Top 5 Countries For Residence And Citizenship By Investment

By Munawar Shariff

Residence and citizenship by investment (RCBI) companies advise HNWIs about investing in stable countries that provide competitive business opportunities. Here are the top five countries for RCBI, according to Swiss immigration consultancy Passport Legacy.

1. U.A.E.

The U.A.E.’s Golden Visa scheme, which was introduced in 2019, aims to attract investors and skilled overseas talent to the country. More than 151,666 golden visas had been issued by November 2022, according to a report by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs. The U.A.E. acquired 31% of the total foreign investment that came into MENA in 2021, according to UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2022. The total accumulative FDI flows to the country reached $171.6 billion by the end of 2021, achieving 14% growth compared to $151 billion in 2020.

2. Canada

Between July 2021 and June 2022, 492,984 people emigrated to Canada — more than double that over the same period in 2020-2021—according to a Statista report in October 2022. Canada’s 2022–2024 immigration plan aims to drive economic growth, reunite families, and protect democratic and human rights. Canada’s Express Entry System plays an important role in addressing the country’s labor shortages.

3. U.K.

The U.K. had an estimated 1.1 million long-term immigrants enter the country in the year ending June 2022— an increase of 435,000 compared to 2021—driven by non-EU nationals, an increase in the number of international students, and immigrants arriving from Ukraine under the country’s visa support scheme. Net immigration stood at 504,000 more people arriving than leaving at the end of June 2022.

4. Portugal

In November 2022, the Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service granted 121 residence permits, 95 golden visas in the real estate investment category, and 26 permits for capital transfer investment. Portugal’s Golden Visa Program saw $70.7 million in investments in the same period. New regulations now deny investors from buying property in cities like Lisbon and Porto but allow them to buy property on Portugal’s autonomous islands of Madeira and Azores. Since October 2012, 11,384 investors and 18,617 family members have benefited from the Portugal Golden Visa Program, and over $7.2 billion in funds was invested for the country’s Golden Visa.

5. Türkiye

Climbing the highest on the RBCI index, Türkiye moved to number five from number 18 in 2021. This is largely due to the low minimum investment in real estate, which was $250,000 in 2021, and raised to $400,000 in June 2022. In 2021, Türkiye received roughly $13.84 billion in foreign direct investment, according to the World Bank. In 2021, 58,576 real estate units in Türkiye were sold to foreigners, accounting for 3.9% of total real estate sales.

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