The Irish Golden visa scheme officially known as Immigrant investor program (IIP), remains open for applications despite Covid-19.
The Irish Government has gone so far in scrapping window periods and applications now can be submitted any time until June, in a bid to attract investments unto the country during the pandemic.
While other golden visa schemes remain suspended for processing due to Covid-19, Ireland does the opposite in keeping the window open for golden visa investments. This goes on to show how important are golden visa investments amidst a global pandemic.
INIS has announced
“From 2 April 2020 until 30 June 2020 the application windows as published on this website are suspended and applications for the Immigrant Investor Programme may be submitted at any time during this period.”
INIS will only accept only completed applications with all documentation must be included with the application and where required must be apostilled or dually legalised by the relevant authorities.
After June, the applications can only be submitted during limited periods.
- 31 August 2020 – 4 September 2020
- 26 October 2020 – 30 October 2020
Investors are encouraged to apply for IIP during the exemption period and benefit from faster processing of applications. The processing time takes anywhere around 6 months.
The Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) was introduced in April 2012 to encourage inward investment and create business and employment opportunities in the State.
The IIP program offers four investment options for potential investors:
- Endowment: A minimum €500,000 philanthropic donation to a project which is of public benefit to the arts, sports, health, culture or education in Ireland.
- Enterprise Investment: A minimum of €1 million invested in an Irish enterprise for a period of at least 3 years.
- Investment Fund: A minimum of €1 million invested in an approved investment fund for a period of at least 3 years. Such funds must be approved and regulated by the Central Bank.
- Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT): A minimum investment of €2 million in any Irish REIT that is listed on the Irish Stock Exchange, for a period of at least 3 years.
The Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) provides non-EEA nationals with a number of options to invest in Ireland, and successful applicants are granted a stamp4 permission to reside in Ireland for a fixed period. Stamp 4 conditions permit non-EEA nationals to work, study or start their own businesses in Ireland.
The external review for Immigrant Investor Program in Ireland is scheduled to be completed by H2 2020
