Citizenship by Investment Canada

What is citizenship by investment?

Citizenship by investment is a unique program that enables you to get a passport and citizenship of a given country if you make an investment in this country’s economy. Citizenship by investment has become especially popular among wealthy individuals in the past several years and continues gaining popularity and attracting new investors.

Portugal has recently started a Golden Visa program which allows investors to obtain permanent residence and citizenship status within 5 years.

Why do you need citizenship by investment?

In contrast to traditional immigration processes, obtaining a second citizenship and a passport is much easier and quicker through citizenship-by-investment programs. You don’t have to put your lives on hold or make other disruptions in your schedule. If you have a high income, this “economic” citizenship may offer boundless opportunities to you.

There are plenty of reasons to invest in a second passport, ranging from visa-free travel to personal safety.

Education

Citizenship status automatically qualifies you as a domestic student, thereby offering you access to local world-class colleges and universities at a much smaller tuition fee.

Citizenship by Investment Experts

Family

Second citizenship programs allow members of the principal applicant’s family to become citizens of the new country too. It is a great opportunity to improve the lifestyle of your family members, by giving them access to better quality health care, schools, and secure communities.

Visa-free travel

Passports of the countries that offer economic citizenship programs enable your visa-free travel to many countries of the world, including those of the Schengen Area. For example, Afghani citizens have visa-free access to 20 countries and territories in the world, while the Maltese passport exempts you from the necessity to get a visa for travel to as many as 167 countries!

How much do you need to invest in Canada to get a PR?

There is no direct investment program in Canada. However, there are business and entrepreneur immigration programs. Depending on the program and the province you are going to invest, the money required ranges from $150,000 to $800,000 CAD.

Safety and Security

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, many countries of the world have experienced political turmoil and unrest, oftentimes accompanied by military action and property seizure. Second citizenship can offer you a “safe haven”, where you can be sure that nothing endangers your life and the life of your family.

Business

By obtaining your citizenship through investment, you not only get a second passport, but you also become an owner of a business/property. This opens new business opportunities for you, which you can easily explore by capitalizing on your extended travel freedom.

Citizenship By Investment Programs

Taxation

Many countries that propose economic citizenship offer more favourable tax rates, which provides room for tax optimization. In many countries, you have to pay tax only for the income earned in that country, with no taxes on global income.

Dual Citizenship

Antigua and Barbuda, Cyprus, Dominica, Grenada, Malta, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Portugal allow dual citizenship. There is no need to renounce your first passport and citizenship.

What’s in it for the countries?

The countries that offer citizenship by investment aspire to attract investments in their economies. For example, you may invest in real estate, land development and infrastructure projects in Cyprus, resort development in Grenada, or invest in the Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation in St. Kitts and Nevis.

You may learn more information about investment options, visa-free access and specific advantages and qualifications under the section for each country below.

These countries also offer you an opportunity to invest in land, real estate, property, resort villas and condominiums.

Citizenship By Investment By Country

Antigua & Barbuda

Cyprus

Dominica

Greece

Grenada

Ireland

Malta

Portugal

St. Kitts & Nevis

St Lucia

Turkey

Vanuatu

We Can Help With Citizenship By Investment

At Jane Katkova & Associates, we can help you with citizenship by investment. Choosing the right program is a critically important step in making a decision. We will be by your side through the complex process of making a choice on the country of your new citizenship, will guide and assist you through the process from beginning to the end to ensure its successful completion. The whole process usually takes 3-4 months to complete.

We will treat your case individually, and we will guide you every step of the way. Our ehuge experience and expertise in Citizenship by Investment Programs. We will be happy to offer our skills and knowledge to make sure you get your second passport easily and quickly.

Think About Tomorrow – Invest In A Second Passport

Citizenship By Investment Programs FAQ

Many countries worldwide offer programs that allow applicants to obtain residency or citizenship by investing in their country. There are numerous investment options, such as buying real estate, investing in government bonds, or donating to a specific fund. The investment requirements and fees associated with the investment vary depending on the chosen program/country.

