Residency and Migration

Work out how the family will actually live there — then choose the route

A passport, a residence card, a university place — none of these is the objective. The real questions are: which year does the child start school, does an adult need to live there, how does the money move, and can you exit in a few years. Below, six routes are set out on the same terms — conditions, timing, cost and exit — so you can choose against your family's calendar rather than against whichever one approves fastest.

Six routes

The ones that need no capital, and the ones that do

The first depends on the applicant's own qualifications and requires no capital. The remaining five exchange investment, property or donation for residence or citizenship. The categories solve different problems — identify the category first, then compare within it.

Hong Kong talent admission

Hong Kong SAR

No capital · qualifications and income · permanent residence after 7 years

Three sub-schemes: the Top Talent Pass, the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme and the entrepreneur visa. None requires an investment sum — all rest on the applicant's own profile. What differs is what gets assessed: income, a points score, or a genuinely operating business.

Investment: None (the entrepreneur visa requires a genuinely operating Hong Kong company)
Language: None
Residence: Permanent residence requires 7 years of continuous ordinary residence
Dependants: Spouse and unmarried dependent children under 18; dependants may work or study in Hong Kong without restriction
Key thresholds: Top Talent Pass Class A requires HK$2.5m income in the preceding 12 months; Classes B and C require a bachelor's degree from a top-100 university, with an annual quota of 10,000 for Class C
Excluded nationalities: Nationals of Afghanistan, Cuba and North Korea are ineligible for the Top Talent Pass

Türkiye — citizenship by property

Türkiye

US$400k property · passport in one step · sellable after 3 years

Citizenship in exchange for property — the money stays in an asset rather than being donated. The threshold fell from US$1m to US$250k in 2018 and rose back to US$400k on 13 June 2022.

Investment: One or more properties with a valuation of at least US$400,000, as assessed by an officially licensed Turkish valuer
Holding period: The property may not be sold for three years
Applicant: Aged 18 or above, clean criminal record, investment completed as required
Dependants: Legal spouse and children under 18 (two generations)
Language / residence: No language or residence requirement; the principal applicant and spouse must enter Türkiye twice for biometrics
Watch for: A given property may only support one citizenship application; selling back to the same vendor after three years triggers a re-assessment of the citizenship

Greece — golden residence

Greece · Schengen

€250k / €400k / €800k tiers · property retained · one entry required

A permanent investor residence permit in exchange for real estate. Since 1 September 2024 the amount varies by region and property type across three tiers — pick the wrong area and the threshold triples.

€800k tier: Attica, Thessaloniki in Central Macedonia, Mykonos in the South Aegean, and islands with over 3,100 residents at the last census. One property only, at least 120 m²
€400k tier: All other regions
€250k tier: Conversion of commercial premises to residential use, or restoration of a listed building
Status: Permanent investor residence permit, granted in one step, with no residence requirement
Entry: One entry only for all applicants; biometrics must be given within 12 months of filing
Watch for: The electronic filing receipt allows entry to Greece for biometrics, but until the card is issued you may not travel to, or transit through, other Schengen states

Ireland — residence by donation

Ireland · EU

€400k group endowment · Stamp 4 · English-speaking

A Stamp 4 residence permission obtained through a group endowment. No property purchase and no local business are required — the trade-off is that the money, once given, is gone.

Route: A €400,000 group endowment to an Irish charitable project
When payable: Within 45 calendar days of the pre-approval letter
Status: Stamp 4 residence permission
Country: The eurozone's only native English-speaking country; permanently neutral; 12.5% corporation tax
Entry: After the original approval letter, apply for a D-class entry visa and collect the IRP card in Ireland
Watch for: Legal, application and due-diligence fees are non-refundable once filed — confirm eligibility before signing

Malta — permanent residence

Malta · EU · Schengen

From €169k by rental · permanent residence in one step · up to four generations

The Malta Permanent Residence Programme. Rental and purchase routes differ almost threefold in official cost. The amendment of 22 July 2025 reduced certain government fees and opened the programme to parents and grandparents.

Rental route: Official costs of €169,000 in total, with annual rent of at least €14,000 maintained for five years
Purchase route: Official costs of €474,000 in total, with a property of at least €375,000 held for five years
Principal applicant: A non-EU national aged 18 or over with assets of at least €500,000 (of which €150,000 liquid), or at least €650,000 (of which €75,000 liquid)
Dependants: No additional government fee for a spouse, minor children or adult children with a disability; €7,500 per person for adult children (under 29) and for the parents or grandparents of the applicant or spouse
Insurance: Health insurance of €100,000 covering Malta and the EU is required
Watch for: State education is free; private school fees run roughly RMB 20,000–60,000 a year, with free school transport and a year of free language tuition

Dominica — citizenship by investment

Dominica · Caribbean · Commonwealth

From US$200k donation · long-standing programme · up to four generations

Established in 1993 and written into Dominica's constitution and citizenship law. Citizenship is obtained by government donation, and the range of qualifying relatives is comparatively wide for this class of programme.

Government donation (non-refundable): US$200,000 for a single applicant; US$250,000 for a family of four
Additional dependants: US$25,000 each under 18; US$40,000 each aged 18 or over
Qualifying relatives: Spouse; children under 18; children aged 18–30 in full-time education and financially dependent; unmarried daughters under 25 living with and dependent on the applicant; adult children with special needs; parents or grandparents aged 65 or over who are financially dependent
Travel: Visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to over 150 countries and territories; biometric e-passport
Country: A Commonwealth country with English as its official language; diplomatic relations with China since 2004 and a mutual visa-waiver agreement signed in November 2021
Watch for: The medical certificate and police clearance are valid for only three months — do not obtain them too early; bank statements must cover the last 12 months and show a balance covering the investment; the professional reference must come from a lawyer or chartered accountant who has known the applicant for at least five years

Our fees

Hong Kong — our service fees

These are our own fees. Government application fees and third-party charges are not included.

