Category Archives: Updates

Our world has experienced significant upheavals in the past three years, ranging from the global pandemic to geopolitical shifts and financial turbulence. In this rapidly changing landscape, mobility has emerged as a crucial component of diversification strategies, offering individuals and businesses a means to navigate uncertainties and hedge against risks. In this blog, we will explore why mobility, in its broadest sense, has become an essential part of diversification in today’s world.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of individuals and businesses who rely heavily on a single location or jurisdiction. Lockdowns, travel restrictions, and disruptions to global supply chains have had far-reaching consequences, underscoring the need for mobility as a means of adaptability and resilience. By diversifying their geographic footprint, individuals and businesses can mitigate the impact of unforeseen events and gain greater flexibility in the face of uncertainties.

Geopolitical shifts have become increasingly prominent in recent years, influencing economic policies, trade relations, and diplomatic landscapes. These changes can create both opportunities and challenges for individuals and businesses. By embracing mobility, individuals can explore new markets, expand their networks, and seize emerging opportunities. Similarly, companies can establish a presence in multiple jurisdictions, ensuring access to diverse customer bases and safeguarding against geopolitical risks.

The ongoing financial turbulences and market volatility have highlighted the importance of diversifying one’s assets to protect against economic downturns. Mobility plays a crucial role in asset protection by allowing individuals to diversify their investments across multiple jurisdictions. This can include acquiring properties or businesses in different countries, diversifying investment portfolios, or even obtaining alternative citizenships to access stable economies and favorable tax regimes.

Obtaining alternative citizenship or residency in different countries can significantly enhance an individual’s mobility and global access. With multiple passports, individuals can enjoy visa-free travel to numerous countries, facilitating business ventures, leisure travel, and even seeking medical treatment or educational opportunities abroad. Dual citizenship or residency also offers access to different healthcare systems, social welfare programs, and educational institutions, providing a safety net in times of crisis.

For businesses, mobility allows for the expansion of operations into new markets and the diversification of revenue streams. By establishing a presence in multiple countries, businesses can tap into diverse consumer markets, leverage favorable regulatory environments, and reduce the impact of regional economic downturns. Mobility facilitates cross-border collaborations, joint ventures, and access to skilled international talent, fostering innovation and growth.

In an era marked by unprecedented global challenges and uncertainties, mobility has become a fundamental aspect of diversification strategies. It enables individuals and businesses to navigate changing landscapes, seize opportunities, and protect against risks. By embracing mobility in its broadest sense – whether through geographic diversification, asset protection, or accessing alternative citizenships – individuals and businesses can enhance their adaptability, resilience, and global access. In a world where uncertainties prevail, mobility has become a vital tool for achieving stability, growth, and peace of mind.

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Western Europe, for all its flaws, remains among the world’s foremost regions in terms of quality of life. Characterized by comparatively high degrees of material well-being, security, and political predictability – and a uniquely old-world charm – life on the continent appeals to a global audience.

But the region has its drawbacks, chief among which are the almost uniformly heavy tax burdens it imposes on both individuals and companies.

Continue reading at www.imidaily.com

St Lucia’s Citizenship by Investment Program kicked off the new year with a host of changes to their program that make it even more enticing than ever.

The St Lucian government has decided to make its Citizenship by Investment Program more attractive to global investors looking to obtain a second citizenship through a shrewd investment while simultaneously ensuring its viability, scalability, and competitiveness in a market with more citizenship by investment programs than ever recorded.

Continue reading at www.imidaily.com

Our guests this week on the Mobility Standard were David Lesperance, Managing Partner of Lesperance & Associates, one of the world’s leading experts on international tax and immigration, and Melvin Warshaw, a US-based cross-border tax and private client lawyer with more than 40 years of experience in the field.

Lesperance and Warshaw are also the authors of our American Exceptionalism column, where they explore investment migration questions that uniquely impact Americans.

Editor: Christian Henrik Nesheim

The Residences at Secret Bay, Dominica’s crown jewel development and only six-star, all-villa resort, announces it has paid out US$1 million in returns to investors and now has more than 100 Citizenship by Investment (CBI) owners from around the globe.

The globally-recognized CBI project, which is part of award-winning resort Secret Bay, just released year-over-year results between the fourth quarter of 2019 through the second quarter of 2022. During this period, The Residences at Secret Bay has outperformed expectations related to CBI investor growth, return on investment payout, total sales, ADR, occupancy rate, and resort employee growth.

Continue reading at www.imidaily.com

In a memorandum circulated yesterday, Saint Lucia’s Citizenship by Investment Unit informed stakeholders that it had resumed the processing of applications from Iranian citizens.

“The Unit,” explained the circular, “has been able to secure relationships with due diligence service providers who are able to perform the usual thorough standard of due diligence on Iranians.”

Editor: Christian Henrik Nesheim

On September 12th, IMI reported on Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis’ surprise announcement that he planned to double the required minimum investment necessary to qualify for the country’s golden visa under the program’s real estate option.

Mentioning the envisioned changes only briefly as part of a broader speech on policy plans, the PM offered little in the way of detail. This week, however, industry stakeholders with direct access are able to provide further nuance as to the details:

Editor: Christian Henrik Nesheim