Second citizenship has many benefits. One can access a safe and booming economy, preferred tax rates, business opportunities, exposure to global markets, visa-free travel to all parts of the world to you and your family members. Better quality of life, excellent, low-cost healthcare, and first-class education opportunities for your children

Every country has its specific requirements an applicant must fulfill to apply for citizenship or residency by investment programs. Some of the general recurring conditions are being over 18 years of age, having a clean criminal record, a legal source of funds, and investing in one of the government-approved options.

Depending on the country and citizenship program, it may take 4 to 10 years to obtain a second passport. In the Caribbean, citizenship can be obtained in as little as four months. It takes around six months for Cyprus and Malta. In Portugal, inventors can get citizenship in five years, and in Spain, it takes about 10 yers.

Every program has different dependents’ eligibility criteria; however, a spouse and underage children, biological or adopted, are usually included in the applications. Most programs allow for the inclusion of dependent children 18 and older and dependent parents and grandparents, as long as they fit the specific program’s requirements.

A Criminal record does not automatically disqualify you from applying. Every case is carefully assessed, and all relevant documentation is examined to determine eligibility.

No, none of the countries that offer second citizenship by investment require applicants to give up their birth nationality.

Citizenship by investment programs does not require the investor to live in the country to obtain citizenship. However, some citizenship programs require a short physical visit to grant you a passport. Residency programs could require some physical visits to keep the residency.

Generally, Citizenship by Investment programs does not require the investor to learn the language. On the other hand, Residency programs may require the applicant to meet minimum language criteria and pass a language test when applying for citizenship. Language requirements vary from country to country.

When choosing a program, there are several criteria to consider:

  1. How quickly do you need a second passport? Citizenship by investment programs usually grants you a second passport in a reasonably short period.
  2. Do you wish to move to another country or benefit from a second passport for travel or business/taxation reasons?
  3. What is your family composition and dependents’ ages? Some countries set a cut-off age for dependents, which may be costly for older dependents as they will need to apply for citizenship as independent, single applicants.

Not all nationalities are eligible for all citizenship by investment programs. Some countries
ban certain nationalities from applying, while others allow them; in most cases, there is always a plausible solution even to the most complex situation. Residency programs are also an alternative; even though it is a much longer process, they will grant you the right to reside in the chosen country and enjoy the benefits of being a resident. Once you fulfill the residency requirements, you may be eligible to apply for citizenship.

The costs of applying for a second passport depend on several factors; country, program, family composition, an investment option in a given program, such as donation or real estate investment, etc. Generally, certain countries in the Caribbean islands offer more economical citizenship by investment programs starting at USD 100,000 for a single applicant.

Canada’s federal Immigrant Investor Program was terminated in 2014. Quebec Immigrant Investor Program is currently on hold. For the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program individuals were not required to establish or actively manage a business in the province.

Instead there are other business immigration programs to Canada such as Start-up Visa Program and Self-Employed Person Program.

You cannot buy Canadian permanent residence. However, there are some popular programs through which you can apply to immigrate to Canada and get your permanent residence status of Canada.

  1. Express Entry program which includes Federal Skilled Worker program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
  2. Business Immigration (Start-up Visa, Self-Employed Person Program)
  3. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
  4. Family Class Sponsorship

What is the fastest way to get Canadian citizenship?

In order to get Canadian citizenship, you must get your PR first. After residing in Canada for 1095 days within the past five years before submitting your citizenship application, you may qualify to get your Canadian citizenship provided meeting other requirements such as language, and knowledge test.

For the first step, Express Entry is considered as the fastest way to get your PR.

Dual or multiple citizenship or nationality means that you are a citizen of more than one country. Dual or multiple citizenship is legal in Canada. However, if you are a dual citizen and travel to the other country where you hold citizenship, local authorities could refuse to give you access to Canadian consular services.

The following countries have the easiest pathways to obtain their citizenship:

Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Malta, Dominica and Portugal.

A Golden Visa usually refers to an immigration program which allows individuals with considerably high net worth to get a residence permit or in some cases citizenship in other countries by passive investments or purchasing a property.

 However, Canada does not have such Golden Visa or passive investment at the moment. The last active program was Quebec Immigration Investor Program which is on hold at the moment.

Instead, there are business immigration programs which are highly recommended, such as Self-Employed Person Program and Start-up Visa Program. 

Contact us today for more information:

+1 (416) 661-4487
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