2011-2012 saw a wave of "price hikes" across the entire immigration industry, with an increasing number of Chinese applicants facing the "test" of new immigration policies in various countries. Traditional immigration countries have frequently "changed their faces" regarding immigration policies, with thresholds constantly being raised: at the beginning of the year, Singapore's new immigration policy introduced residency requirements; in 7 July, Australia's new immigration policy adopted a points-based system while adding English language requirements; on 7 30, New Zealand launched a new policy for parent category immigration; in 8 August, Canada's skilled worker immigration program introduced new selection rules, raising language requirements... The continuous tightening and even policy-driven closures of immigration programs in various countries have made people nervous about the immigration landscape in 2013.
So, what trends will investment immigration show in 2013, and what changes will there be? Recently, Dr. Winner Xing, President of Worldway Group and an authoritative immigration expert, was invited to attend the 2013 Investment Immigration Trend Analysis Seminar, where he provided a detailed analysis of the major trends in investment immigration for next year and the immigration policies of key destination countries.
Three Major Immigration Flows
With the tightening of immigration policies in traditional immigration countries like Australia, Singapore, and Canada, the United States, Hong Kong, and Europe have emerged as alternatives. Against the backdrop of "price hikes" in major immigration countries, the immigration thresholds for the United States and Hong Kong have not been raised, and their inherent economic development and high welfare benefits have attracted numerous immigration applicants. In addition, Europe has begun to receive attention from an increasing number of Chinese applicants due to its relatively relaxed immigration policies, short processing cycles, the ability for investors to enjoy generous welfare conditions, and the opportunity for children to receive authentic European-style education, making it a new favorite for investment immigration.
1、 U.S. EB-5 Investment Immigration
The basic requirement for U.S. investment immigration is to invest 500,000 USD in a Targeted Employment Area (TEA) within a designated regional center and create 10 new full-time jobs to obtain a green card for the whole family. The 2013 EB-5 visa will present four major characteristics:
First, the 10,000 quota may be reached, which means there will be a backlog once the quota is full, and approval times will be extended.
Second, Chinese investors account for more than 80%, which means Chinese investors may need a longer waiting period. By the end of the 2012 fiscal year in October, a total of 7,641 visas were issued, of which 6,124 were for Chinese, accounting for 80.15%.
Third, numerous EB-5 investment projects are flooding into China, and project selection has become the key to success or failure. Currently, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has approved 245 regional centers, and for the 10,000 quota, this means that most projects will face failure, so project selection is crucial.
Fourth, I-526 is tightening, while I-829 is loosening, which is conducive to investors obtaining a permanent green card. According to data from the official USCIS website, the I-526 approval rate was 89% in 2010, 81% in 2011, and 79% in the first three quarters of 2012, while the I-829 approval rate was 89% in 2010, 96% in 2011, and 94% in the first three quarters of 2012. According to statistics from the Hong Kong Immigration Department, the Canadian approval rate is 60%, and the U.S. investment immigration approval rate is far higher than that of Canada.
Summary: Investors interested in a U.S. green card should apply as soon as possible to avoid backlogs and choose excellent EB-5 investment projects.
2、 Hong Kong Capital Investment Entrant Scheme
The Hong Kong Capital Investment Entrant Scheme is the investment immigration program closest to investors. Its basic requirements are: Mainland Chinese citizens must possess permanent residency in a third country and invest 10,000,000 HKD (approximately 8,000,000 RMB) in designated financial products in Hong Kong to obtain Hong Kong resident status for the whole family, enjoy Hong Kong welfare, including 12 years of free education and free medical care for the whole family, etc. After 7 years, they can become permanent residents of Hong Kong and be issued a Hong Kong passport. The three characteristics of Hong Kong investment immigration in 2013 are:
First, more Chinese investors will choose Hong Kong for investment immigration. From October 2003 to September 2012, a total of 15,999 families were formally approved, of which 13,688 were from Mainland China, accounting for 85.56%. In November and December 2012, the number of applicants for Hong Kong residency has already shown an increasing trend.
