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UGLOBAL IMMIGRATION MAGAZINE
“ Like many modern
sovereign states, it is
embracing investment
migration as a cutting-
edge alternative to taking
on more sovereign debt. ”
BENEFITS OF INVESTMENT MIGRATION
Investment migration is the mechanism by which high-
net-worth-individuals (HNWIs) make a sizeable economic
contribution to a host country in exchange for full residence
or full citizenship rights. The benefits of investment migration
for individuals are well established: more freedom, the
peace of mind that comes with having an alternative place
of residence in an increasingly volatile world, and greater
access to business, education, and travel opportunities.
However, investment migration does not just offer benefits to
HNWIs. Foreign direct investment (FDI) increases the value
of the receiving state, bringing in capital to both the public
sector — in the form of donations to the government, tax
payments, or treasury bond investments — and the private
sector — in the form of investments in businesses, start-ups,
or real estate.
Around the world, states are learning that prudently managed
residence and citizenship programs with proper due
diligence on applicants and clear, transparent structures are
able to drive investment that meets the needs of countries,
without adding to the burden of debt. Increased investment
drives employment opportunities for citizens at all levels,
from architects and construction workers, to manufacturing
and technology companies, and to the tourism sector and
other service industries.
A recent report estimated that investment migration has
brought approximately 25 billion euros in FDI into EU
countries since 2010, and it is widely understood that
residence- and citizenship-by-investment have been
fundamental to these countries’ economic recovery following
both the global financial crisis and the European sovereign
debt crisis.
Take Malta as an example: Just years after the launch
of Individual Investor Program in 2014, the country has
one of the highest growth rates and one of the lowest
unemployment levels of any European Union member state.
It is now the best performing economy in the European Union
by almost any measure. It is no surprise, then, that Moldova
has adopted a form of inbound investment that has already
had such markedly positive effects for dozens of sovereign
states around the world.