Item	Fee	Notes
Quality Migrant Admission Scheme	RMB 50,000	General Points Test or Achievement-based Points Test
Top Talent Pass Scheme	RMB 20,000	Classes A, B and C
Entrepreneur visa (company already held)	RMB 50,000	Applicant already has a Hong Kong company and corporate bank account
Entrepreneur visa (with incorporation)	RMB 100,000	Includes assistance with incorporating the Hong Kong company

Item

Fee

Notes

Quality Migrant Admission Scheme

RMB 50,000

General Points Test or Achievement-based Points Test

Top Talent Pass Scheme

RMB 20,000

Classes A, B and C

Entrepreneur visa (company already held)

RMB 50,000

Applicant already has a Hong Kong company and corporate bank account

Entrepreneur visa (with incorporation)

RMB 100,000

Includes assistance with incorporating the Hong Kong company

The figures above are for a single principal applicant. Accompanying dependants, expedited handling, supplementary filings and re-submissions are quoted separately; the written quotation governs.

Cost structure

What the five non-Hong Kong routes cost

The table shows the order of magnitude of the investment and the main third-party charges, all collected by the relevant institutions — none of it is our fee. The itemised breakdown (legal fees, notarisation and legalisation, government charges, insurance, valuation, translation) is set out line by line in the written quotation, showing who collects what. Where the authorities revise their charges, the amount actually payable governs.

Programme	Investment or donation	Main third-party costs	Holding and ongoing cost
Türkiye	Property of at least US$400,000	Legal fees around US$30,000 per family; title transfer tax and notarised transfer fee at 2% of price each; VAT at 1%, 10% or 20% depending on the project; immigration charges of US$487 (principal), US$290 (spouse), US$10 per child	Property insurance of roughly US$300–1,500 a year; three-year holding period
Greece	€250,000 / €400,000 / €800,000 by region and property type	Legal fees, transfer and municipal taxes, land registry, notary and immigration application fees, all paid into the law firm's escrow account	Ongoing: service charges, annual property tax, income tax on rental income, and tax representative fees
Ireland	€400,000 group endowment	Project management fee, support services fee, legal fees, immigration application fee and due-diligence fee	The endowment is non-refundable; no residence requirement, with renewal of the IRP card under Irish rules
Malta	Official costs of €169,000 (rental route) or €474,000 (purchase route)	Government administrative fee of €60,000 (in two instalments); government contribution of €37,000; charitable donation of €2,000; €7,500 per adult dependant	The lease or property must be maintained for five years; health insurance of €100,000 must be kept in force
Dominica	Government donation from US$200,000 (US$250,000 for a family of four)	Due-diligence fee, government processing fee, legal fees, notarisation and translation; additional dependants at US$25,000 or US$40,000 each	The donation is non-refundable; there is no holding period or residence requirement

Programme

Investment or donation

Main third-party costs

Holding and ongoing cost

Türkiye

Property of at least US$400,000

Legal fees around US$30,000 per family; title transfer tax and notarised transfer fee at 2% of price each; VAT at 1%, 10% or 20% depending on the project; immigration charges of US$487 (principal), US$290 (spouse), US$10 per child

Property insurance of roughly US$300–1,500 a year; three-year holding period

Greece

€250,000 / €400,000 / €800,000 by region and property type

Legal fees, transfer and municipal taxes, land registry, notary and immigration application fees, all paid into the law firm's escrow account

Ongoing: service charges, annual property tax, income tax on rental income, and tax representative fees

Ireland

€400,000 group endowment

Project management fee, support services fee, legal fees, immigration application fee and due-diligence fee

The endowment is non-refundable; no residence requirement, with renewal of the IRP card under Irish rules

Malta

Official costs of €169,000 (rental route) or €474,000 (purchase route)

Government administrative fee of €60,000 (in two instalments); government contribution of €37,000; charitable donation of €2,000; €7,500 per adult dependant

The lease or property must be maintained for five years; health insurance of €100,000 must be kept in force

Dominica

Government donation from US$200,000 (US$250,000 for a family of four)

Due-diligence fee, government processing fee, legal fees, notarisation and translation; additional dependants at US$25,000 or US$40,000 each

The donation is non-refundable; there is no holding period or residence requirement

These figures come from each programme's published schedule at the time of writing and are intended only to convey scale. They are not a quotation. Policies and charges may change; the authorities' latest publication and the written quotation govern.

Before you start

What we do not promise, and what we answer for

Approval is not ours to give

Each jurisdiction's authorities decide independently. We are answerable for eligibility checks, the quality of the file, the timing of filing and keeping the process moving — not for the outcome, and not for how long it takes.

Three separate layers of cost

The investment or donation, the government and third-party charges, and our own fee are quoted as three separate layers and never bundled. The written quotation states, line by line, who collects what.

Policies move — we re-check before you sign

The conditions and amounts here reflect each programme's published position at the time of writing. Thresholds, regional bands and family scope change often in this field; we re-verify against the latest official publication before you sign.

Status is not the same as settling in

Obtaining the status is only the first step. Children's schooling, the change in tax residence and the consequent adjustments to asset structures all have to be considered when the route is chosen — which is why this belongs inside the family office rather than with a standalone agency.

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