Second, the investment threshold may be raised in 2013. On October 14, 2010, the Hong Kong SAR government raised the investment amount from 6,500,000 HKD to 10,000,000 HKD and stipulated that the plan be reviewed every three years. This means that by October 2013 at the latest, there will be policy adjustments. There are recent rumors that policy adjustments may be made in the new Chief Executive's Policy Address in January.
Third, more and more people are paying attention to investment safety and return stability. When the Hong Kong Capital Investment Entrant Scheme was launched in 2003, many investors often pursued high returns, but due to frequent changes in the financial market, coupled with the U.S. financial crisis and the Greek debt crisis, the Hong Kong stock market has been in an unstable state, causing more investors to focus on investment safety and return stability when choosing investment products.
Summary: Investors interested in the Hong Kong investment immigration project should act as soon as possible to prevent policy changes and choose safe financial products with stable returns.
3、 EU Investment Immigration
The EU was not previously a traditional immigration destination and did not have immigration regulations specifically for investors, but due to the European debt crisis, Cyprus took the lead in opening the door to EU immigration in January 2012, allowing investors to obtain EU permanent residency by purchasing property in Cyprus. Cyprus has also leaped to become the most convenient gateway to enter the EU.
The Cyprus property purchase immigration project entered China in January this year. The basic requirements are to purchase 300,000 EUR of permanent property, have 30,000 EUR in fixed deposits, and have overseas sources of income to obtain permanent residency for the whole family, with an approval time of 1-2 months. From January to November this year, more than 800 Chinese families have purchased property in Cyprus and applied for permanent residency. It is expected that this number will double in 2013. Worldway Group learned from the President of the Cyprus Land Development Association that housing prices will begin to climb in the spring of 2013. In addition, with the active promotion of Worldway Group, it is possible that direct flights between China and Cyprus will be opened in the summer of 2013. By then, more and more Chinese will invest in Cyprus, making Cyprus their second home in Europe and a Mediterranean vacation and health resort.
Summary: Cyprus is currently the only country in the EU where you can obtain permanent residency in one step by purchasing property. Housing prices are about to rise, and now is the best time for property purchase immigration.
Immigration Investment Methods
Today's immigration investment is investment for the purpose of immigration. Through immigration investment, one can not only obtain immigration status but also optimize the allocation of personal assets.
1、 Asset Allocation for Immigration
In the process of immigration investment, there are mainly three types of allocation for personal assets in 2013: RMB assets allocated to USD assets, such as the U.S. EB-5 visa; RMB assets allocated to HKD assets, such as the Hong Kong Capital Investment Entrant Scheme; and RMB assets allocated to EUR assets, such as the Cyprus property purchase immigration project.
As more and more investors realize that having all assets in RMB will face great risks. Due to the European debt crisis, the Euro has fallen to a historical low. This is a better time to convert RMB into Euro assets because the Euro will return to its original price after the European debt crisis. According to Worldway Group's successful experience in handling property purchase immigration projects in Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore, while investors obtain immigration status for the whole family, the purchased properties also rise year by year. As long as a country opens its immigration door with property, property prices will rise sooner or later, so Europe is facing the same situation now.
2、Immigration Investment Methods
2013 popular immigration investment mainly has three methods:
First, project investment: investing in a specific operating project in the form of debt or preferred stock, but not participating in management.
Second, financial investment: purchasing financial products allowed by immigration regulations, such as stocks, bonds, etc., through a regulated financial capital market.
Third, property investment: purchasing residential property with permanent property rights, which can not only obtain immigration status but also enjoy the returns of property appreciation.
3、Three Focus Points of Immigration Investment
First, legality: immigration investment must pay special attention to whether it complies with immigration regulations, which is the key to success.
Second, safety: the safety of immigration investment outweighs profitability. Worldway Group kindly reminds investors not to be tempted by high profits and to focus on safety first.
Third, return stability: immigration investment should choose stable investment products, and on the basis of legality and safety, choose investment methods or products with stable returns.
In today's globalized world, convenient international status and reasonable global allocation of assets are increasingly becoming necessities for successful people, and investment immigration, as an investment for the purpose of obtaining international status, successfully meets these two needs and has become the best choice for many successful people to obtain an international lifestyle. In 2013, the overall situation will continue to maintain price hikes and tightening. If you have investment immigration needs, please plan early.
