An exclusive IMGlobalWealth.news interview
IMGlobalWealth.com Editor-in-Chief Ray de Bono speaks with Patricia Casaburi, Founder and CEO of Global Citizen Solutions, about geopolitical risk, changing client behaviour, the 2026 Global Residency Programs Report and the future of investment migration. Over the past decade, Global Citizen Solutions has established a significant research presence within the investment migration industry, producing studies and rankings spanning global mobility, citizenship and residence programmes, passport strength and the changing priorities of internationally mobile families and investors.
Its research increasingly looks beyond mobility alone, examining the wider economic, regulatory and quality-of-life factors shaping the sector. Against that backdrop, Casaburi’s perspective is particularly relevant in assessing not only current programme trends, but where investment migration may be heading next.
Our newsroom is pleased to bring its readers this wide-ranging conversation, covering her assessment of the forces reshaping the industry and her insights on what its next chapter could look like.
‘Patricia’s most striking prediction is that even the term “investment migration” could eventually give way to “regulated mobility planning”, as compliance, programme durability and purposeful capital increasingly determine which jurisdictions, advisers and strategies remain relevant’
Key Takeaways
The Interview
1. The investment migration industry has undergone considerable change, particularly in due diligence and regulatory controls, while becoming increasingly exposed to political and geopolitical pressures. How are these forces changing the industry itself and the service that advisers provide to internationally mobile clients?
🎙 Patricia Casaburi: We are seeing enhanced demand because of geopolitical pressure and unstable domestic political landscapes. People increasingly feel they need a Plan B. It becomes an essential tool in life planning, legacy and succession.
At the same time, countries are tightening and becoming stricter. Clients are no longer simply looking for the cheapest or fastest route. They are looking for stability: what will still be legally, politically and reputationally defensible in five or ten years. Geopolitical exposure has become a crucial part of the assessment, and compliance is at the centre of it.
2. Investment migration is increasingly being shaped not only by client demand, but by governments, supranational institutions and changing political attitudes towards migration and citizenship. Is the industry entering a fundamentally different phase, and what does that mean for firms operating within it?
🎙Casaburi: Definitely, and my personal opinion is that it is a good thing. Firms focused on single programmes are more exposed. You have to look at the world at large and have the capacity to monitor regulation and cater for changes.
Governments are also becoming active designers of their programmes. They are moving away from simply receiving passive revenue and increasingly tying programmes to the needs of the country and its economy.
3. Geopolitical uncertainty, conflict and growing fragmentation between major powers are increasingly influencing decisions about where people live, invest and hold assets. Are you seeing clients approach residence and citizenship planning differently today, with mobility increasingly viewed as a form of family and financial risk management rather than simply a lifestyle choice?
🎙Casaburi: Lifestyle still ranks highly, but there has definitely been a behavioural shift. Second residence or citizenship is increasingly treated as part of a diversified portfolio, an insurance against overexposure to one legal system or political landscape.
People are also looking at multi-jurisdictional planning: perhaps residence in Europe, citizenship somewhere else and assets spread across two or three legal systems. Simply having residency is not always sufficient. Clients increasingly want the banking and investment infrastructure in place as well, diversifying their legal, financial and physical footprint.
4. The 2026 Global Residency Programs Report points to a shift from passive property investment towards more purposeful forms of capital, including funds, entrepreneurship, business creation and strategic investment. What do you consider its most important findings? With considerable anticipation surrounding the report, what can you tell IMGW.news readers about the findings that genuinely surprised you, or about emerging trends that have not yet received sufficient attention?
🎙Casaburi: The real story is around purposeful capital. We analysed 48 programmes across 46 countries, looking at quality of life, procedures, mobility, investment, compliance and credibility.
The biggest story is the shift from passive investment towards active investment. It is not the majority yet, but it is definitely where things are headed. We are seeing growth in investor and entrepreneur visas and countries becoming more purposeful about designing programmes around what they want to achieve.
Portugal’s ranking was also surprising to me because of its well-known processing delays. But when you scrutinise the data, Portugal is penalised for processing while performing better in other areas of the investment ecosystem.
“Europe will continue to hold appeal because of lifestyle, culture, education and institutions. But simply having a second residence or citizenship in Europe may no longer be sufficient for someone building a broader resilience plan”
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Global Residency Programs Report
Global Citizen Solutions’ 2026 Global Residency Programs Report assesses 48 residence programmes across 46 jurisdictions, examining them through five principal pillars: quality of life, procedure, mobility, investment, and compliance and credibility.
