Latest / IMI Podcasts / This Week in IM - Oct 16: 🏆 IMI Person of the Year, 🇪🇺Pushes Visa Waiver Suspension System, 🇧🇼 Registers 464 in First Week, ++

Transcript

This Week in IM - Oct 16: 🏆 IMI Person of the Year, 🇪🇺Pushes Visa Waiver Suspension System, 🇧🇼 Registers 464 in First Week, ++ · IMI Podcasts

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: You're listening to IMI this week.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: The United Arab Emirates has become the first nation to extend full consular services to golden visa holders.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs unveiled the initiative and described it as a forward-thinking move to strengthen trust and community.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: Jeremy Savory called it a new global benchmark, while IMI person of the year Jeffrey Hensler said it turns the UAE's golden visa into a symbol of belonging.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: The EU Parliament's new visa suspension reform directly targets citizenship by investment programs.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: Rapporteur Matyaj Nemek emphasized the mechanism as a strategic foreign policy tool.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: IMI pros and experts generally agree that the EU's opposition to RCBI is ideological and unending.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: David Lincoln and Raphael Sintrone of Wealthy Expat maintain that the decision's impact is already absorbed by the market.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Canada has begun deploying AI, which assigns compliance scores to travelers across its immigration and border systems.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: IMI Pro Patrick McCarthy supports AI's role in improving efficiency, while David Lesperance cautions against allowing AI to make final decisions.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Afshin Sarhangpur emphasizes AI's potential for fraud detection, and Rafael Cintron foresees its expansion into global programs.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: Ahmad Abbas reports that Canada's startup visa program now takes more than 10 years for new applicants, with the IRCC citing a backlog of about 43,200 cases.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Entrepreneur applicants from 2022 onward face decade-long waits.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: IMI Pro Slava Appel notes that despite the government's fixes, only priority files tied to Canadian investment or tech network incubators are moving, while others stagnate.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: The French Prime Minister has resigned after just 26 days in office, marking the country's third government collapse in under a year and plunging the administration into chaos.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: At the heart of the crisis is economist Gabriel Zuckman's proposed 2% annual tax on households worth over 100 million euros.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: IMI pro Bastien Trellcat warned that the administration now faces a difficult choice: appoint another doomed premier or risk strengthening the opposition.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: IMI has named Jeffrey Henseler its person of the year 2025, recognizing his role in launching the Saint Tomei and Principe CYP, the first priced below$100,000.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: IMI Pros, Felipe May, Hkon Kordelec, Eric Major, and Stephen Barnes have praised his innovation, integrity, and speed of execution in making second citizenship accessible to the global middle class.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: The program's Dubai-based, privately operated CIU marks a historic model for efficiency and investor proximity.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: IME Pro.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: Alatin Kelich explains how investment migration firms can capture the surge of relocating millionaires in 2025 by focusing on clarity, credibility, and speed.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: With major program updates in Spain, Greece, Portugal, and New Zealand reshaping the market, he argues that accuracy now determines survival.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: Firms that build trust through transparent data, program specialization, and consistent messaging will dominate.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: Botswana's forthcoming citizenship by investment program has already attracted 464 registrations of interest from 77 countries.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: Art and Capital reported, single applicants can expect total costs under$100,000, while families will remain below$120,000, including due diligence and government fees.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: India, the United States, and South Africa lead interests so far.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: The initiative remains in a pre-launch phase, yet Art and expects the first applications to be processed in early 2026.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: Dominica, Barbados, Belize, and St.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: Vincent and the Grenadines have launched free movement for their citizens, enabling residents and employment across all four countries without visas or permits.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: The Prime Minister's highlighted the agreement's balance between opportunity and security, supported by vetting systems managed through CARICOM Impacts.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: The success of this four-nation model could determine whether other CARICOM members adopt full mobility in the future.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: Portugal is preparing to raise its property transfer tax on non-residents in a bid to ease the housing crisis.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: Noting international buyers represent only 5% of transactions, Ana Figueres predicts the government will design the measure cautiously to avoid damaging Portugal's investor-friendly image.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: She also argues the surcharge will have little impact without tackling deeper supply issues.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: Non-EU buyers currently spend nearly double the average of locals.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for joining us today on IMI Podcasts.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: Subscribe for free to the IMI Daily Newsletter for breaking news and updates from the investment migration industry, and consider upgrading your membership to IMI Pro to get access to our exclusive professional community, industry events, data, and members only content.