90 UGLOBAL IMMIGRATION MAGAZINE
ITALY ’ S INVESTOR VISA AND RESIDENCY PROGRAM DURING COVID-19 TIMES
BY ALESSIA AJELLI
How has the program changed since its launch three years ago and how much has the current Covid-19 pandemic affected it ?
Italy is one of the last EU countries to have introduced a visa and resident permit category in 2017 dedicated to foreign investors seeking to carry out an investment in the Italian market and get a resident permit .
Even though the purpose has always been to attract foreign capital to benefit the Italian economy , the characteristics and requirements of this program somehow were not comparable to the ones offered by other programs available in different EU countries ( such as , for example , the Portuguese Golden Visa program or the Maltese visa and resident permit program ) and that is the reason why only few applicants decided to give it a try during the first period of the program .
The Covid-19 pandemic did certainly also have a very strong impact on the Italian economy , travel and investment