Looking ahead: Immigration in a changing world

What essentially makes St Kitts and Nevis truly unique for investment migration among other Caribbean nations?

St Kitts and Nevis is a peaceful and prosperous country located in the eastern Caribbean and close to the US. The stable government, good infrastructure, and quality healthcare make it a rewarding nation to invest in and an ideal place to live. All of this has had a direct impact on the nation, making it the fastest-growing economies in the Caribbean. With access to thriving business centres, St Kitts and Nevis’ citizenship offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to grow their businesses on a global scale. Furthermore, the currency is pegged to the US dollar, making it a financially lucrative destination.

Due diligence is critical for growth in the investment migration sector. How do you ensure that all the processes are in place for the investors as well as for the programme you are offering?

St Kitts and Nevis’ programme has been setting the standard in the industry for decades. By abiding to international law and having a robust due diligence system in place, we aim to uphold and protect the integrity of the programme. We operate in full compliance with national legislation and international standards.

Every prospective citizen goes through robust due diligence checks before their application is accepted. These checks include anti-money laundering searches and proof of funds checks, world compliance checks to mitigate financial and reputational risk, criminal background checks, and international law enforcement verification.

In order to ensure that applicants are not a risk for the country or our international partners, we continue to run background checks on economic citizenships after approval of their application.

Is it worth investing in real estate in St Kitts and Nevis? What are the options currently available in the market?

The real estate investment option continues to be one of the most popular choices for applicants. This option allows investors to gain property on our beautiful twin islands while diversifying their portfolios.

There are two options available. The first is investing in a pre-approved real estate development, which includes hotel shares, ocean side villas, and resort condominium units. The second option is investing a qualifying private residential property, which includes certified private homes and villas.

Thanks to the CBI programme, we have seen a boom in the nation’s real estate construction and tourism industries. This has, in turn, led to an increase in employment opportunities for our citizens, further strengthening our economy.

"Canada is encouraging entrepreneurs to start new businesses that create more job opportunities”

Clint Khan, Managing Director, Y-Axis

What are your suggestions for prospective immigrants looking to migrate to Canada?

My advice is to focus on all the factors, which will help you boost your score.

First, get a provincial nomination, then a job offer in Canada. Hire an employment professional who can help you improve your resume.

Educational qualifications are important. Score high if you are educated from a Canadian institution. Try to advance your qualification while in the pool and get all your qualifications assessed.

While applying with your spouse or partner, choose your principal applicant carefully and find out if your spouse can score points.

It’s critical to increase your work experience and improve your language skills. Stay informed about Express Entry immigration system and PNP Immigration System. Select one that suits your needs and background.

What, according to you, are the key trends shaping Canadian immigration?

There are many factors that shape Canadian immigration. But the major one is the labour market demand due to the availability of over 1.2 million job vacancies.

Unemployment rate in Canada has decreased to 5.1 per cent and will further come down in the future. Canada currently has the lowest birth rates and a high ageing population and its new policy goals are to meet the demand in various sectors.

Canada is looking to investment migration and encouraging entrepreneurs to start new businesses that create more job opportunities.

"What differentiates us from competitors is our focus”

Tiago Camara, Partner, PTGoldenVisa

Who are primarily investing in Portugal’s Golden Visa programme? What is their preferred investment route?

High net worth individuals (HNWIs) who are expats, or business owners, currently living in the Middle East, Asia or Africa, are investing. They are mostly looking for enhanced quality of life, mobility, security, educational options, tax optimisation and real estate planning capabilities, which the Portuguese programme provides.

These HNWI are mostly opting to secure the future of their next generations and prefer to invest in real estate options. PTGoldenVisa has profitable investment solutions to support clients on all investment categories.

What makes PTGoldenVisa truly unique when it comes to investments in Portugal?

What differentiates us from competitors is our focus. We focus solely on the Portuguese programme. We are not a marketing department promoting several different residency programmes. We are 100 per cent focused on Portugal. PTGoldenVisa acts as a one-stop-shop for investors and provides services from real estate investment consultancy to solutions for all legal steps, banking services, tax optimisation and property management. We keep on enlarging the scope of our integrated services and this is what differentiates our company from most of the service providers, and makes it special. We have offices in Portugal and Dubai, and we are currently expanding to India.

