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Global Residence - FAQs

+ General

1. What is “Residency by Investment”?

Residency by Investment (also known as Golden Visa) is a process whereby individuals, along with their eligible family members, are able to acquire permanent resident status in a country in exchange for making a specified quantum of investment in eligible categories.

2. What is permanent residency?

"Permanent Residency" is a visa status which allows the holder of a designated Permanent Resident Card to reside in a country and enjoy all the benefits of that status.

3. Can Permanent Residency lead to citizenship?

In most cases, permanent residency status can lead to citizenship by naturalization provided a permanent resident has complied with certain conditions (which can differ from country to country).

4. Does any “Residency by Investment” program require me to prove my educational qualifications, age, business experience, language proficiency and/or job offer?

Some jurisdictions may require you to be under a certain age, some might require proof of business/managerial experience, while some may require you to prove language proficiency.

However, most Residency by Investment Programs do not require you to prove any of the above. A mere investment is all it takes to get a Permanent Resident Card. Contact us to determine which region and country is best for you.

5. What are some of the common eligibility requirements for Residency by Investment Programs?

The factors most common to all are:

  • Having a clean criminal record
  • Showing legal source of funds that are to be invested
  • Investment in a government approved option
6. Why Should One Have Permanent Residency?

Getting European citizenship sometimes may not be an easy task. You can get the permanent residency status by that allows the bearer to legally stay in the host country. This permanent residency will provide you a way to reside in the country and also to carry out all the functions except run or vote for office.

This seems like a pretty much easy way to gain access to become PR of a country. But there are some of the requirements that must be fulfilled before you can become a PR. You must know the language of the country, studied in the country or have work experience in the country.

If the PR resident lives in a country for a certain number of years then they are eligible to get citizenship in the form of citizenship by neutralization.

7. How can I upgrade my resident status with a Residency by Investment program ?

Residency by Investment is when an investor who wishes to become a resident of a specific country does so by virtue of a financial investment, normally in the form of a real estate purchase or government bonds. Often an investor will initially have to become a Temporary Resident, with a limit on the amount of time they can spend in that country. After 3-5 years (depending on the country) an investor can apply for Permanent Residency which entitles them to remain in that country without limitation, be eligible for state benefits and be able to establish a business there.

After a year of permanent residency, an investor can then apply for full citizenship of that country. Only as a citizen will they become a passport holder, and benefit accordingly from the visa-free travel that a new passport brings. As a resident, one can benefit from that country domestically, but as a citizen, those benefits become international.

+ Cyprus

1. Why do investors want to obtain permanent residence in Cyprus?

Cyprus is a member of the European Union and strategically located between Europe, Asia and Africa. The living standard is high, crime rate is low and the island enjoys around 300 days of sunshine each year. A permanent residence holder can obtain easily visa to visit other EU countries. Moreover, after 5 years of having obtained the PR, the investor can under certain conditions apply for citizenship.

2. What type of investments qualify someone to apply for the PR?

You can invest in real estate, Cyprus's companies or Cyprus's funds.

  • Real estate: buy a residence or 2 residences or 1 residence and 1 office or 1 residence and 1 shop. The purchase price must be a minimum of €300.000.
  • Cyprus's companies: a real company with at least 5 employees.
  • Cyprus's funds: Units of Cyrups Investment Funds, AIF, AIFLNP and RAIF.
3. Can I buy an empty plot of land without a residence?

No. Buying land does not allow the investor to apply for PR under the provisions of this category.

4. Can my spouse and children obtain the PR as well?

The spouse of the applicant and underage children can also obtain the PR. Adult children until the age of 25 can also apply for the PR if they are financially dependent on the applicant.

5. Are there any other requirements in order to obtain the PR?

The applicant for the PR, besides having to prove that he has indeed purchased real estate worth a minimum of 300.000 Euros must also provide documentation demonstrating the following:

a) Clean criminal record for the applicant and his/her spouse.

b) Secured annual income coming from abroad to Cyprus. This should be a minimum of 30.000 Euros for the applicant and an additional 5.000 for every dependent of the applicant.

c) A 3 year fixed term deposit with a Cypriot bank for a minimum of 30.000 Euros.

d) Health Insurance Policy for the applicant and his dependents.

e) Official statement that the applicant does not intend to work in Cyprus.

6. How long will it take until I obtain the PR?

Around 2 months from the date the application and attached documentation has been submitted to the Migration authorities.

+ Malta

1. Who can apply?

Adults over 18 years of age, with the exception of nationals from EU and EEA countries, Switzerland, Afghanistan and North Korea, are eligible to apply.

2. Who qualifies as dependants?

The spouse/partner of the Main Applicant; unmarried and economically dependent children of the Main Applicant and/or their spouse/partner; and parents and grandparents of either the Main Applicant or of their spouse/partner. Adult dependants must be able to prove that they are not fully economically active and are principally dependant on the Main Applicant.

3. Do parents or grandparents applying have to be above a certain age?

No, there are no age limits.

4. Can household staff be eligible as dependents?

No.

5. In the case of an application for the entire family, are there additional fees?

€30,000 covers the Main Applicant, their spouse/partner and any unmarried economically dependent children. Parents and grandparents of the Main Applicant and/or their spouse/ partner are required to pay an additional € 5,000 each.

