Global Residence Index: Your Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Ideal Citizenship by Investment Program

It’s been 9 months since I’ve moved to Dubai and I can’t tell you how happy I am that I made the decision to move here. The only downside is that I will never be able to be a citizen of the country and only a resident. If you’re thinking of choosing a new country to move to and residing there, then the Global Residence Index is the ultimate guide for you if you are considering becoming a citizen somewhere else.

If you haven’t heard of it before (I hadn’t either), I recommend reading though the guidelines, terms, and conditions, as well as the policies of the Global Residence Index. The investment programs of this sector keep changing annually, so to stay updated, it makes sense to read the article thoroughly.

As a brief overview of the Global Residence Index, the Global Residence works as a helping and counseling sector for people who are deciding to reside in another country as their second home.

In recent years, the Global Residence Index was ranked on top as the best guidance to investment programs and citizenships. The Global Residence Index lists many countries offering to reside via investment programs. 

In this article, I will be providing detailed information on the countries as well as their citizenship investment programs. This will help you decide which one is more suitable for you as you go through each one.

Choosing the Ideal Citizenship by Investment Program 

The Global Residence Index informs about investment programs and offers an overview of citizenships. This counseling sector mainly works with all the major programs that are available to investors, making it a complete service for the ones who are looking forward to investing in a new country. The Global Residence Index has an impeccable impact on many citizenship programs worldwide. 

Due to this guidance sector, people can connect quickly and get more information on the island country they are wanting to reside in. Global Residence Index plays a vital role in the citizenship programs as it is the headquarters of all citizenship programs by investments. In this section of the article, you will learn about the Citizenship by Investment program comparison. 

The Greece Golden Visa Application 

If you’ve ever wanted to live in Greece, the Greece Golden Visa Program allows you to apply for residency by investing in real estate. This residency permission remains valid for 5 years and can be renewed every 5 years as long as you own the property. You can travel to all the Schengen countries and some of the EU countries that are not a part of the agreement for up to 90 days every six months. 

The citizenship program also allows you (and your family) to acquire another citizenship. This, in return, gives the applicants the right to travel freely in various countries and settle there. In the Greece Golden Visa Program, you can add your family members. The tax benefit is another benefit that the Greece Golden Visa Program gives as it offers attractive tax benefits to shareholders. 

Greece’s tax system is based on the national principle. Greece has a high-quality healthcare system accessible to all citizens, including Golden Visa holders. You can benefit from affordable healthcare services, including medical consultations, diagnostic tests, and hospitalization. 

Another plus is that the educational system of Greece is well-developed. It provides amazing opportunities to the children of Golden Visa holders. The country has many public and private schools, including international schools that offer bilingual (English and Greek) education to children. 

Antigua and Barbuda 

Being a member of the United Nations – Antigua and Barbuda has a stable and growing economy that supports an ideal environment to invest in. In 2017 – 2018 Antigua and Barbuda was rated the Best Citizenship by Investment Destination in the Caribbean by Henley and Partners’ Global Residence and Citizenship Program. 

The Global Residence Index Program declared this country as the fourth-best global program, scoring 61 out of 100. Antigua and Barbuda scored the highest rank in ten categories that were – quality of life, visa-free access, processing time and quality, compliance, financial requirements, residence requirements, relocation flexibility, physical visit requirements, and transparency – that itself was a competitive and assertive rank among all. 

As Antigua is a member of the Commonwealth, it provides certain privileges to the citizens of the UK and other member states. The passports of Antigua and Barbuda give visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 150 destinations, which adds Europe's Schengen Area, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the UK. With air links to North America and Europe, Antigua and Barbuda is an attractive place to own a second home and live as it’s easy to fly home and visit family.

Applicants can bring their children, grandchildren with their spouses. Getting an offer of second citizenship opens up opportunities and creates flexibility for you and your family. There are no language tests or academic requirements for eligibility to reside in Antigua and Barbuda. People enjoy an excellent tax environment, wealth, or inheritance tax. 

Saint Lucia 

The beauty of this place attracts people worldwide and having been to Saint Lucia, it’s easy to see why. The stunning beaches, hiking and warm culture make it an ideal place to visit. It's a place to rest and relax, while daily flights from the USA, Canada, Europe, and other countries make it accessible.

Saint Lucia is famous for its variety of investments in topography. These include manufacturing, tourism, contracting out global businesses, agriculture and cultivation, and providing citizens with clean energy. 

The World Bank Group’s record says that the economy of Saint Lucia ranked 2nd in the Caribbean region and 93rd out of 190 economic countries in 2020. Saint Lucia is a well-grounded telecommunications sector and has access to extensive financial services. Plus, it also has excellent air and shipping services as well as a high-ranking educational system.

And citizens also rate its highly provided healthcare facilities that create a peace of mind for any health emergencies.

The island also supports numerous training, education, and public-spirited activities and being a citizen here comes with many benefits.

Dominican Republic 

Since the last two decades, Latin America and the Caribbean have been one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. The economy of this place recovered and reached pre-pandemic growth in 2021. 

The product of the tourism sector recovered more than 300,000 jobs which was 38% of the total economy. It was the first island country to reopen its borders. The Economy of the Dominican Republic has resulted in being the most powerful and robust economy in the past two decades.

The economic status of the Dominican Republic's well-being is a definite plus on top of the Caribbean lifestyle and weather. The people here are also friendly.

They possess a direct nature and are very much interested in talking about their families. The most common thing you will find in the public of the Dominican Republic is they are all very much affectionate towards each other and tourists. 

Conclusion

From Greece to the Caribbean, there are so many places that you can choose to create a new life. Whichever country you choose, make sure ensure to check all the eligibility criteria before you apply and if you just want to stay for a few months, check out my article on my favourite destinations for digital nomads.