In 2018, immigration policies and conditions in various countries were unpredictable, making it an extraordinary year. So, what will the immigration market look like in 2019? Grasping the trends is key to the future! The expert team at WorldWay Group has conducted thorough research and analysis based on the development of the immigration industry in 2018 and the trends in immigration policies across countries, monitoring policy dynamics while consulting with relevant immigration professionals and some investors, and authoritatively released the "Six Major Immigration Trends for 2019." This marks the fourth consecutive year since 2015 that WorldWay Group has forecasted immigration trends.
1. The Moldova Investment Citizenship Program is emerging as a mainstream popular project in the investment immigration market
Since its official launch at the "12th Global Residence and Citizenship Conference" in November 2018, the Moldova Investment Citizenship Program has rapidly gained popularity worldwide! As the first fast passport program in a European country, it requires an investment starting from only 100,000 euros, comparable to prices in Caribbean and South Pacific nations, allowing entire families across three generations to quickly obtain passports from a European country, with a fast approval speed. Currently, Moldova has signed free trade agreements with multiple countries and regions, including the European Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Russia, and Turkey, which is very favorable for business. Coupled with its advantageous tax system, eligibility for the U.S. E-2 visa, and a good national reputation, this project stands out and is set to become a mainstream popular project in the investment immigration market in 2019.
2. The focus of investment citizenship projects will shift from Commonwealth island nations to continental Europe
In recent years, investment citizenship projects in Commonwealth island nations located in the Caribbean and South Pacific have attracted increasing attention from investors, turning these previously obscure islands into well-known countries. In 2018, countries around the Balkan Peninsula in continental Europe began to successively launch or adjust their investment citizenship policies, such as Moldova's investment citizenship program requiring only 100,000 euros; Montenegro's investment citizenship program starting at 550,000 euros/350,000 euros; and Turkey's adjustment of its investment citizenship policy, reducing the investment amount by 75%, allowing citizenship through real estate purchases starting at only 250,000 USD. In 2019, new European countries in the Balkan region will continue to launch or adjust their investment citizenship policies, making investment citizenship projects no longer exclusive to island nations, and more investors are likely to prefer investing the same amount in these continental European countries.
3. The EB-5 investment immigration market in mainland China will gradually recover in 2019
The United States is gradually implementing stricter non-immigrant visa policies, including tightening the issuance of student visas for mainland Chinese students, especially restricting visas for students pursuing studies in sensitive and technological fields; in 2019, the U.S. plans to implement the largest reform of the H1B visa since 1990 (including: raising H1B application qualifications, changing lottery rules to increase the selection rate for master's degrees and above, and canceling the legal work opportunities for spouses of H1B visa holders under H4 visas). This will further stimulate the rigid demand growth in the EB-5 investment immigration market in mainland China, and investors with rigid demand have gradually accepted the reality of EB-5 visa waiting times after years of understanding.
At the same time, the long-discussed increase in EB-5 investment immigration fees is likely to be finalized in 2019. This will significantly reduce the demand for investment immigration from the Vietnamese and Indian markets, thereby alleviating the EB-5 visa waiting times for future investors from mainland China to some extent.
4. The Portugal Golden Residence Permit Program will see rational growth
In 2018, the Portuguese government successively introduced open immigration incentive policies. On July 6, the latest "Amendment to the Portuguese Nationality Law" was officially promulgated, relaxing citizenship requirements, reducing the residency requirement from 6 years to 5 years; on October 1, the new Portuguese law No. 9 came into effect, allowing holders of the Golden Residence Permit and their dependents to apply for permanent residency after holding the Golden Residence Permit for 5 years, with the residency requirement eliminated after obtaining permanent residency; at the same time, the investment method of purchasing property starting from 350,000 euros to obtain Golden Residence Permits for the entire family will become more mature and diversified in 2019; the investment method of purchasing funds starting from 350,000 euros that meets immigration requirements will attract widespread attention from investors and will be widely accepted. Due to the adjustments in the above immigration policies, the value of the Portugal Golden Residence Permit will be re-evaluated by immigration investors, which will promote a rational increase in the Portugal Golden Residence Permit Program.
5. Brexit will make EU passport programs highly popular
Official news from the UK confirms that it will exit the EU at midnight on March 29, 2019; on November 25, 2018, the leaders of the 27 EU countries, excluding the UK, officially approved the Brexit agreement draft previously reached with the UK at a special EU summit; the EU citizen settlement scheme will be fully implemented on March 30, 2019, allowing applicants who obtain residency in the UK as EU citizens before the deadline of June 30, 2021, to remain unaffected by Brexit and continue to live, work, study, etc. in the UK.
As a member of the EU where one can obtain an EU passport through property purchase, Cyprus allows holders of the Cyprus passport to apply for residency in the UK as long as they meet the residency requirements; after meeting certain conditions, they can apply for British citizenship. Thanks to Brexit, the Cyprus EU passport program will become highly popular.
6. Identity planning will become an important motivation for immigration
Currently, the trend of international asset allocation is becoming increasingly evident, and investors' asset allocation considerations have gradually shifted from purely tax planning and wealth planning to identity planning—asset allocation begins with identity. When identity planning becomes an important consideration in immigration and asset allocation, it relates to many aspects of life, such as fertility planning, family planning, education planning, health planning, retirement planning, vacation planning, tax planning, wealth planning, business planning, etc. In 2019, more investors will make immigration decisions due to identity planning needs, and identity planning will become an important motivation and new trend in investment immigration.
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