Investment Migration People in the News: Buying 2nd Home Abroad is a “Go-Bag Option”

Investment migration people in the news this week included:

• David Lesperance of Lesperance & Associates
• Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest
• Satyendra Shrivastava of Consortia Legal
• Abhinav Lohia of Golden Gate Global
• Christian Kälin and Dominic Volek of Henley & Partners
• Zuberu Kadiri of RIF Trust
• Latitude Group
• Carel van der Merwe of EB5 Coast To Coast

David Lesperance of Lesperance and Associates has had a busy week, appearing in three media outlets as well as a podcast:

Financial Planning – 11 tax tips on mortgages and homeownership

Buying a home in another country could serve as either a “go-bag” option or a key aspect of living abroad or total expatriation from the country, according to Lesperance. More clients from across the political spectrum are considering international moves due to a variety of issues including climate change, mass shootings, crime or high taxes, he said.

[…]

“Because you’ve got the right fire insurance and fire escape plans, you’ve got optionality,” Lesperance said. “You can buy properties in most countries.”

Spear’s – The UHNW non-doms leaving the UK to escape a Labour government

But now that Starmer has ‘nailed his colours to the mast by going after Sunak’s wife’, Lesperance says many of these same non-doms are asking what the consequences would be if they were suddenly subject to UK taxes on their worldwide income.

[…] 

It could be in the millions – particularly for international founders who might be subject to UK capital gains tax if they have a liquidity event, or if the inheritance tax net were cast wider, capturing more assets than before. ‘Sorry, you want 40 per cent of all of my stuff?’ says Leseperance. ‘As one client said to me, “London’s nice. It ain’t that nice.”

Coin Telegraph – Binance Russia buyer tightlipped on owners, denies CZ involvement

On the other hand, some crypto observers believe that such a move would undermine Binance’s whole decision to leave Russia. “Obviously U.S. authorities could quickly determine if the new owners were simply straw men for Binance. This would make the situation look even worse than if Binance just held onto the business,” Lesperance & Associates founder David Lesperance told Cointelegraph.

Scale Up Podcast – David Lesperance On Designing Your Tax Efficient Back Up Plan

Nick talks to David Lesperance, a tax advisor and international tax expert, about the complex world of tax mitigation and strategic planning for entrepreneurs and business owners looking to optimise their wealth and minimise tax liabilities. David shares his extensive experience in helping clients navigate the intricacies of residency, citizenship, and domicile options in various jurisdictions, and emphasises the importance of understanding individual goals, family needs, and wildfire concerns to develop tailored strategies.

The Economic Times – Why HNIs from India are exploring residence-through-investment programmes overseas

“Numerous citizenship by investment (CBI) programmes grant visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to a wide array of countries, including prominent business hubs and travel destinations like Hong Kong, China, the UK and Europe. This newfound freedom of movement holds exceptional value for businesspersons, investors, and frequent travellers, facilitating the expansion of personal and professional networks,” says Veronica Cotdemiey, CEO of Citizenship Invest, a Dubai-based citizenship advisory firm.

[…]

“Post Covid, many countries launched residency and citizenship programmes through investment and others with existing programmes relaxed conditions surrounding residency/settlement,” says Satyendra Shrivastava, senior partner, Consortia Legal. The investment amount for the US’ EB-5 visa programme, for example, dropped from $900,000 to $800,000.

[…]

Aside from the education opportunities, Abhinav Lohia, MD, Global Business Development at Golden Gate Global, an EB-5 investment fund, credits the increase in demand to H-1B backlogs. “Apart from being the fastest way to get a green card, the new laws allow EB-5 applicants who are based in the United States to apply for adjustment of status. This means they can move from a student visa or a work visa (H-1B) directly to an EB-5 visa without leaving the United States,” says Lohia, adding that a lohia, adding that a lot of children from HNI families have availed of this option.

[…]

To do this, however, people need to physically relocate and spend at least six months in that country to become a tax resident. “The UAE is the obvious one because there’s no income tax,” says Dominic Volek, group head of private clients at Henley & Partners. “If you’re an Indian HNI who might have built a business over 10-15 years and potentially you want to exit that business or you have some sort of liquidity event coming up, you might start planning 3-5 years before and move to Dubai or some other tax-efficient jurisdiction so that when that ‘liquidity event’ happens, you are much more efficient from a tax-planning perspective.”

The Guardian – Britain punishing poorer nations that sell citizenship is simplistic and destructive

A report last year by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project highlighted one of the best-known firms enabling these passport sales, Henley & Partners, whose chairman, Christian Kälin, has been dubbed the “Passport King”. The report illustrated the number of CBI applicants from countries including Russia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Armenia and Nigeria attempting to gain citizenship in Antigua and Barbuda and St Kitts and Nevis.

Business Day – What Canada’s visa-free travel policy means for Nigerians

“Canada is one of the highly-desirable destinations for Nigerians, whether for study, business, or leisure. This boosts the Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Dominica, and Grenada Citizenship-by-Investment programmes in Nigeria. Securing any of these Citizenship-by-Investment programmes streamlines and expedites the process for thousands of Nigerians,” Zuberu Kadiri, Country Manager, RIF Trust Nigeria said.

[…]

Citizenship-by-Investment and Residency-by-Investment programmes have become popular choices and “Plan Bs” for Nigerians and their families, according to RIF Trust, part of the Latitude Group, an international investment migration advisory firm that have assisted over 6,000 clients and their families to secure global access through Citizenship and Residency-by-Investment programmes.

Financial Express – US EB-5 Visa: How new laws safeguard investors interest?

Carel van der Merwe of EB5 Coast To Coast pens an op-ed discussing the effect of the new EB5 regulations. 

One of the most noteworthy alterations pertains to the introduction of fresh reporting guidelines for regional centers. These guidelines mandate that regional centers must furnish routine updates to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) regarding the status of their investors and the advancement of their projects.

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Furthermore, the kinds of projects that are open to EB-5 investors have changed dramatically in addition to the modifications imposed by the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022. We have also seen an increase in the number of innovative projects that offer more appealing potential for EB-5 investors in recent years.

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