CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT BLOG

June 2020:New client acceptance depends on client preparedness to meet deadline.

In our previous newsletter we alerted you to the IIP citizenship application deadline of July 31 2020 as mandated by the Malta government. Because it can take several weeks to create a complete application file, and in order to allow for sufficient preparation prior to reaching the deadline, we will be able to accept new IIP clients only in special cases after the first of July. Thank you for your understanding.

Background: The IIP citizenship by investment program in its current form is reaching its maximum quota and will be discontinued. Accordingly, the Malta government has set July 31 2020 as the deadline after which no new IIP citizenship applications will be accepted by the government.

However, preparing a complete client application case file requires substantial work, as we not only need to collect all application forms and supporting documentation, but the applicant also has to travel to Malta to set up a bank account, finalize a property purchase or rental, provide biometric data, and so on. Preparing all paperwork and completing all appointments is required before an application can be filed.

Further, because of COVID-19 no applicants have been able to travel to Malta recently. However, the Malta airport is expected to reopen to select Schengen countries on July 01 and to other countries on July 15. While this is good news, we expect a very large number of applicants to all arrive in the country at the same time, causing a severe strain on the availability of appointments.

Applicants we expect to arrive not only include new citizenship applicants, but also residency applicants, citizenship candidates who have already completed their residency stage, and several other categories of individuals with immigration or business-related needs who have not been able to enter the country since the lockdown started.

Many of these persons will want to meet with their attorneys, with their bankers, with their tax advisors, property agents, and government representatives – all of which means appointment slots will fill up fast.

Because of the limited availability of appointments and the quickly approaching deadline of July 31 we can only accept new IIP clients who are well-prepared.

While obtaining supporting documents such as police clearance forms is relatively easy in some regions, including the USA and Europe, it can be a difficult and long process in others, such as Asia for example. Likewise, providing personal records – such as birth certificates – might be easy for applicants who already have these documents in hand, but it can lead to delays if such documents must first be requested from local governments.

For these reasons, and to provide superior support to all clients, we and other immigration law firms in Malta are now limiting our new client intake.

Should you still wish to file an IIP application please contact us immediately so that we can discuss your individual situation and assess the probability that you will be able to collect all required documents prior to the deadline. We apologize if this means we cannot work with you, but it is in your own best interest to only start an application if there is ample time to comply with the government regulations. Thank you for understanding.

Please contact us at any time with your questions or comments.

Because the Malta immigration by investment program details can change over time please contact us about the current rules and regulations.

Click here for the Malta citizenship by investment program. Click here for the Malta residency programs.

To start the application process online please register here.

For a detailed cost estimate or to schedule a confidential consultation please use our contact form.