6. What is the validity period of the Residence Certificate and the Residence Card?

The Residence Certificate does not expire. The Residence Card is valid for 5 years.

+ United States

1. What is an EB- 5 Visa?

The United States EB-5 visa is an Immigrant Investor Visa Program that allows eligible Immigrant Investors to become lawful permanent residents or to get the “green card” for the whole family. Thanks to EB-5 visa, husband/wife in law and all non-married children below 21 years old of the investors can get the “green card” and have a full right of a U.S permanent resident.

According to new EB-5 visa regualations, you must deposit at least $800,000 if investing in TEAs (Targeted Employment Area) and $1.05 million for other locations to get an EB-5 visa. The duration for approval lasts for 3-4 years

After that, all family members will enjoy a high standard of life including getting benefits from high-quality medical service, education, and other well-beings similar to a U.S citizen apart from election rights.The children can stay in school for free of tuition until age 18 and then can attend higher education at a lower tuition rates compared to foreign students. After 5 years, the investors and his/her family can apply for the U.S citizenship.

2. What is an E2 Visa?

Inspired in part by its capitalist system, a central purpose of the U.S.’ immigration system is to grant admission to foreign nationals who are anticipated to have a positive impact on the U.S. economy, society, and the job market. For foreign investors, this can mean very good news!

Specifically, for business people looking to invest in, direct, and develop a bona fide enterprise in the United States, the E-2 visa classification can very well open the doors.

3. What are I-526 requirements?

Many forms of evidence may be used to prove that all of I-526 petition requirements have been met by the applicant:

Requirement: an EB-5 eligible project has received/will receive the investment Evidence: articles of incorporation, merger or consolidation certificates, joint venture or limited partnership agreements, state business certificates

Requirement: the appropriate investment amount has been made in the project Evidence: bank statements, security agreements, promissory notes, loan or mortgage certificates, other evidence that sufficiently illustrates the investment amount

Requirement: the capital investment was obtained through lawful means (legal source of funds) Evidence: five years of tax returns, pay stubs of the funds coming from earnings from an employer, bank account statements, securities statements (if the funds came from trading/bonds/stocks)

Requirement: the investment will create 10 full-time U.S. jobs
Evidence: a business plan

Requirement: the investor will be involved with day-to-day management or will have a policy-making position within the EB-5 project

Evidence: corporate documents, statement and description of duties.

4. Who files the I-526?

I-526 petitions are usually completed by immigration attorneys. They are submitted to the USCIS California Service Center. The filing fee for the I-526 petition is $3,675. USCIS will occasionally request more evidence as needed. It currently takes the USCIS 24 to 26 months to adjudicate an I-526 application. EB-5 visa applicants can apply for U.S. residential status once the I-526 petition is complete. They do so by filing the form I-485 adjustment of status if they are already in the United States as a nonimmigrant, or by filing the DS-260 application if they are abroad.

5. What is the I-829 petition?

The I-829 petition is the final step of the EB-5 visa process for immigrant investors to become lawful permanent residents of the United States. The I-829 petition includes evidence that the immigrant investor successfully met all United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requirements of the EB-5 program. Once the I-829 is approved, the investor’s conditional residency restriction is removed so that the investor, their spouse and their unmarried children under the age of 21 can live in the United States permanently.

The EB-5 investor can file the I-829 petition with USCIS starting 90 days before the end of the two year conditional permanent status period. The applicant’s conditional residency will be extended while the I-829 is processed. The I-829 application must be filed within 21 to 24 months of the investor’s two year conditional residency period, otherwise the ability to obtain a permanent residency card can be jeopardized.

6. What are I-829 requirements?

There are numerous pieces of evidence that EB-5 investors must supply within the I-829 petition to prove that they have fulfilled all EB-5 program requirements:

Requirement: conditional permanent resident card (green card)
Evidence: photocopy of permanent investor’s permanent resident card, photocopy of permanent resident cards of all EB-5 family members

Requirement: proof that a commercial enterprise was established
Evidence: federal tax returns

Requirement: proof that the capital investment was made
Evidence: audited financial statements, bank statements, other evidence to demonstrate that the new commercial evidence received the investor’s funds

Requirement: proof that the commercial enterprise was sustained throughout the two year conditional residency period
Evidence: invoices, receipts, bank statements, contracts, business licenses, federal tax returns, state tax returns, quarterly tax statements

Requirement: evidence that the required number of jobs were created by the project and that the business plan was followed
Evidence: payroll records, relevant tax documents

Requirement: biometrics services
Evidence: applicant must attend USCIS biometrics appointment where the applicant’s fingerprints, signature and photograph are taken

Requirement: legal documents must be provided if the applicant has a criminal history Evidence: law enforcement statements, arrest records, sentencing records, probation or parole records, other court records relating to the criminal history.

About Us

Global Immigration Services Group (GIS) is an Immigration Services Provider focusing on Second Citizenship by investment programs & Residency Programs.

We offer a variety of Second Passport options including but not limited to; Caribbean Citizenships such as Saint Kitts & Nevis, Grenada and Dominica. European Second Citizenship by investment programs inclusive of Cyprus and Malta. As well as other Residency Programs such as Portugal and Greece...

Our selection of established and well-respected Developers, excellent Government Relations and Caribbean Contacts makes us the obvious choice for all your Citizen & Residency needs.