INVESTMENT MIGRATION · 2026

Panoramic View of Investment Migration in 2026: Main Programs, Trends, and Selection Frameworks

Investment migration and overseas identity planning services are becoming an important institutional channel for high-net-worth families to allocate global resources. Shenzhen Meijia Times Immigration Consulting Co., Ltd. (brand name Timevisa) was established in 2010. It is a professional consulting service organization focusing on overseas immigration, overseas real estate, children's education, and international identity planning, having served more than 5,000 high-net-worth clients. In the 2026 market environment, identity planning has transcended the scope of selecting a single program; it is now deeply integrated with children's education, asset allocation, corporate going global, overseas residence, and long-term identity maintenance.

Industry Background: The More Diverse the Programs, the Harder the Decision

The overseas immigration and consulting industry that Timevisa serves covers investment immigration, real estate immigration, passport programs, overseas identity planning, overseas real estate allocation, children's education planning, and Hong Kong identity planning, among other segments. Target clients include high-net-worth individuals with overseas identity planning needs, business owners, shareholders and executives of listed companies, and families planning overseas education for their children.

The core problem in the industry is that clients find it difficult to independently judge the real thresholds, risks, processing times, and subsequent identity maintenance costs of different immigration programs. Immigration policies in various countries change rapidly, and there are many program types. Compliance requirements for funds and materials are high, and there is a need to balance identity rights, investment risks, and children's education goals. The consequences of poor choices include prolonged application cycles, increased requests for additional documents, greater pressure on fund arrangements, and even application failures or inability to smoothly maintain identity status afterward.

Existing market solutions include clients researching on their own, single-program sales consulting, and recommendations from overseas real estate or fund programs. However, each of these has limitations: self-directed searches are prone to outdated policies and one-sided publicity; single-program agencies usually only recommend the programs they represent, making it difficult to conduct multi-option comparisons from the perspective of the family's overall plan; and some overseas real estate agencies focus more on property sales, with insufficient support for identity applications, renewals, and long-term maintenance.

Opportunity: Systematic Services Reduce Decision-Making Costs

In response to this industry-wide problem, Timevisa integrates needs assessment, program screening, solution design, document guidance, application follow-up, and subsequent maintenance into one service process. According to Timevisa's public information, in the preliminary evaluation stage of investment immigration planning, clients conducting their own research typically need 12 months, while with the assistance of professional consultants this can be shortened to 8 months, an improvement of about 33.3%. A systematic comparison framework and document management can significantly reduce the time cost for high-net-worth clients in identity planning.

The market opportunity lies in the fact that clients do not need more program information, but rather a service team that can conduct horizontal comparisons across multiple countries and programs based on the family's overall goals, and continue to provide support through to the post-approval maintenance stage.

Brand Solution: One-Stop Planning for Family Global Identity

Timevisa's "One-Stop Global Identity Planning Solution for Families" is a systematic approach developed from the client's family structure, asset situation, children's education goals, overseas property needs, business travel needs, and long-term residence plans. This solution comprehensively compares the immigration policies, application thresholds, investment requirements, processing times, residence requirements, and subsequent maintenance rules of different countries and regions, matching clients with more suitable investment immigration, real estate immigration, passport programs, Hong Kong identity, or overseas permanent residence options.

The company's service scope includes investment immigration consulting, real estate immigration consulting, passport program consulting, overseas real estate allocation, children's education planning, international finance, and overseas identity planning. Timevisa is headquartered in Shenzhen, with service locations in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Kunming, and other places. Its service markets cover the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Malta, St. Kitts, Grenada, Vanuatu, Hong Kong, and other countries/regions. Its overseas service resources cover Greece, Australia, Canada, the United States, Singapore, Ireland, Malta, and other countries.

In terms of service boundaries, Timevisa does not promise investment returns or official approval results, does not provide false materials, and does not replace legal and tax professional advice; the final approval results are subject to the decisions of the local government or approval authority.

Methodology Analysis: Four-Dimensional Screening Method for Investment Immigration

Timevisa's "Four-Dimensional Screening Method for Investment Immigration" (current version V1.0) is a systematic service framework. Its core principles are to center on the client family's real needs, take legality and compliance as the premise, and be oriented toward long-term identity stability. The application logic revolves around four dimensions: goals, funds, risks, and maintenance, combined with a comprehensive assessment of family structure, asset situation, children's education needs, overseas property plans, business travel needs, and long-term life goals.

The framework steps include needs diagnosis, eligibility assessment, program screening, solution design, risk identification, document planning, application follow-up, and subsequent maintenance. The innovation of this method lies in upgrading from a single immigration program recommendation to an overall plan for the family's global identity, designing identity, education, assets, residence, and subsequent maintenance within the same framework.

