Malta, the European Union’s smallest member state by population, but the bloc’s fastest growing economy, today competes with other EU jurisdictions within the Mediterranean region – Cyprus, Greece, Spain and Portugal – to attract so-called “citizenship by investment”. Boasting one of the EU’s most attractive fiscal frameworks, the country’s general economic strategy can be summarised […]
The governments of Antigua and Barbuda and the Republic of Kosovo on Wednesday, signed agreements simultaneously establishing diplomatic relations and abolishing visa requirements between their nations. The agreements were signed in Washington, DC by the ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda, Sir Ronald Sanders, and the Republic of Kosovo’s Ambassador, Vlora Citaku. Commenting on the two […]
A U.S. visa that awards green cards to foreign investors will require a much larger investment under new rules released today and slated to take effect Nov. 21. Foreign citizens are already contacting immigration lawyers about getting their EB-5 investor visa applications in before the new rules impose higher costs, but once the rules are […]
The government of Moldova has temporarily suspended a controversial citizenship-by-investment scheme that has been recently used to entice customers by a Dubai developer. The Moldova Citizenship-by-Investment (MCBI) programme made global headlines in June following Dubai developer Kleindienst Group’s announcement that investors in its Heart of Europe project on The World will be eligible for Moldovan […]
Citizenship applicants have expressed concern following a High Court ruling that nobody can be granted Irish citizenship if they have spent a single day outside the country in the past year. The unexpected judgment, handed down by Mr Justice Max Barrett, could affect thousands of people applying for Irish citizenship on the basis of residence […]
A boost to the Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) was the main reason given for the government’s decision to grant visa-free entry to diplomats, investors and tourists form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Cabinet announced this week the implementation of a policy under which certain categories of UAE passport holders will get visa free entry […]
In a series of articles and videos, the Times and Channel 4 used hidden cameras to film UK Tier 1 providers appearing to trivialize the Home Office’s vetting practices. They omit to mention that service providers themselves have repeatedly urged the Home Office to enhance their procedures. In a series of articles termed a “revelation” […]
Lam, a data expert working for a top Hong Kong-based company, was born and bred in Kowloon Bay. But the city she once knew has vanished among mainland Chinese tourists’ shopping bags, crowded pavements and – most worryingly, she says – diminishing freedoms. The 28-year-old first thought of obtaining Portuguese nationality about five years ago. But […]
The fate of Moldova’s Citizenship by Investment Program has been uncertain since the resolution of the country’s constitutional crisis some two weeks ago. The incoming government coalition had said it was “committed” to ending the program and, during the first reading in Parliament, elected officials voted in favor of amending legislation to that effect. But the […]
Canada is courting international support for its plan to reject Russian passports given to Ukrainian citizens in the parts of Ukraine occupied by Kremlin-backed separatists. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says Canada has presented technical details of a plan to allies attending this week’s Ukraine reform conference in Toronto so they can follow suit. “We […]
