VANUATU

Vanuatu’s citizenship by investment programs have grabbed headlines over the last week chiefly for two reasons: First, because the government had signed an exclusive agreement with one of its Master Agents to handle applications from stateless investors. Second, because the country’s Deputy Prime Minister told Radio New Zealand that the government was preparing to issue yellow passports to those naturalizing via investment (as opposed to the ordinary green one issued to natural-born ni-Vanuatu), a statement that drew fervent reactions from the RCBI-community.   In a press statement issued today, prepared especially for IMI, the Chairman of Vanuatu’s Citizenship Commission, Ronald Warsal, for the first time...

IMMIGRATION BY INVESTMENT NEWS 2020

Increased demand for economic citizenship of Vanuatu has given the cyclone-battered south pacific island a massive financial boost, achieving a record US$33.3 million surpluses in the first half of 2020 and marking a 32% year-on-year increase in citizenship-related revenues, exceeding, by August, its annual projection.   These record revenues of 3.8 billion Vatu (US$33.3 million) created courtesy of the country’s Citizenship by Investment programme, comes at a time when such funds are desperately needed to boost Vanuatu’s fragile economy, which has been recently doubly battered, first by the coronavirus pandemic (with many losses in tourism) and then by the category five...

IMMIGRATION BY INVESTMENT NEWS 2020

What is unique in your jurisdiction and why Chinese investors should form companies there? Vanuatu has an attractive residency and citizenship program especially designed for Chinese nationals. The program requires investing in Vanuatu and for that a company is normally needed. Vanuatu is a recognized stepping stone for investors seeking Hong Kong residency. Vanuatu has close relations with China and there is a flourishing and growing Chinese community in the two largest cities, but there is no crowding. Opportunity yes. The Chinese have been a welcomed nation of investors and already there are major Chinese investments in Vanuatu. Having an offshore...

JURISDICTION 2014

Executive Summary:Vanuatu is a group of tropical islands on the eastern seaboard of Australia, off the coast of Queensland, with a mostly Melanesian population of 258,334 (2012). The 80 islands are mountainous, and some are volcanic. There are international airports on the two main islands; most connections are to Australia. The islands had British/French governance until independence in 1980; languages are English, French and Bislama (pidgin). The time zone is GMT plus 11 hours. There is a uni-cameral Parliament with a Westminster-model Prime Ministerial government and an elected President. The legal system is based on English common law with some...

IMMIGRATION BY INVESTMENT JURISDICTION 2014