"The pandemic has made people realise the importance of a secure future”

Muhammad Faisal, CEO, iKonnect CItizens

How do you see demand for citizenship through investment to the Caribbean nations shaping up here in the UAE? Has there been a marked increase in demand over the last decade?

Yes, there’s definitely been a significant increase in demand for citizenship by investment programmes over the last decade, not only in the UAE but in the Middle East and Asia as well. The pandemic has made people realise the importance of a secure future, and its effects on the global economy have led UAE-based HNWIs to explore the benefits of a second passport, which gives them enhanced mobility across the world. This sense of freedom helps them find foreign business opportunities as a way to recover from the pandemic’s devastating implications. Moreover, benefits such as dual citizenship, access to healthcare, visa-free travel, and generational citizenship make these programmes very attractive to HNWIs and UHNWIs.

iKonnect is a voice of note within the global immigration community. How have you managed to distinguish yourselves in an increasingly competitive market such as the UAE and the Middle East?

Excellent service is the backbone of every successful business, and we take pride in delivering world-class support and guidance to our customers. Being an authorised partner gives us an edge in terms of reputation and reliability. Our team of professional consultants has many years of experience addressing dual citizenship and migration-related matters, and this very expertise helps us in creating a transparent and easily navigable process for our clients.

"Our job is to make sure our client receives an in-depth analysis of their eligibility”

John Hanafin, Founder and CEO, Huriya Private

What demand have you noticed for investment migration from the UAE and GCC investors? What are their top destinations for investments and second passport?

We have been noticing an increased demand for Portugal’s Golden Visa programme, starting at €280,000 investment in property, with guaranteed buyback options. Equally popular are the traditional best-selling programmes of St Kitts & Nevis, Grenada, and Commonwealth of Dominica, which offer a wide range of benefits, travel advantages, USA visa options, tax benefits, healthcare facilities, education, and business opportunities that ensure our clients’ safety and freedom today and in the future.

How does Huriya Private help investors make the right decision and the process seamless?

No two client applications are the same. Our highly skilled team provides our clients with a customised service tailored to their specific needs and requirements.

It is important to consider many factors, such as residence, taxation, inheritance structuring, education, security, etc. Quite simply, we offer tailored solutions. The Huriya Private team includes lawyers, accountants, tax advisors, bankers, and offshore structuring specialists. Ultimately, our job is to make sure our client receives an in-depth analysis of their eligibility, an in-depth run-through of the most appropriate programme options, and eventually a seamless application process and successful service delivery.

"Current immigration policies in Canada are favourable to newcomers”

Shireen Kapoor, Managing and Founding Partner, Ace Luxury Immigration Solutions

What sort of investment-led migration opportunities are available in Canada?

Canada is unrivaled when it comes to migration opportunities. Currently, investment options in Canada include the Start-up Visa Programme, Entrepreneurial LMIA Programme, and many others. According to the 2022-2024 immigration plans, the government is constantly working to improve these options to make them even more attractive to foreign investors. Starting a business in Canada can be difficult, yet the current immigration policies in Canada are very favourable to newcomers. This makes it easy for entrepreneurs to achieve their relocation goals.

What professions are in demand in Canada?

Immigration has been a cornerstone of Canadian history since the country’s inception. Canada has always welcomed people from all over the world and has benefited from the contributions of immigrants in every sector of society. As we all know, Canada is currently facing a labour shortage due to the impact of Covid, which is causing issues in many industries. Many high-paying jobs are available in social service, nursing, medical, IT, and transportation that offer high remuneration.

"Grenada’s CBI programme has seen a huge surge in applications this year”

Michael Waechter, Managing Director, Abode Options

What demand have you noticed for investment migration in the Caribbean from investors in the UAE in the first six months of this year? What are your forecasts for the sector in 2022 and beyond?

Dominica and St Kitts and Nevis have always been the most preferred Caribbean countries for second citizenship among applicants in the UAE; however, during the first six months of 2022, Grenada’s citizenship by investment programme saw a huge surge in applications. Grenada’s Ministry of Finance figures suggest a similar trend in the number of applications received by their Citizenship by Investment (CBI) unit.

With the ever-rising number of high net-worth-individuals from across the world relocating their wealth to the UAE, the Caribbean citizenship by investment applications from the UAE will continue to grow in 2022 and beyond.

