Portugal's minister stated that golden visa investors were misled into expecting a pathway to nationality, while lawyers representing those investors argue the state actively promoted and profited from the program before changing its terms. The dispute centers on whether the government broke commitments made to investors under the golden visa scheme.
Four unspecified countries are claimed to offer passports with visa-free access to Europe, the UK, and the US alongside tax structures that can reduce effective rates to around 1%. Qualification is described as possible without ancestry, large investment, or marriage to a qualifying citizen.
Panama's Qualified Investor Visa is structured around real estate investment, with property ownership serving as the primary qualifying asset. The visa program links residency eligibility directly to purchasing property in the country.
An Argentine court has ruled against President Milei's use of an executive decree to overhaul citizenship rules, though the ruling is case-specific and does not immediately affect the investment program. The constitutional basis of the investment program remains a separate, unresolved question.
Buyers at The One apartment development in Glyfada, Athens qualify for the Greece Golden Visa program, which grants residency and visa-free travel within the Schengen Area.
Several countries have increased the minimum investment requirements for residence and citizenship by investment programs: Montenegro now requires a €150,000 minimum tax value, Uruguay has raised its property investment threshold to $2 million, and Andorra now requires €1 million plus fees. The increases are attributed to high application volumes and rule-bending by applicants.
IMI Daily has released its Q1 2026 private briefing containing investment migration industry information not available to the general public.
On June 30, 2026, the US Supreme Court struck down President Trump's executive order that sought to restrict birthright citizenship, reaffirming that children born in the United States are citizens regardless of their parents' immigration status. The ruling upheld the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of citizenship to all persons born on US soil.
Vanuatu has signed the Nakamal Agreement with Australia, committing to distinguish investor citizens from other nationals and including an undefined mobility benefit. The agreement has been signed but is not yet in force.