthy foreign investors are applying for citizenship in Grenada and then filing an application for an E2 visa for the US. If done correctly, investors can not only obtain an E2 visa, they could avoid having to pay taxes on worldwide income, a stipulation for all US citizens working outside the country.

Requirements for citizenship in Grenada

According to a report published by Forbes, a minimum investment of $200,000 (US) will secure Grenadian citizenship within 12 weeks. Once citizenship is obtained an investor, along with his or her family, can submit an application for an E2 visa in the US. The Forbes report claims that an investor’s entire family could be in the US within 8 weeks.

Overall, obtaining Grenadian citizenship and then applying for a US E2 visa could take less than six months. Once in the US, an investor can acquire an Employment Authorization Document for a spouse, enabling them to work anywhere in the country.

Investors can also send their children to US schools, qualifying for in-state tuition rates and they can travel back and forth freely to their country of origin to take care of business operations back home.

Aside from meeting the requirements for citizenship in Grenada, applying for a US E2 visa would involve incorporating a US company, establishing an office with a legitimate phone number and possibly a website. An investor would need to register with the Inland Revenue Service (IRS), open a bank account and deposit a sizeable sum of money.

Additionally, a viable business plan will be required to establish a company in the US, potentially via a franchise purchase. Meanwhile, any investor would need to speak a basic level of English and have managerial or executive experience, or at the very least, have an idea of how to run their business.

Backlogs and visa attacks

With the possibility of having to wait 10 years and with President Trump ‘attacking’ the H1B and L1 visas, those who can afford to are opting for citizenship in Grenada followed by an application for an E2 visa. So far, the E2 Treaty Investor visa has not made it on to Trump’s radar.

 

Source: workpermit.com

St. Kitts and Nevis’ Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme was recently ranked second best in the world, behind only Dominica, and while Les Khan, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU), is proud of this achievement, he strongly believes the federation’s programme will rank even higher when the next CBI Index is released.

The CBI Index, released by Professional Wealth Management (PWM) in July 2017, looked at 12 countries that offer CBI programmes and critically evaluated their performance and appeal across seven indicators relevant to an applicant’s decision-making process, namely: freedom of movement, standard of living, minimum investment outlay, mandatory travel or residence, ease of processing, citizenship timeline and due diligence.

St. Kitts and Nevis’ programme returned scores of perfect 10s in the areas of due diligence, mandatory travel or residence, citizenship timeline and ease of processing.

Khan spoke to the press unit of the Office of the Prime Minister, saying his unit and the government of St. Kitts and Nevis by extension, will work to improve on the areas where the federation’s programme did not return top scores.

“One of the pillars that we did not rank too highly on, we got an 8 out of 10, was the minimum investment outlay,” he said. “The minimum investment outlay really was something that this government consciously made a decision earlier in the year and late last year not to touch. We determined that as a platinum brand at our various threshold of investment, it was the right threshold and if clients are interested in a platinum brand, then they have to pay for platinum brand. We also determined that we were not going to be in a race to the bottom, so from minimum outlay, I don’t think we’ll see too much change in that point level of where we are, so we will have to accept that.”

Khan said he was also surprised St. Kitts and Nevis’ Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme did not receive a higher score in the area of freedom of movement.

“It’s interesting that St. Kitts and Nevis [w]ould rank 7 out of 10 there when we do have one of the highest number of visa-free countries and visa upon entry of port,” he said. “With a combination of those two, we’re at about 150-155 countries that we can travel freely to. So again, I believe that we are one of the highest and it could be a point in time, but I know that this government and Minister Brantley have been working very aggressively in obtaining diplomatic relations with countries and ensuring that we increase the number of countries we can travel freely to.”

In relation to standard of living, in which St. Kitts and Nevis received a score of 6 out of 10, the CIU official said “it would be interesting to see how that scoring was determined.” He added that while there is still work to do in this regard, “part of that work is engaging with the publisher of this index to determine what the criteria would be.”

Khan said taking all this into consideration, “I would hope that in the next publication of this index, St. Kitts and Nevis would be ranked higher just based on the fact that we will continue to ensure our efficiency, continue to ensure our turnaround time, continue to ensure that the client experience is a good one, that our due diligence is always solid and there are things that we are working on to improve on our due diligence.”

 

Source: thestkittsnevisobserver.com

The Citizenship by Investment Board (“the Board”) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Nestor Alfred to the position of Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of the Citizenship by Investment Unit effective today, 8th August, 2017.

Nestor holds a BSc. Management Studies from the University of the West Indies and an MBA from Henley Management College/Brunel University.