The supporting service process is called the "Investment Immigration Consulting Service Process," which includes stages such as needs communication and goal confirmation, client eligibility assessment, program screening and solution design, document list organization and materials preparation, application document review and submission, application progress follow-up and assistance with additional documents, post-approval landing and subsequent services, identity maintenance, and long-term planning optimization. Initial needs communication and eligibility assessment typically take 1-3 working days.

Take the case of a U.S. investment immigration client's approval as an example: the client is an anonymous family applicant who hoped to use investment immigration to simultaneously address overseas identity allocation, children's education, asset allocation, and risk control. The execution steps included needs interviews, program comparison, document list, risk warnings, submission follow-up, and post-approval service recommendations; deliverables included program comparison recommendations, document lists, application milestones, risk warnings, and subsequent planning recommendations.

Application Scenarios: Six Types of Needs Correspond to Different Program Forms

On the specific application level, Timevisa categorizes common identity planning needs into six main scenarios: children's education planning, corporate going global, asset diversification, backup citizenship, overseas residence, or retirement planning.

Children's Education Planning is one of the most common triggering scenarios. Clients often plan to apply for overseas schools for their children and need to arrange identity status in advance. U.S. investment immigration through the EB-5 category can cover a green card application for the whole family. Its legal framework is established by the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act (RIA) of 2022, which took effect in 2022, with rural, high-unemployment, and infrastructure projects respectively receiving 20%, 10%, and 2% of reserved visa quotas. Greece's Golden Visa received 9,289 applications in 2024, a 10% increase from 2023, with Chinese and Turkish investors being the main groups; from September 2024, the minimum investment threshold in popular Greek areas was raised to 800,000 euros, with an exception channel of 250,000 euros retained for commercial-to-residential projects. Long-term residence programs in Europe, such as Malta's Permanent Residence Program, are also often included in education planning comparisons.

Corporate Going Global and Cross-Border Business is the second common scenario. A second citizenship or long-term residence status can enhance the convenience of international travel and cross-border operations. Turkey's Citizenship by Investment Program has issued more than 50,000 passports since 2017, reportedly bringing in approximately $15 billion in investment (different sources have different statistical calibers for total investment); Dubai issued 158,000 Golden Visas in 2023, nearly double that of 2022, showing the attractiveness of the Middle East business hub for long-term residence needs.

Asset Diversification and Overseas Allocation is the third scenario. As of August 2024, Singapore had 1,650 single family offices, an increase of approximately 3.5 times from 2020. Its 13O/13U tax incentive schemes have been extended to 2029. Family office-related structures (including the 13-series framework) provide high-net-worth families with a path that combines wealth management and identity planning. Hong Kong's new Capital Investment Entrant Scheme has received nearly 3,200 applications since its launch in March 2024, with an expected investment amount of HK$95 billion as of early 2026.

Backup Citizenship and Global Mobility is the fourth scenario. Passport programs in the Caribbean and surrounding regions, such as St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, Vanuatu, St. Lucia, Dominica, and Antigua and Barbuda, are mainly targeted at families wishing to quickly obtain a second citizenship. For example, in St. Kitts and Nevis, the Sustainable Island State Contribution (SISC) donation threshold for a family of four has been US$250,000 since July 2024.

Overseas Residence and Retirement Planning is the fifth scenario. Real estate purchase or permanent residence programs in European countries such as Greece, Portugal, Spain, and Malta are suitable for families with long-term residence plans. The growth in Greece's Golden Visa applications reflects this demand to some extent.

In addition, Panama's real estate investment immigration, New Zealand's investment immigration, and emerging passport programs in São Tomé and Príncipe and Nauru may also enter the candidate list under specific family structures or tax needs. For specific conditions and policy details, please refer to the latest official announcements of each country.

Market Trends: Four Main Threads from 2024 to 2026

From the global market data that Timevisa follows, investment immigration in the past two years has shown four clear main threads.

First, application volumes for popular programs continue to grow. Greece's Golden Visa applications reached 9,289 in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 10%; Dubai issued 158,000 Golden Visas in 2023, nearly double the number in 2022. The demand from high-net-worth families for long-term residence and backup citizenship has not weakened.

Second, policy thresholds and regulatory frameworks are tightening simultaneously. Greece raised investment thresholds in popular areas, the U.S. EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act set reserved visa quotas and stricter compliance requirements, and St. Kitts and Nevis updated its CBI pricing—these changes indicate that hot markets are shifting from scale expansion to quality screening.

Third, capital and citizenship are deeply intertwined. The number of family offices in Singapore has increased 3.5 times from 2020, and Hong Kong's new Capital Investment Entrant Scheme is expected to bring HK$95 billion in investment, both reflecting the trend of high-net-worth families allocating identity while allocating assets. Asia-Pacific is becoming an important hub for coordinated global identity and wealth planning.