The report points to a maturing investment-migration market in which speed and accessibility are increasingly balanced against programme durability, regulatory standards and the quality of the underlying investment proposition. It also identifies a broader movement away from predominantly passive, property-led investment towards more purposeful capital, including funds, entrepreneurship, business creation and other investments aligned with national economic priorities.
Switzerland, the UAE and Portugal emerge among the leading residence destinations, albeit for markedly different reasons. Switzerland benefits from stability and its established wealth environment; the UAE from tax competitiveness, efficient processing and increasingly sophisticated institutions; and Portugal from its combination of European access, lifestyle and investment options.
The findings reinforce one of Casaburi’s central arguments: internationally mobile families are increasingly looking beyond a single visa or residence permit towards a broader combination of mobility, investment, tax, security and long-term resilience.
Read the 2026 Global Residency Programs Report
5. Your 2026 rankings place Switzerland, the UAE and Portugal at the forefront of the global residence market, while new or strengthened programmes are emerging across the Gulf and Asia. Are we witnessing a lasting geographical rebalancing of investment migration, and which jurisdictions do you expect to gain most over the next five years?
🎙Casaburi: One of the biggest surprises has been the Gulf. Switzerland, the UAE and Portugal lead, but they represent very different models.
Switzerland offers stability and taxation advantages. The UAE offers speed, accessibility, zero personal income tax and increasingly strong institutions. Portugal and other European destinations offer access and lifestyle.
The Gulf and important Asian centres such as Singapore and Hong Kong will remain strong. I also see considerable potential in Uruguay, Panama and Brazil, while South American passports can offer surprisingly good mobility.
6. Caribbean citizenship-by-investment programmes, including those of St Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, and Antigua and Barbuda, are facing growing external pressure, particularly from the European Union over visa-free access. Given that the EU has already taken a much harder line on citizenship by investment within its own borders, including Malta and Cyprus, how vulnerable is the Caribbean model? These programmes have become economically significant for several small island states, so what does their future now look like?
🎙Casaburi: The Caribbean has faced sustained EU pressure and has responded with real reform: stronger due diligence, biometric enrolment, greater scrutiny of investments and, in some cases, physical-presence requirements.
There is also an important nuance. Our clients investing in Caribbean passports are not necessarily doing so purely for EU or Schengen access. There is still a draw in wealth management, asset protection, trusts and foundations.
The appeal will not disappear overnight, but governments need to think about how their economies evolve while continuing to strengthen AML, due diligence, transparency and accountability.
7. Portugal remains one of Europe’s most closely watched investment migration destinations, but recent months have brought renewed uncertainty around its nationality framework and the pathway from residence to citizenship. Where do you see the Portuguese proposition heading, and what is the future of the citizenship pathway for investors and other Golden Visa residents?
“internationally mobile families are increasingly looking beyond a single visa or residence permit towards a broader combination of mobility, investment, tax, security and long-term resilience”
🎙 Casaburi: It is important to separate Golden Visa residency from nationality. They are governed by different legislation, and the Golden Visa remains valid.
I think Portugal did a poor job in how the nationality changes affected people already in the programme, particularly those who had already experienced long delays. That eroded trust.
But the five-year route to permanent residence remains, the investment thresholds have not changed, and Portugal remains relevant. I think Portugal is playing the long game, and clarity allows clients to plan.
8. If we were to have this conversation again three years from now, what do you think would have changed most in investment migration? Which programmes, markets or trends do you believe the industry may currently be underestimating?
🎙Casaburi: We may not even describe it as investment migration. We may be moving towards something like regulated mobility planning.
I think we are underestimating South America and potentially Africa, although it is still very early. Regional dynamics in Asia are also important. Due diligence and AML will be essential to programme durability, and there will probably be consolidation among smaller firms. Advisers increasingly need to understand how to connect the dots because families are looking for two- or three-step solutions.
Europe will continue to hold appeal because of lifestyle, culture, education and institutions. But simply having a second residence or citizenship in Europe may no longer be sufficient for someone building a broader resilience plan.
Conclusions
Casaburi’s assessment points to an industry moving beyond the traditional transaction of investment for residence. Mobility is becoming increasingly intertwined with geopolitical risk, wealth structuring, family succession and multi-jurisdictional planning. Perhaps her most striking prediction is that even the term “investment migration” could eventually give way to “regulated mobility planning”, as compliance, programme durability and purposeful capital increasingly determine which jurisdictions, advisers and strategies remain relevant.
About Patricia Casaburi
Patricia Casaburi is Founder and CEO of Global Citizen Solutions. She holds graduate and postgraduate degrees in Commercial Law and Immigration from the University of Law in London and has a background in media and journalism. Combining legal expertise with strong communication skills, she has built a transparent, collaborative and client-focused company that helps individuals and businesses create value and secure their futures.
