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CYPRUS VISA PROGRAM | 塞浦路斯签证项目
THE CHANGING FACE OF CYPRUS’
INVESTMENT IMMIGRATION MARKET
塞浦路斯投资移民市场变革
BY / 撰稿人 / PAULINE GALLAGHER
Though the Cypriot economy is booming, the
government is taking steps to regulate its investment
immigration market to ensure past mistakes aren’t
repeated. It’s creating a win-win situation for both
developers and investors.
W
ith the ever changing dynamics in the global real
estate market, it has become inextricably linked
to people on the move. In Cyprus, it all began when the
minister of finance announced changes to its citizenship
programs.
It was a remarkable piece of policymaking and one that
propelled Cyprus property developers into the world of
migration. It was at this point, selling property turned
on its head for many developers who instead of selling
homes found themselves talking immigration.
The programs became an overnight success, drawing
in over 5 billion euro to Cyprus economy. But there
were also similarities emerging between the southern
European property boom of the late ’90s and early
2000s. It appeared to be happening again, this time in
the Cyprus market.
At the turn of the century, for many northern Europeans,
a holiday home in the sun became a must-have
commodity. Property companies were eager to help
the droves of Europeans starved of good weather and
limited hours of daylight. Mediterranean countries
reaped the huge benefits of this totally unregulated
industry. Fueled by greed and lack of regulation, things
spiraled out of control. Property prices spiked. Bad
practices became the norm, leaving the consumer to
pick up the collateral damage.
Many left in serious debt, unable to sell their properties
as the market collapsed. Banks eager to lend were now
repossessing. Unlicensed “property agents” simply
disappeared, leaving credible companies and the
government to pick up the pieces with a vow that this
would never happen again.
塞浦路斯经济繁荣发展, 政府正在采取措施规范投资
移民市场, 以确保过去的错误不再重演, 实现开发商
和投资人的双赢。
世界房地产市场的风云变幻不可避免地推动了人们全球移
动性的增加。在塞浦路斯, 这样的变化起步于财政部长公
布的投资移民项目改革。这是一次重大的政策变动, 也将
塞浦路斯的房地产开发商推入了投资移民市场。目前, 很
多房地产行业开发商的话题中心都已经不再是房屋而转变
成了移民。
塞浦路斯投资移民项目“一夜成名”, 也为塞浦路斯经济带
来了超过50亿欧元的投资。但当前形势与上个世纪九十
年代末期到本世纪初的南欧房地产市场崛起有着很多相似
之处, 而这一次, 处在风口浪尖的是塞浦路斯。
世纪之交, 对很多东欧人来说, 阳光国度的度假房屋是每
家的必备资产。房地产公司也极力协助大批渴望温和环境
和适宜光照的欧洲人圆梦。地中海国家也因此在这个毫无
规范可言的行业中获利颇丰。
监管法规的缺失和市场上充斥的贪婪使得事态变得不可收
拾。房地产价格暴涨, 不道德交易成为市场常态, 消费者
蒙受巨额损失。很多人负债累累, 在市场崩盘时却无法将
所持房产出售。当初急于放款的银行只得回收大批房屋。
无证“房地产中介”一夜间消失, 留下诚信可靠的公司和政
府收拾残局, 并承诺确保同样的悲剧不再重演。
市场何去何从？
当前的市场虽然产品不同, 但也可能面临同样危机。而这
一次, 房地产行业的崛起倚仗的是那些希望获得公民和居
民身份的个人, 他们被塞浦路斯安全的社会环境和稳定的
政治环境所吸引, 希望为财富寻求避风港, 为子孙后代寻
求保障。虽然项目本身和申请法律流程受到相关政府机
构的严格监管, 其中的薄弱环节在于对寻找投资人的公司
和个人。
以前, 移民公司作为市场推广机构进行项目推广, 为他们
自己和客户寻找最佳交易机会。这个活动是完全不受监督