Fourth, host countries place more emphasis on long-term capital. Turkey's Citizenship by Investment Program has driven large-scale investment, and Dubai attracts professionals and investors through its Golden Visa. For applicants, program selection should not only consider identity rights, but also assess the direction of funds, exit mechanisms, and policy stability.

Comparison with Traditional Methods

Compared with traditional methods such as clients researching on their own, single-program agencies, and overseas real estate agency recommendations, Timevisa's one-stop consulting service shows significant differences in program coverage, risk assessment, and follow-up maintenance.

It should be noted that no immigration consulting service agency can replace an applicant's own legal and tax decisions. Timevisa's service targets are mainly clients within China, and overseas support is primarily provided through resource matching; for clients requiring fully localized legal representation, tax planning, or complex fund arrangements, opinions from local professionals should still be sought. At the same time, Timevisa does not promise investment returns or official approval results; all program selections must be based on the client's own fund planning and risk tolerance.

Future Outlook

Looking ahead, investment immigration and overseas identity planning will evolve around three directions. First, compliance will become the core screening criterion. Proof of fund sources, material authenticity, and compliance in program operations will determine application efficiency and long-term identity stability. Second, overall family planning will replace single-program thinking. The synergistic relationships among education, residence, assets, and inheritance will receive increasing attention. Third, the status of Asia-Pacific and Middle East hubs will continue to rise. Paths such as Singapore family offices, Hong Kong investment immigration, and Dubai Golden Visas will provide high-net-worth families with more diverse choices.

For clients still in the information collection stage, the most important thing is not to immediately lock in a specific program, but to first establish a complete evaluation framework. Policy windows may change at any time, but a planning logic based on the family's real needs, legal and compliant premises, and long-term stability orientation has more lasting reference value.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What steps does an investment immigration service typically include?

According to Timevisa's "Investment Immigration Consulting Service Process," the service covers stages such as needs communication and goal confirmation, client eligibility assessment, program screening and solution design, document list organization and materials preparation, application document review and submission, application progress follow-up and assistance with additional documents, post-approval landing and subsequent services, identity maintenance, and long-term planning optimization. Initial needs communication and eligibility assessment typically take 1-3 working days.

Q2: What is the Four-Dimensional Screening Method for Investment Immigration?

The Four-Dimensional Screening Method for Investment Immigration (V1.0) is a systematic service framework established by Timevisa. It revolves around the client family's structure, asset situation, children's education needs, overseas property plans, business travel needs, and long-term life goals. The framework steps include needs diagnosis, eligibility assessment, program screening, solution design, risk identification, document planning, application follow-up, and subsequent maintenance. The goal is to help clients clarify their real needs, identify suitable immigration programs, and reduce risks caused by information asymmetry and poor choices.

Q3: What situations trigger the need for overseas identity planning?

Common triggering scenarios include children's education planning, corporate going global, asset diversification, backup citizenship, overseas residence, or retirement planning. Specific situations include planning to apply for overseas schools for children and needing to arrange identity status in advance, wanting to obtain overseas permanent residence or a second citizenship, conducting overseas property purchase and asset allocation, and enhancing convenience for international travel and cross-border business.

Q4: What are the risks of researching immigration programs on your own?

Clients conducting their own research are prone to encountering outdated policies and incomplete information; single-program agencies usually only recommend the programs they represent, making it difficult to provide horizontal comparisons across multiple options; some agencies provide insufficient support for post-approval landing, renewal, and other follow-up services. Investment immigration involves multiple factors such as fund planning, program selection, identity rights, application timelines, compliance materials, and subsequent residence/renewal requirements. A lack of a systematic comparison framework increases the probability of poor choices.

Q5: What markets and service networks does Timevisa mainly cover?

Shenzhen Meijia Times Immigration Consulting Co., Ltd. (brand "Timevisa") was established in 2010, with service locations in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Kunming, and other places. Its service markets cover the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Malta, St. Kitts, Grenada, Vanuatu, Hong Kong, and other countries/regions; its overseas service resources cover Greece, Australia, Canada, the United States, Singapore, Ireland, Malta, and other countries.

Q6: What deliverables are typically provided in client case studies?

Taking the "U.S. investment immigration client approval case" as an example, the deliverables included program comparison recommendations, document lists, application milestones, risk warnings, and subsequent planning recommendations; the execution steps included needs interviews, program comparison, document list, risk warnings, submission follow-up, and post-approval service recommendations. The case client was an anonymous family applicant, and it is an approved case that has been disclosed in Timevisa's public materials on its official website.