What are the top destinations in Europe that are drawing investors?

Portugal’s Golden Visa programme offers investors various investment options with minimum stay requirement in the country, making it the most preferred choice among other European countries offering residency by investment. The investment fund option has seen a staggering popularity among investors applying for Portuguese Golden Visa. Portugal recognises dual nationality and is an easy and accelerated gateway to EU citizenship.

"Due diligence is a mandatory step for investors when applying for a second passport”

Lina Daoud, Partner and Head of Operations, Bluemina Citizenship & Residency

How does Bluemina conduct due diligence to ensure that all the processes are in place for the investors as well as for the programmes they are offering?

Over years, Bluemina’s expert consultants have assisted thousands of individuals choose the right programme according to their needs and budgets to acquire a dual citizenship or residence. When applying for a programme, the applicant submits a number of documents that are used to determine if he/she meets the requirements of a CBI or RBI programme through a process of due diligence.

Due diligence is a mandatory step for investors when applying for a CBI or RBI programme, and is carried out in Britain, the US and the EU while opening a bank account, carrying out business transactions and while purchasing real estate. All reputable programmes offered by Bluemina including St Kitts and Nevis, follow strong due diligence as investors need to prove the legal origin of their funds to be used for any operation. The government department responsible for the programme checks the source of income, criminal record certificate, and also verifies that investors and families are not on the list of sanctioned individuals, and another country has not refused their application visa, citizenship, or residence permit.

"Second passport is a must-have for anyone who can afford it”

Tony Ebraheem, Founder and Lawyer, 111 Immigration

Pandemic and geo-political turmoil have created enormous uncertainties in the lives of people. Why do you think this is the time to explore second citizenship for wealth protection and better mobility?

Second passport is a must-have for anyone who can afford it. Even a couple of years ago, second passport was considered a luxury but today this is a necessity. This has been realised not just by the high-net-worth-individuals, governments of various nations around the world have also realised the importance of investment migration in drawing foreign investment.

What’s unique about 111 Immigration? How do you maintain an edge in the market?

111 Immigration is a law firm that specialises in second citizenship and residency by investment programmes. We have three licences in the UAE — immigration licence and two legal licences, and we are looking for other opportunities to serve our clients in the best possible way.

Our focus is now on to implement new technologies and introduce unique ideas to improve service standards in this sector. These will not only help our clients but also help our colleagues in the industry to streamline the application process. We operate in a very transparent manner, displaying all our credentials at the office reception to assure our clients that they are dealing with a trusted consultant.

"Caribbean islands have passports with high mobility scores”

Mahdi Mohammed, CEO, Second Passport Consultants and Turkeyvisas.com

Why is Turkey on everyone’s travel agenda at the moment? Does Turkey offer multiple entry tourist visas?

Whether for business or tourism, Turkey has become one of the most attractive destinations for travellers and investors. Not only is it a beautiful country well positioned between Asia and Europe with a rich culture and history, but it’s also one of the fastest growing economies for international business, real estate investment, and trade. Depending on their nationality, applicants will obtain a single or multiple-entry e-visa.

What are the critical components of Turkeyvisas.com’s brand ethos and how do you maintain an edge over competitors?

Turkeyvisas.com is dedicated to providing an easy application process.

With thousands of visitors visiting our site each day, applicants can take advantage of a variety of services provided by our team of experts who are qualified to successfully assist them through the preparation and processing stages of their Turkish visa applications.

What are the key advantages of investing in a second passport in the Caribbean?

Obtaining a second passport in the Caribbean can open channels to exciting opportunities for business and travel alike. Islands in the Caribbean have passports with high mobility scores, so holders of these passports will benefit from greater ease of travel to the European Union and many other countries in Africa, Asia, and South America, as well as access to a much broader range of global business opportunities with zero-to-low taxes on income and investments. Investors with families can ensure a better future for their children, who are entitled to receive healthcare and better education.

The efforts to come up with the right investment immigration programme can be challenging. How do you help investors make the right decision?

At Second Passport Consultants, we understand that every investor is unique. Once we’ve established a client’s priorities, we match them with the CBI programme that best addresses their particular financial and personal needs. We provide guidance and support during each step of the application process and are available to address any questions that may arise at any stage.