8 UGLOBAL IMMIGRATION MAGAZINE
“ The option of investing in culture has garnered significant attention compared with investment options provided / offered by specific CBI programs in Caribbean countries .
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although not impossible , especially under the current status of the international economy and high-interest rates , it is very different for an investor to invest € 500,000 in an investment fund and lock them for five or six years , or instead invest € 200,000 in cultural activities and guarantee their residency permit in Portugal and path to Portuguese citizenship .
Although all five investment options have a limitation that any investment activity conducted cannot be connected directly or indirectly with real estate , there are plenty of suitable investment options available , within the law and in the market , for a foreign investor to choose from or make an investment that allows to apply and obtain a residency permit in Portugal without purchasing real estate .
In conclusion , changes in RBI programs or , in this case , investment categories are part of society and life within the countries that benefit from such programs . However , based on the experience obtained this year with the increasing investment in funds and growing interest in other options , the final answer to whether Portugal is still a viable program after the new changes is yes . It is a viable option and remains one of the best RBI programs in the world .
Also , just by the fact that , for the moment , there are very few investment solutions or products available in the market for this kind of investment route in cultural activities , all of them with no return on the investment or , at least , minimal , it doesn ’ t mean that within one or two years , the market will not evolve and get creative enough for coming out with possible investment solutions with some financial return for its investors .
Proof of this aspect is that most of the real estate investment solutions or products that made the Portuguese golden visa program one of the most popular worldwide did not exist during the first three years of the program . Thus , it is always possible for the markets , entities , and investors to get creative and develop interesting investment solutions or possibilities with returns for investors .
Furthermore , as previously stated , the option of investing in culture has garnered significant attention compared with investment options provided / offered by specific CBI programs in Caribbean countries ; by almost the same investment amount or donation , they provide less value when compared with the possibility of obtaining a residency permit in Portugal and , eventually , a path to Portuguese citizenship .
3 OTHER INVESTMENT ALTERNATIVES ARE AVAILABLE FOR INVESTORS SEEKING PORTUGUESE RESIDENCY
Besides the investment options mentioned above , under Portuguese law , there are three more investment routes / options for investors to obtain a Residence Permit for the Entrepreneur Immigrants program , such as job creation ; the investment of € 500,000 for research in universities , or investing € 500,000 in share capital for a new company ; or increasing share capital on an existing company in Portugal with the creation or maintenance of jobs .
TIAGO GALI MACEDO
Tiago Gali Macedo is the managing partner of Next Lawyers – Gali Macedo e Associados , a boutique law firm based in Porto , Portugal , with offices in Lisbon , Brussels and Angola . With a post-graduate degree in labor law from Lusiada University and a master ’ s degree from the University of Santiago de Compostela , Spain , Macedo is currently concluding his Ph . D . at the Salford University , UK . He is a professor at various universities in Portugal and the U . S ., in addition to being a member of the Portuguese Bar Association and the Belgian Bar Association . An entrepreneur and investor in several sectors , he also served as the president of the General Assembly of ANJE ( National Association of Young Entrepreneurs ).