Uglobal Immigration Magazine Volume 2, Issue 1 | Page 67

UGLOBAL.COM “ There is no obligation on investors or their family members to reside in Ireland under the IIP. They must simply visit Ireland at least once per year to retain their residence permission. ” THE INVESTOR T h e p o t e n t i a l i n v e s t o r m u s t c o m m i t t o m a ke a minimum donation of 500,000 euros. In the case of a group of five or more investors who combine to contribute to one project, the minimum donation is 400,000 euros per investor. In suppor t of the IIP application, the investor must provide evidence of the funds to be used, including their provenance and the ability of the applicant to transfer those funds to Ireland. The source of the funds can be business and investment activities, deeds of sale, inheritance and gifts and/or divorce settlements. Where the source is a gift, the applicant must show that the person making the gift has the capacity to do so and they must provide an explanation for the gift. Loans cannot be considered as a source of funds. The investor must also show that they are independently wealthy or self-sufficient and have a minimum net worth of 2 million euros. They must demonstrate that their net worth was acquired legally. In addition, applicants must provide an explanation of all financial activities for the previous 12 months, including income, investments and loans. In order to establish the applicant’s and their family members’ good character, they must provide a statement of character from police authorities in each country in which they have resided for more than six months during the previous 10 year period and due diligence reports from an international risk management and security organisation for family members aged 16 and older. The purpose of the above is to ensure thorough, comprehensive and complete Anti-Money Laundering (AML) checks are undertaken. This is a key consideration in the assessment of any application by the Irish authorities. It is also likely to be an important consideration for any charity to which a donation is proposed to be made in view of the charity’s own regulatory, ethical and governance requirements. Once approved, the investor must provide the authorities with a letter from a solicitor in Ireland confirming the funds have been donated to the registered charity, a letter from the 65