Prior to his current appointment, his former roles include Executive Director of the Gaming Authority; Financial Management Consultant; Banker in the jurisdictions of Saint Lucia, Barbados and the Cayman Islands; Senior Executive within the East Caribbean Financial Holding Group; Director of Saint Lucia Financial Sector Supervision Unit; Registrar of Insurance and Assistant Comptroller of Inland Revenue Saint Lucia. Regionally, he serves as Commissioner to Caricom Competition Commission.

Nestor brings to CIP Saint Lucia, his vast experience as a regulator within the financial services sector and his expertise in the areas of Anti Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT).

The Board looks forward to working with him as he provides necessary leadership to the Citizenship by Investment Unit and overall management of its’ affairs.

The Board and the new CEO shall utilize their best efforts to continue positioning CIP Saint Lucia as a reputable, attractive and well run global citizenship program.

 

Source: stlucianewsonline.com

The Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) in St Kitts and Nevis has announced the addition of a Residency Programme for people looking to live and work in the federation.

Les Khan, the unit’s CEO, made the announcement at the Global Mobility & Tax Strategies Conference in Singapore, where he was invited as a guest speaker.

During the conference, Khan met with lawyers and wealth managers representing clients throughout the Asia Pacific region.

Topics discussed included residency and citizenship programmes as a means of tax and wealth planning.

During his visit, Khan showcased the immigration and investment options in St Kitts and Nevis, which the CUI believes is one of the strongest in the Caribbean.

“St Kitts and Nevis was in a unique position to offer a residency programme without having to change any tax laws,” he said.

He added that the new programme would be the only legitimate scheme where individuals would be required to spend a certain amount of time on the island.

‘Next step’

Khan also advised that this programme was in response to a demand from economic citizens and other individuals wanting to be registered as residents of the federation.

Full details of the programme are due to be released in July, WIC News understands.

Agents approached have welcomed the new scheme, in particular in China and eastern Europe.

Prime Minister Timothy Harris said: “With the St Kitts and Nevis programme now globally recognised for its integrity and platinum standard, it made sense that the natural next step would be to offer a residency programme that would meet a specific customer need.

“It will also stimulate tourism, as well as offer our developers another avenue for marketing their projects. It’s a virtuous circle of mutual benefit.”

Caribbean world leader in CBI

“The programme will still maintain its now high standards of due diligence and it is intended to offer our economic citizens the ability to obtain a residency card as long as they are willing to spend a period of time on the island.

“In addition, individuals not wanting citizenship at this time, can apply for residency status and in the future convert to citizenship should they wish to do so.”

WIC News has reached out to the opposition St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party for comment on the new programme.

In a special report published by Professional Wealth Management (PWM) – a magazine from London-based Financial Times – St Kitts’ citizenship by investment offered was ranked as the second in the world, just behind Dominica.

 

Source: wicnews.com

One of China’s most wanted ­fugitives who is holed up on a tiny Caribbean island says he is willing to return to the mainland to face his accusers – but only as a “free man”.

Accused of financial crimes ­involving more than US$100 million, businessman Ren Biao – one of the original 100 most wanted under Beijing’s international manhunt of fugitives dubbed ­Operation Skynet – made his plea from St Kitts and Nevis.

Ren, 43, is able to live in the ­Caribbean hideaway with his wife and 16-year-old son after securing a passport through its controversial Citizenship by Investment Programme in 2013.

In May 2014, he was understood to have been made the subject of an Interpol red notice following a request from Beijing, and in April this year he was on an updated list of 22 top fugitives whose personal details – including residential addresses – China released to global media.

Ren said his father, aged in his 70s, had been “detained” by mainland authorities. While this could not be independently confirmed, such a move is known to be a tactic to “persuade” fugitives to return. St Kitts and Nevis is among the countries with which Beijing has no extradition or mutual legal ­assistance agreement.

Beijing accused Ren of fleeing China after he abused his position as head of 20 companies to amass more than US$100 million through fraudulently secured bank loans and bogus business deals. He is also accused of milking millions more out of unsuspecting family members and friends.

Beijing has lambasted St Kitts and Nevis, saying that by refusing to act on the Interpol notice and its own repeated requests, the country “risked gaining the ­reputation of being a haven for international fugitives”.

St Kitts and Nevis is a member of Interpol, but is under no legal obligation to comply with either the Interpol notice or China’s demands. In a further complication, the 269 sq km nation comprising two islands and a population of just more than 50,000 is one of the few places in the world to have diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

Speaking from St Kitts and Nevis, Ren’s lawyer, Chesley Hamilton, said his client “absolutely” refuted the scope and financial ­dimensions of the accusations and wanted to return to China with the protection, however limited, of his St Kitts and Nevis passport. He said Ren admitted he was involved in “some” business deals that might have left some people out of pocket, but that he was not guilty as charged.

