The Coronavirus (Covid-19) has brought an unprecedented crisis to the citizenship and residence by investment industry. As a part of preventive measures, golden visa schemes in Europe have been mostly suspended,
On March 11, 2020, WHO announced COVID-19 as a Global pandemic, since then various countries have imposed border lockdowns and grounding all flights. Tourism and travel has been hit worldwide. The up to date travel restrictions is updated frequently by IATA
Here is a quick overview of what is happening with Citizenship by investment (Cbi) and Golden visas (GV) amid the outbreak of global pandemic
Citizenship by investment
Citizenship by investment programs are open and running normally and none of the schemes are suspended yet.
This week five Citizenship by Investment Units (CIUs) of Caribbean governments have announced the staff are working remotely from home and applications can be filed online through the dedicated online platforms setup by governments, making it simple, faster and easier for clients and agents. This also reduces processing times.
- Grenada
- Dominica
- Saint Lucia
- St Kitts and Nevis
- Antigua and Barbuda
Agents can file applications online instead of hard paper copies which must be retained for later submission. CIUs now certificate of citizenship in digital format accepted by other authorities. Passports are issued as normal but may face delays due to reduced airline and logistics operations.
Oaths of allegiance can now be submitted in written format or taken online video chat link, instead of appearing in person.
CIUs are also in the process of implementing online payments for passport programs.
Here are the latest status for CBI programs
| Antigua and Barbuda | open |
| St Kitts and Nevis | open |
| Dominica | open |
| Grenada | open |
| Saint Lucia | open |
| Vanuatu | open |
| Malta | open |
| Cyprus | open |
| Montenegro | open |
| Turkey | open |
Golden Visas
As Coronavirus continues to spread rapidly across Europe, several countries have closed the immigration offices and appointments to protect staff and workers. All visas and residence permits are automatically extended during the emergency period (force majeure).
| Portugal | Suspended (until Jul 1) |
| Greece | Suspended |
| Malta MRV | open |
| United States EB-5 | open |
| Canada | open |
| Ireland | visas suspended |
| United Kingdom (tier1 investor) | visas suspended |
| Latvia | short/long term visas suspended |
Please contact us for up to date information as the situations are change quickly and unpredictable.
