Citizenship-by-investment programs have a long history, starting with Saint Kitts and Nevis in 1984, and have been used by both small countries and major developed nations to attract capital and high-net-worth residents.
• Saint Kitts and Nevis (1984): First modern CBI program, strong Caribbean visa-free access, popular with relatively reasonable costs.
• Canada (1986): Federal Immigrant Investor Program attracted ~57,000 people (mainly Hong Kong and Taiwan) until closure in 2014; Quebec program remained.
• Ireland (1988–1998), UK (1994), US EB-5 (1990), New Zealand (1999), Singapore (2004), Australia (2012), Malta (2014), Bulgaria (2009/2013), Latvia (2010), Cyprus (2011), Portugal, Spain, Greece: Investor programs offering either direct citizenship, residency leading to citizenship, or investor visas.
• Comoros (2001–2018): Issued ~52,000 passports, with Kuwait buying ~36,000 for stateless residents; UAE and Kuwait also involved.
• Programs may require residency, investment, or donations, and timelines range from months to years. Physical presence is sometimes minimal, and some programs provide citizenship directly.
Main caveat: Programs change frequently—some close, reopen, or modify requirements—and not all investor routes guarantee citizenship or a passport with broad travel access.
Takeaway: Evaluate citizenship-by-investment or investor residency based on country, costs, timeline, residency requirements, and long-term goals, distinguishing between direct citizenship, residency-to-citizenship, and temporary investor visas.