“He does not want to be marched off a plane in handcuffs,” Hamilton said of his client.

The lawyer added that Ren had returned his Kittian passport because it was missing information about his place of birth.

“He is now awaiting his new passport after making an application on behalf of himself and his wife. He is as entitled to a passport as any citizen and entitled to the privileges and protection it ­affords overseas.”

The Chinese embassy in nearby Antigua and Barbuda was understood to have been in touch with Ren over his possible return.

Hamilton said he was trying to verify whether a new Interpol red notice for his client was issued on June 19.

A red notice is a request to locate and provisionally arrest an individual pending extradition. It is issued by Interpol at the request of a member country or an international tribunal based on a valid national arrest warrant. It is not an international arrest warrant.

An Interpol spokesman in Lyon, France, would neither confirm nor deny whether Ren was now or had ever been the subject of a red notice.

Both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security did not respond to the Post’s inquiries.

University of Hong Kong professor Fu Hualing, a criminal justice expert, said Ren’s suggestion that he return to China as a free man could indicate “the opening gambit in a negotiating process”.

“More generally, given the lack of formal extradition treaties and/or mutual legal assistance agreements Beijing has with other countries, it seems to be developing a much more informal case-by-case approach to securing the return of fugitives.”

Source: scmp.com

Tighter immigration rules in the wake of Brexit are likely to have a significant effect on several British industries, with far more EU8 citizens working in the UK than British citizens living abroad.

Around 1.3 million citizens of EU8 countries – Poland, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia and Latvia – lived in the UK over the period of 2013 to 2015, over 80 percent of which were employed. This contrasts with only around 14,000 UK citizens living in those countries, according to the latest report from the Office for National Statistics.

The number of EU8 citizens employed in the UK made 3 percent of the overall UK workforce. 32 percent of EU8 workers were employed in elementary occupations, with the most common industries of employment being Distribution, Hotels and Restaurants, as well as Manufacturing. 40 percent of these EU8 citizens were over-qualified for the job they were doing.

The research appears to suggest that tighter immigration, as proposed by Prime Minister Theresa May and as looks likely as Brexit negotiations get underway, will have a significant effect on these industries. Brexit secretary David Davis conceded this point, saying that maintaining immigration from these countries was in the ‘national interest’:

“I cannot imagine that the policy will be anything other than that which is in the national interest, which means that from time to time we’ll need more, from time to time we’ll need less migrants.”

Emma Rourke, ONS Director for Public Policy and Analysis, said in the report:

“This report adds to the complex picture of migration across the EU. It shows how the population profile among migrant populations compares – and often differs markedly in age make-up – with the overall population of the host countries. This has clear implications for future policy-making across a range of areas.”

 

Source: theinvestmentobserver.co.uk

Pam Golding Properties has partnered with investment migration firm Henley & Partners to provide buyers seeking international property assets with a view to acquiring dual residence or citizenship.

The partnership comes at a time when increasing numbers of affluent locals, including families, are looking to hedge their bets overseas.

“We are experiencing a rising demand for international residency and citizenship options from clients wanting to firm up their future planning objectives, be that simply from a lifestyle point of view or as a rand hedge in times of economic uncertainty,” said Nigel Barnes, managing partner at Henley & Partners SA.

He attributes this to a number of factors, from aspirational lifestyle changes and career opportunities to the recent credit ratings downgrades and the potential effects of junk status on the economy.

“A far greater awareness of the vast opportunities presented globally has captured the attention of many South Africans, who are assessing the available options for diversifying their personal interests and investment assets beyond the country’s borders,” he said.

Chris Immelman, who heads up Pam Golding’s International Division, said that while a number of the country’s super-wealthy are migrating themselves and part of their assets offshore, this did not mean they have lost faith in South Africa.

“These people are not necessarily emigrating. They are merely making the world’s markets work for them, repositioning their assets, and their homes, for a while.”

Barnes said that the majority of his clients have no intention of permanently relocating, adding that there is no reason to do so either. “The very competitive citizenship-by- investment programmes offered by some of the island nations in the Caribbean, for instance, have no residence or visitation requirements at all,” he said

For a five-year investment of between EUR 520,000 and EUR 570,000, successful applicants of the Malta Residence and Visa Program acquire long-term unrestricted access to the entire European Schengen area – all within just three months of applying.

 

Source: businesstech.co.za