On December 22, 2017, the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) updated the content regarding the Immigrant Investor Programme on its official website. The key updates are as follows:
1. Visas: When applicants prepare to land in Ireland to have their visas stamped and receive their status, they may not use short-stay visas (Type C visas) or BIVS-stamped visas; they must use long-stay (Type D) visas for stamping.
2. It is reiterated that investment activities within the Irish Immigrant Investor Programme are considered a matter of obligation between the investor and a third party; the Irish government bears no responsibility.
3. 2018 Application Submission Windows: Compared to last year, there are still 5 submission windows throughout the year, but the duration for each window has been shortened to 2 weeks! The continuously rising number of applicants has led the immigration office to adopt various measures to limit application volume. Raising the threshold next year is inevitable!
4. Updated application forms for January 2018.
5. 2018 Irish Immigrant Investor Programme Guidelines:
The 2018 Irish Immigrant Investor Programme Guidelines list only 4 current investment options, removing the previous 2: mixed investment and government bonds. The 4 viable investment options are as follows:
① Enterprise Investment of 1 million Euros;
② Investment Fund;
③ Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT);
④ Endowment (Donation);