When the U.S.-Canada border reopens, some Americans will be making the move across the border. The handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and social unrest, the latest on Capitol Hill, have already prompted a rising number of Americans to look into second passports with some even moving just across the border, to Canada. We speak with citizenship advisory firm Apex Capital Partners’ Nuri Katz and Vancouver realtor Pete Shpak.<\/p>\n
In previous years, U.S. citizens rarely sought to buy so-called golden passports. The business mainly thrived targeting people from countries with fewer travel freedoms than the U.S., such as China, Nigeria or Pakistan.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s changing. People close to the industry say they\u2019ve been inundated with inquiries from citizens of the world\u2019s richest country.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe haven\u2019t seen the likes of this before,\u201d said Paddy Blewer, a London-based director at citizenship and residency-advisory firm Henley & Partners, referring to queries from U.S. individuals. \u201cThe dam actually burst — and we didn\u2019t realize it — at the end of last year, and it\u2019s just continued getting stronger,\u201d from an interview in 2020.<\/p>\n
The benefits of owning a second passport, which range from potentially lower taxes, to more investing freedoms and less hassle traveling, can be had for as little as $100,000. The so-called citizenship-by-investment programs haven\u2019t historically been as popular with Americans since one of their main draws — the favorable tax regimes of adopted countries — has been of little benefit to citizens of the U.S., one of the few nations to tax its people regardless of where they live.<\/p>\n
The current heightened interest among U.S. citizens predates the coronavirus pandemic, but the crisis has helped turbo-charge demand as they plan for how to maintain some freedom of movement with lockdown measures increasing amid a swelling second wave of Covid-19 cases.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmericans are thinking: \u2018I want to have that ability to move as quickly as possible and not be stuck,\u2019\u201d said Nestor Alfred, chief executive officer of St. Lucia\u2019s citizenship-by-investment unit.<\/p>\n
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: <\/p>\n
Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world.<\/p>\n
To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24\/7, visit or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app.<\/p>\n
Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: <\/p>\n