Latest / IMI Podcasts / This Week in IM - Sep 18: 🇱🇺 to Axe Golden Visa, 🇮🇹 to Tie Tax Regime to Investment?, 🇪🇺 Border Biometrics Replacing Passport Stamps, ++

Transcript

This Week in IM - Sep 18: 🇱🇺 to Axe Golden Visa, 🇮🇹 to Tie Tax Regime to Investment?, 🇪🇺 Border Biometrics Replacing Passport Stamps, ++ · IMI Podcasts

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: You're listening to IMI this week.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: Luxembourg has moved to repeal its golden visa program after granting only nine approvals in seven years.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: The government introduced legislation citing low value and excessive bureaucracy.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: The repeal will go through a parliamentary process, but Luxembourg will likely join Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, and Malta in winding down investor immigration programs.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: IMI Pro.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: Marco Messina reports on Italy's consideration to link its high-profile 200,000 euro flat tax regime, for example, the CR7 law, to mandatory investment requirements.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Lega MP Giulio Centamero has voiced support for directing funds toward government bonds, startups, or collective investment vehicles, excluding real estate.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: While nearly 4,000 individuals already benefit from the program, the government has questioned its economic value.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: Hong Kong's CIES drew 1,900 applications by August 2025, representing 58 billion Hong Kong dollars in inflows.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: The government highlighted its liberal economic environment as the reason for its attractiveness for international investors.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: The surge followed March reforms that eased asset verification, family asset pooling, and corporate structures.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Cyprus has revoked 360 citizenships linked to its terminated CBI program, including 41 investors and 109 family members.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: A judicial inquiry revealed that more than half of the nearly 6,800 granted citizenships fell short of legal requirements.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: IMI Pro Charles Sava emphasized that revocations remain a tiny share of total approvals, while IMI Pro Demetrius Demetriades detailed the legal basis for revocations.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: The EU will launch its entry-exit system, also known as EES, on October 12th, phasing out passport stamps in favor of biometric data collection across 29 countries, first deployed at major airports in Frankfurt and Paris.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: EES will expand to all Schengen borders by April 2026.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: Non-EU visitors staying up to 90 days will be required to provide facial photographs and fingerprints.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: The EU Commission says the program will eliminate unreliable stamps and improve enforcement against overstayers.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: Malaysia government officials announced that foreign residents contribute 84.2 billion ringgit annually, underlining the importance of the MM2H program for tourism and investment.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: In parallel, the Sabah government launched a new MM2H One-Stop Center to streamline services and attract more residents.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: However, the program faces controversy after an immigration officer was convicted for forging a visa.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for joining us today on IMI Podcasts.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: Subscribe for free to the IMI Daily Newsletter for breaking news and updates from the investment migration industry.
• 3:14
  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.