Latest / IMI Podcasts / This Week in IM - Mar 27: 🇪🇺 EES Catches 4K, 🇬🇧 2.9M Hidden Citizens, 🇩🇲 Suspends Iranian CBI Apps, ++

Transcript

This Week in IM - Mar 27: 🇪🇺 EES Catches 4K, 🇬🇧 2.9M Hidden Citizens, 🇩🇲 Suspends Iranian CBI Apps, ++ · IMI Podcasts

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: You're listening to IMI this week.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: Of 2.9 million people holding British national overseas, citizenship, roughly 2 million, do not have a valid passport, and many may not know they hold a form of UK citizenship at all.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: IMI Pro Marco Peck breaks down the six types of British nationality, the BO visas path to full British citizenship after six years, and why the BO passport offers visa-free access to 139 countries despite conferring no right of abode anywhere.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China each take a fundamentally different approach to foreign capital, and all five are getting more expensive.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Japan's business manager visa now requires a six-fold increase to 30 million yen after widespread abuse by shell companies, while Hong Kong's new capital investment entrance scheme demands 30 million Hong Kong dollars in passive portfolio investment.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: The guide maps each program's costs, physical presence rules, and the trade-offs that separate an active business obligation from a passive fund deposit.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: Seven otherwise high-tax European countries offer special regimes that cap, flatten, or eliminate taxation on foreign sourced income for qualifying newcomers.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: The ranking covers programs from Spain's Beckham Law to Italy's flat tax, comparing duration, eligibility, and the specific income types each regime shields.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: For investors choosing between golden visas in different EU jurisdictions, the tax regime may matter more than the residency threshold itself.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: EMI Pro.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: Eva Maria Kullman discusses how she entered the investment migration industry, what surprises her most about the current market, and why the rise of social media personalities positioning themselves as financial authorities is a trend to watch.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: The interview covers her take on the industry's direction and what she would change about her own career path with the benefit of hindsight.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Existing citizenship by investment passports issued before April 14th will expire for travel purposes on July 31st, 2027, unless holders complete biometric enrollment.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: The deadline affects thousands of CBI passport holders who obtain citizenship before the new biometric system launched, and agents will need to coordinate in-person enrollment for clients scattered across dozens of countries.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: Denmark has frozen thousands of pending citizenship applications ahead of an election, with new rules that may apply retroactively to cases already in the pipeline.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: The parliamentary naturalization system, which requires individual legislative approval for each batch of applicants, leaves those affected with no legal recourse to challenge the delay or any change criteria.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: Dominica has reversed course on a market it reopened just four years ago, suspending citizenship by investment applications from Iranian nationals amid the U.S.-Iran conflict.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: The move comes as Caribbean programs face growing pressure to tighten nationality restrictions, though some caveats still apply to the scope of the suspension.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: The EU's new digital border system flagged more than 4,000 overstayers in the Schengen area during its first four months, generating the kind of data that feeds the bloc's new visa suspension mechanism.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: The system lowered the overstay threshold that can trigger loss of visa-free access for entire nationalities, raising the stakes for any country whose passport holders routinely push the 90-180-day rule.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: Malaysia's revamped MM2H program approved 3,172 applications in 2025, generating an estimated 3.875 billion ringgit, roughly$983 million, in fixed deposits and property purchases exceeding the prior three years combined total by 67%.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: Silver tier accounted for 83.5% of approvals, while platinum, which requires a$1 million deposit, registered just$46.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: The rebound from the disastrous 2021 overhaul is now quantifiable, but new due diligence protocols and a firm wall between MM2H and permanent residency signal that Kuala Lumper wants volume without the political risk.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: Both Malta and Cyprus grant immediate permanent residency to non-EU investors, but the programs diverge on Schengen access, family inclusion, and the citizenship timeline.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: Malta delivers Schengen mobility from day one and includes up to four generations in a single application, while Cyprus processes faster and offers more flexible property options.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: The comparison breaks down which program suits investors prioritizing travel freedom versus those optimizing for cost and speed.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: Six continents, six fastest routes to a new passport.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: Where citizenship by investment programs exist, they dominate the speed race outright, but on continents without CBI options, naturalization timelines and residency requirements decide the winner.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: The guide covers the specific program, cost, and processing time for each continent's quickest path, along with the trade-offs that come with prioritizing speed over passport strength.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for joining us today on IMI Podcasts.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: Subscribe for free to the IMI daily newsletter for breaking news and updates from the investment migration industry.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: And consider upgrading your membership to IMI Pro to get access to our exclusive professional community, industry events, data, and members only content.