What to Do if You Can’t Decide Between Permanent Residency and Citizenship

Are you interested in participating in an Immigration-by-Investment Programme, yet unsure which route you should follow?

Although both types of programmes allow for an individual and any related persons included within an application to reside in a country following the purchase of a property that costs a certain sum, there are some key differences:

Permanent Residency

If an applicant successfully receives Permanent Residency status, they can:

• Reside, work or study within a country without restriction if the permanent residence visa is renewed.
• Gain certain travel privileges, such as visa-free entry or visa-on-arrival in select countries or the entirety of the Schengen Zone, if the permanent residence visa is kept up to date.

However, unlike its name suggests, this permanent residence status is not in fact permanent – the residence visa must be renewed every few years and the ownership of the property investment must be maintained.

Citizenship

Should an individual be successful in their Citizenship-by-Investment programme application, they become privy to:

• The right to live, work and study in a country indefinitely without any restrictions.
• Permanent travel privileges when it comes to travelling to other countries.

Why Not Have Both?

Although most countries offer either Permanent Residency or Citizenship status, a few countries offer both programmes. One such nation is the Republic of Malta.

If you can’t settle on which Immigration-by-Investment path to choose, you could opt for the Malta Permanent Residency. Within a period of 4-6 months, if successful, you will receive your Maltese Residence Certificate.

For 36 months, you can reap the immense benefits of Maltese Permanent Residency and make sure Malta is the right nation for you to own property in.

Should you decide that Citizenship is more suitable for your purposes, you can proceed with submitting your Citizenship Application as well as any other relevant documents. The Citizenship application procedure lasts between 14-38 months.

• Individuals who have invested more than €175,000 in the country’s real estate market can receive Permanent Residency.
• Those who invest €738,000 in Maltese real estate after 36 months of continued residency or €888,000 after 12 months of residency can become eligible for Maltese citizenship.