Grenada’s Citizenship-by-Investment programme has secured the number one spot in terms of Residence Requirements, Investment Requirements and Physical Visit Requirements in the Global Residence and Citizenship Programmes 2017–2018 report.
The report is the industry standard for benchmarking and measuring the attractiveness of investment migration programmes, and was released today by global residence and citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners, ahead of its 11th Global Residence and Citizenship Conference. The event is held this year in Hong Kong, from 14 to 16 November 2017.
Grenada — The Caribbean’s hidden gem
The Grenada Citizenship-by-Investment programme was launched in August 2013 as a means to develop Grenada’s economy to be more prosperous and independent. The programme secured second place in the region, after Antigua and Barbuda.
Grenada is an island nation with an exotic topography, breathtaking beaches and year-round temperate climate. Grenada passport holders may currently travel to 124 countries around the world visa-free, including the UK and Europe’s Schengen area, Brazil and China. It also offers citizens the opportunity to apply for the E-2 Investor Visa to the US.
The 3rd edition of the Global Residence and Citizenship Programmes report provides a systematic analysis and comprehensive benchmarking of the world’s leading investment migration programmes. These programmes were evaluated by a distinguished panel of independent experts — including immigration and citizenship lawyers, economists, country risk experts, academic researchers, and other specialists — who took into account a broad range of factors pertaining to each programme. The result is a global bird’s-eye view of the investment migration industry and a ranking of all the major programmes on offer.
Hugh Morshead, Group Direct of Henley & Partners, says, “The Global Residence and Citizenship Programmes publication is an indispensable tool, not only for all those interested in alternative residence or citizenship but also for professionals such as private client advisors, private bankers, lawyers, as well as governments operating investment migration programmes.”
Grenada was also recognised in the areas of:
- Reputation
- Quality of Life
- Visa-free Access
- Processing Time and Quality of Processing
- Compliance
- Relocation Flexibility
- Transparency
A growing interest in residence and citizenship planning
As Morshead explains, the need for a reference and benchmarking tool like the Global Residence and Citizenship Programmes reflects the strong growth of the investment migration industry in recent years. “Interest in the industry has steadily increased over the past decade, and we anticipate that it will continue to do so,” he says. “In fact, we again expect hundreds of attendees from over 40 countries at this month’s Global Residence and Citizenship Conference in Hong Kong.”
The annual event, now in its 11th year, has become the world’s most significant conference on investment migration. It brings together presidents, prime ministers, senior government officials, leading academics, and industry professionals, as well as top-tier financial and business media. According to Morshead, this year’s conference offers delegates the opportunity to engage with the leading minds and ideas driving the growing trend towards global mobility and citizenship.
Key speakers at the conference include investment legend and global financial commentator Jim Rogers, who will speak about the trends and issues affecting global citizens and their investments, and the Prime Minister of Malta, the Hon Dr Joseph Muscat, who will talk about the advantages of Maltese citizenship for Asian investors. Professor Dr. Dimitry Kochenov will discuss the latest edition of the Henley & Partners – Kochenov Quality of Nationality Index, explaining how the quality of a nationality affects the movement of talent and business, while John Wong, PwC’s Private Client Services Leader in China and Hong Kong, will provide the latest insight into tax planning for Chinese private clients.
“Following the unprecedented success of this event year after year, we again expect the conference in Hong Kong to be more influential than the one before,” Morshead concludes.
