The Global Boom in Investor Immigration: What Are the Lessons For Policymakers?

The past decade has witnessed an extraordinary boom in investor immigration. From the rapidly expanding EB-5 visa in the United States to Malta’s controversial “cash for citizenship” policy and a host of programs across Europe and the Caribbean, governments around the world are increasingly offering residence rights or citizenship to wealthy individuals in return for a significant economic investment. These trends raise a host of policy questions. Which programs are most attractive for investors? Are destination countries getting a good deal? How can governments prevent the security lapses and corruption scandals that some investor programs have suffered? Is the thriving industry of middlemen who market the programs sufficiently regulated? 

Event speakers address these questions and discuss MPI's report Selling Visas and Citizenship: Policy Questions from the Global Boom in Investor Immigration.