Programmes
A selection of residency and citizenship investment programmes.
Australia Golden Visa Programme
Australia Investor Visa
The Australian Significant Investor Visa ( Australia Golden Visa ) was introduced by the government in 2012. It offers a streamlined pathway for High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI) to Permanent Residency in Australia through investment immigration. There is no direct Australia Citizenship by Investment programme although citizenship can be applied for after 3-4 years residency including 1 year of Permanent Residency.
Key Points
- Investment of A$5m in specific structure
- No age limit
- Option to bypass English requirement
- Minimum stay just 40 days in 5 years
- Permanent Residence (PR) after 4 years
- No country quota
- No investment needed until after pre approval
After 4 years of the Australia Golden Visa the applicant and family can transition from Temporary Residence (TR Subclass 188) to Permanent Residence (PR Subclass 888).
Although high, the investment is restricted and regulated. Residency is restricted to the immediate family. There are no country quotas currently and no investment need be made until after pre-approval.
Australia is a popular destination for HNWI’s seeking residency through investment. In fact in 2017 Australia attracted 10,000 HNWI’s through investment, the highest of any country in the world, ahead of the USA with 9000 in 2nd place.
Australia offers a high standard of living often ranked at or close to number 1 in the world. It has high ratings for safety of women and children. Australia is an excellent base from which to do business in SE Asia and the economy has performed exceptionally well with 27 years of continuous growth without recession.
With regard to investment immigration for Australia there are rules on how the A$5m can be invested.
- Maximum 60%: In non-residential real estate, corporate bonds and shares.
- Minimum 10%: Venture Capital
Taxation
Temporary residents are exempt from tax on foreign income earned while overseas and CGT on foreign property. After 4 years it is possible to extend the Temporary Residence to 8 years.
Australian Citizenship and Passport Strength
For those fortunate enough to obtain it, Australian citizenship ultimately offers the benefit of a strong passport. The Australian passport offers visa-free travel to 196 countries worldwide. In terms of mobility for investors, it offers visa-free access to 80.6% of the world’s wealth (as measured by GDP) and a quite substantial measure of 90.5% of the global travel popularity. It ranks 31st overall in La Vida’s comprehensive Global Passport Ranking with an overal score of 86.2.
