Overview
Investment migration has matured into a heavily scrutinised field. Governments now apply layered background checks, international bodies such as the FATF and OECD have published guidance on the risks these programmes carry, and banks treat a newly acquired passport or residence card with the same diligence they apply to any other identity document. For a family, this means the right programme is the one that fits its objectives and can withstand scrutiny for decades, not simply the fastest or least expensive option.
Our private client work begins with objectives rather than products. Some families want a contingency plan: a residence right in a stable jurisdiction that can be activated if circumstances change. Others want visa-free travel for business, access to schooling for children, a base for retirement, or a structured path to citizenship through residence over time. Each objective points to a different set of programmes, investment types and physical presence obligations, and the trade-offs need to be understood before any capital is committed.
Regulatory change is constant. Spain closed its investor visa in April 2025, Portugal removed real estate from its golden visa options in 2023, and in April 2025 the Court of Justice of the EU held that Malta's 2020 citizenship-by-investment scheme breached EU law. In the Eastern Caribbean, five states have agreed to a regional regulator for their citizenship programmes. We track these developments and build them into the advice, so that a family's plan reflects the rules as they stand at the time of application and anticipates how they may move.
Once a programme is chosen, the work becomes operational: preparing a source-of-funds narrative that will satisfy government due diligence units, assembling apostilled and translated documents for every family member, coordinating with licensed local agents where the law requires them, and managing the timeline through to approval. After approval, residence permits must be renewed, presence requirements met and family circumstances updated. Aftercare is part of the mandate, not an afterthought.
Key benefits
- A recommendation built on the family's objectives, timeline and risk profile rather than on a single programme
- Side-by-side comparison of residence and citizenship routes, including total cost, presence obligations and dependant rules
- Early identification of due diligence issues, so they are addressed before an application is filed
- One coordinated workstream across family members, documents, translators and local licensed agents
- Clear visibility of renewal dates, presence requirements and naturalisation milestones after approval
- Strict confidentiality in how personal, financial and family information is collected, stored and shared
- Advice that accounts for recent programme closures, threshold changes and regulatory reforms
Requirements
- Valid passports for the main applicant and every dependant included in the plan
- A clean criminal record and no adverse immigration history; most programmes refuse applicants with prior visa refusals that are not disclosed
- Lawful, documentable source of funds for the investment and the wider source of wealth
- Ability to meet the chosen programme's minimum investment and government fees
- Willingness to meet any physical presence, residence or renewal obligations attached to the route
- Evidence of family relationships (marriage, birth and, where relevant, adoption or custody records)
- Medical certificates or health insurance where the programme requires them
- Full and accurate disclosure: misstatements are one of the most common grounds for refusal or later revocation
Service modules
Strategy and programme selection
A structured review of objectives, family composition, mobility needs and tax residence, followed by a short list of suitable programmes with costs, timelines and obligations compared side by side.
Due diligence preparation
A pre-application review of the family's profile and funds, identifying matters a government due diligence unit or bank is likely to query, and preparing clear documentary evidence in advance.
Application management
End-to-end coordination of forms, certified and translated documents, investment completion and correspondence with authorities or licensed agents until a decision is issued.
Aftercare and renewals
Tracking of permit renewals, presence requirements, passport issuance for new family members and, where relevant, the path from residence to permanent residence or naturalisation.
Step-by-step process
- 1
Confidential consultation
We discuss the family's goals, timeline and constraints, and agree how information will be shared and protected.
- 2
Profile and funds review
We review identity, family and financial documents to establish eligibility and assess how a due diligence unit will view the file.
- 3
Programme recommendation
We present a short list of suitable routes with investment amounts, fees, timelines and ongoing obligations, and the family selects a route.
- 4
File preparation
We collect, legalise and translate documents, prepare the source-of-funds narrative and coordinate with licensed local agents where required.
- 5
Submission and investment
The application is filed and the qualifying investment is made in the sequence the programme prescribes, with escrow or official accounts used where applicable.
- 6
Approval and aftercare
On approval we manage collection of permits or passports and set up a calendar for renewals, presence and future family additions.
Typical documents
- Passports and national identity documents for all applicants
- Birth and marriage certificates, legalised or apostilled as required
- Police clearance certificates from countries of citizenship and residence
- Bank statements and reference letters
- Source-of-funds and source-of-wealth evidence (sale agreements, dividends, salary records, inheritance documents)
- Professional CV or business background summary
- Proof of current residential address
- Medical certificates or health insurance where required
- Certified translations of all non-official-language documents
How Legal Wealth helps
Legal Wealth acts as the family's single point of coordination for residence and citizenship planning. We start from the family's objectives, test each option against current law and due diligence expectations, and recommend only routes we would expect to withstand scrutiny over time. Information is handled discreetly and shared only with the authorities, licensed agents and advisers who need it. Where tax, legal or estate questions arise, we work alongside the family's own advisers rather than replacing them, and we remain engaged after approval for renewals, presence planning and changes in family circumstances.
Enquire with Legal WealthFrequently asked questions
Should we choose residence or citizenship by investment?
It depends on the objective. Residence routes typically offer a right to live in a country, sometimes with a path to permanent residence or naturalisation, and often require some physical presence. Citizenship routes grant a passport directly but are offered by fewer countries and attract greater scrutiny. Many families combine the two.
Can our children and parents be included?
Most programmes allow a spouse and dependent children, and many allow dependent parents. Age limits, financial dependence tests and additional fees differ by programme, so we confirm the rules for each family member before a route is chosen.
How long does the process take?
Timelines vary widely by programme and by the complexity of the family's profile. Government processing times are set by each authority and can change; we give a realistic estimate for the chosen route at the recommendation stage.
What causes applications to be refused?
The most common reasons are an unclear source of funds, undisclosed adverse information, prior visa refusals that were not declared, and inconsistent documents. Preparing for due diligence before filing addresses most of these risks.
Does a new residence or passport change our tax position?
Not automatically. Tax residence is determined by each country's domestic rules and applicable treaties, and the OECD has flagged that some programmes may be misused to avoid tax reporting. We coordinate with your tax advisers so that the plan is fully compliant.
What happens after approval?
Residence permits must usually be renewed, presence requirements met and the qualifying investment held for a minimum period. We track these obligations and support new family members being added where the programme allows.
Last reviewed: 2026-10. Requirements, fees and timelines change. Information is general, reviewed on the date shown, and is not legal or tax advice.
Sources
- FATF/OECD – Misuse of Citizenship and Residency by Investment Programmes (November 2023)
- OECD – Residence and citizenship by investment (CRS integrity)
- Court of Justice of the EU – Commission v Malta (C-181/23), press release of 29 April 2025
- St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Unit – ECCIRA Bill 2025 passed
- KPMG – Flash Alert 2025-008: Spain eliminates the investor (golden) visa
- Greenberg Traurig – Portugal ends real estate investment visa route (2023)
