What is Immigration?
Immigration is the international movement of individuals to a country of which they are not natives or do not possess citizenship. Immigrants can often go on to obtain citizenship, but that depends entirely on the protocols and policies of the country they relocated to.
Annually, throngs of people immigrate worldwide, with the majority heading to the US for their slice of the American dream. There are just over 1 million immigrants arriving in the US each year. In 2018, the top country of origin for new immigrants coming into the US was China, with 149,000 people, followed by India (129,000), Mexico (120,000) and the Philippines (46,000).
There is a range of reasons why many leave their home countries. These include greater economic freedom to work, political unrest in their home country, educational opportunities for themselves or their children and building and securing a better life and future for their families. Immigrants often fill essential gaps in the labour force, typically at either higher or lower ends of the skill spectrum.
Immigration has many positive economic effects on the native population too, as individuals who immigrate also often take with them a broader perspective, new skills and pay greater tax revenues for the host country. Minimising barriers to labour mobility between developing and developed nations is also an effective tool for poverty reduction, and immigration can also curtail the demographic dilemma in many global societies.
When Did We Start Immigrating?
The history of immigration is long and convoluted and has often resulted in the development of multicultural societies. Many countries in modern society are anchored by a diverse variety of cultures and ethnicities that have derived from preceding waves of immigration.
Following the Second World War, there was a sudden spike in immigration. This was predominantly due to refugee movements after the war, and during the 1950s and ’60s, when colonisation ended across much of Asia and Africa. Immigration from these areas to previously imperial countries, such as the United Kingdom and France, suddenly increased as people sought a better life and future for themselves, and now had the freedom to do so.
Immigrating with Citizenship by Investment
To this day, we see millions of people opting for immigration to ensure a secure future for themselves and their families. In particular, there has been a sharp uptake in Citizenship by Investment programmes as people are looking to gain a second passport and dual citizenship to another country. There are many benefits to having dual citizenship, including access to greater visa-free travel, safety and security for their families, a stable economy and of course, access to robust health care and educational facilities.
The quickest and easiest way to acquire a second passport is through a Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme. CBI offers well-vetted individuals the opportunity to legally acquire a new nationality in return for an investment in the economy of the host country. Such programmes provide citizenship status without causing significant disruptions to an investor’s life, provided they pass all the due diligence checks first, make a qualifying investment and provide all the correct documentation. Just over a dozen countries in the world currently offer CBI with the highest concentration of CBI Programmes is in the Caribbean.
