The Prime Minister of Malta, Joseph Muscat addressed 2018 Uglobal Immigration Convention in Los Angeles on Tuesday. During his speech he said Malta sets the gold standard for the industry and success of IIP is unquantifiable.
Investment migration is creating a melting pot of business know-how, experiences, skills and funding that are positively contributing to our society by stimulating business, increasing job creation, increasing revenue and augmenting our human capital. This is enabling us to break new ground through innovative foreign direct investment.
“Much has been said about the economic gains our country has derived from the Individual Investor Programme, which is attracting an ever-growing number of hardworking families seeking freedom, stability and global mobility. Nevertheless, the actual success of the Individual Investor Programme is really unquantifiable”, he said.
Dr Muscat said that the rigorous due diligence process employ by Malta’s citizenship by investment programme is the cornerstone of our success. Yet we need to keep advocating transparency and good governance in the way we administer programmes all around the industry.
The Prime Minister told immigration firms from across the globe present in the United States that if they have clients looking for the cheapest deal they not consider Malta, because the programme is the most expensive worldwide. Those who want a quick deal should look elsewhere because timelines to join the programme are agreed with the European Commission.
He also discouraged applicants who do not want their name public, because Malta publishes the name of new citizens.
“If your clients have failed other programmes, do not even bother since our due diligence is the toughest in the industry. Actually, we are aware that some of our new citizens are using the fact that they successfully completed our process as a sign of their clean bill of health”, said the Prime Minister.
Joseph Muscat said that Malta is not after the wealthiest, but the best applicants. Those who want excellence and settle for nothing less.
Those investing in Malta’s programme are joining a community. They do not want their investment to be eroded, and the new community corroded, by those who do not share our same values and standards, said Dr Muscat.
“We have been very careful how and where to position our Individual Investor Programme within the Citizenship by Investment market. We were one of the most recent entrants, but today there is little arguing that we set the gold standard for industry”, said the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister was accompanied in Los Angeles by the Principal Permanent Secretary Mario Cutajar and Member of Parliament and legal consultant to the Prime Minister Robert Abela.
