Last year, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, 296 golden visas were granted to Chinese citizens under the Residence Permit for Investment (ARI) scheme, totalling 158 million euros – a 28% year-on-year drop, Lusa news agency reported on Saturday.
In 2019, 395 Golden visas had been granted to China, in an investment of more than 220 million euros.
Brazil invested 83.9 million euros (126 golden visas) in 2020, a 47% drop from 158 million euros (210 golden visas) invested a year earlier.
The United States came third, with its investment increasing 13% last year, compared to 2019, to 49.3 million euros, with 75 golden visas granted. US investment in 2019 had amounted to 43.5 million euros, with 65 Golden visas having been granted.
Compared to 2019, Turkish investment fell 19%, to 34 million euros.
In total, 72 Golden visas were granted in 2020. In 2019, investment amounted to 44.9 million euros, with 85 Golden visas attributed.
South Africa invested 36 million euros in 2020, having been granted 74 golden visas.
Russia had been included in the list in 2019, with an investment of 35 million euros, and a total of 53 Golden visas.
Investment obtained through Golden visas rose 13% in February, compared to the same month in 2020, to 52.3 million euros, according to Lusa.
The Golden visa programme, launched in October 2012, registered up to February this year a total investment of 5,724,426,273.03 euros. A great part of investment corresponded to the purchase of real estate, which totaled 5,177,461,049.15 euros. The total purchase for urban rehabilitation totaled 288,856,120.15 euros, and the investment raised through capital transfer amounted to 546,965,223.88 euros.
