Citizenship & Residency 2021

The last year has been marked by an upheaval in global mobility, prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic and a wave of regulation and infringement procedures. Our special focus includes comment and analysis from the Investment Migration Council, Henley & Partners and Arton Capital; plus case studies outlining the key features and benefits of citizenship programmes offered by Greece, Dominica and Antigua & Barbuda.

Comment

Good Governance In Investment Migration Will Fuel Economic And Sustainable Development In A Post-Pandemic World

Citizenship and Residency

Bruno L’ecuyer

Chief Executive – Investment Migration Council

Over the past few years, investment migration – the industry intertwined with global wealth creation and people's movement - has been defined by growth and expansion to reach an estimated value of €20 billion.

According to Investment Migration Council (IMC) research, 100 countries around the world now offer legal investment migration (IM) pathways. Among them, 60 actively promote Residence-by-Investment (RBI) and Citizenship-by-Investment (CBI) programmes – which for some countries generates between 2 per cent and +30 per cent of GDP.

Nevertheless, economics is not the only factor weighing in favour of investment migration. While the level of scrutiny by international institutions like the IMC and OECD is rising, the SARS-COV-2 pandemic is fostering innovative solutions to transform investment migration into a tool for sustainable and inclusive development.

Global organisations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Economic Forum (WEF) have described investment migration as one of the "fastest-growing economic enablers of modern times" for many small states. On the European front - according to the European Parliament Research Service - countries of the old continent be…