Esposas
Well-known member
Wow I heard they were starting a citizenship by investment program in Argentina but I see they cancelled it. I know MIgraciones is a mess since Milei started. This is a sign they are terribly unorganized.
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Is Citizenship by investment dead in Argentina?
- Thread starter Esposas
- Start date
I'm not surprised. All the government offices are a mess. What did you expect with Milei firing everyone. My guess is that Milei couldn't steal with all the spotlight on him and if there was no money to steal they just shelved it.
Nothing is working. All the government offices don't have enough staff. My sister works for the government and she said it is terrible. They are doing the work of 3 people and think they might be fired at any time. Congress is deadlocked on many things and even if they agree the corrupt judges prevent changes. That is not Milei's fault. Just Argentina.
Nothing is working right now.
Nothing is working. All the government offices don't have enough staff. My sister works for the government and she said it is terrible. They are doing the work of 3 people and think they might be fired at any time. Congress is deadlocked on many things and even if they agree the corrupt judges prevent changes. That is not Milei's fault. Just Argentina.
Nothing is working right now.
Avocado
Well-known member
This is what I read too. If you put it in AI why they stopped it here is what it says:
The situation in Argentina is a "good news/bad news" scenario for anyone watching the CBI (Citizenship by Investment) space. Technically, Argentina hasn't "stopped" the law itself, but they have effectively frozen the launch due to a major procurement scandal and shifting geopolitical
1. The "Tender War" (The Immediate Reason)
On April 14, 2026, Economy Minister Luis Caputo signed Resolution 522/2026, which officially cancelled the international tender to find a "Master Agent" to run the program.- The Scandal: A consortium had been recommended to win the contract, but industry giants Henley & Partnersand Latitude Consultancy filed formal challenges (impugnaciones).
- The Result: Rather than fighting a long legal battle with these firms, the government decided to "void" the entire process. They cited that the current bids didn't provide the "strategic articulation" required for such a sensitive program.
2. The "US Visa Waiver" Strategy
US travel ban risks, Argentina is currently playing a high-stakes game. One of the Milei administration’s top goals is getting back into the US ESTA (Visa Waiver) program.- The Conflict: You cannot get a US Visa Waiver if you are selling "un-vetted" passports to anyone with $500k.
- The Pivot: The government realized that if they launched a "loose" CBI program, the US would likely block Argentina's path to ESTA forever. The cancellation of the tender allows the government to "re-evaluate" the security protocols to ensure they meet U.S. and FATF standards before trying again.
- The Narrative: Launching a "Golden Passport" scheme for billionaires while the local middle class is taking a 9% real wage hit (as seen in your charts) was becoming a political nightmare.
- IMF Pressure: Minister Caputo is currently in Washington meeting with the IMF. The IMF generally dislikes CBI programs because they can be used for money laundering, which complicates Argentina's debt restructuring goals.
he Bottom Line: Argentina realized that being a "G20 country with a strong passport" is worth more than the quick cash from a CBI program. They are hitting the brakes to make sure they don't end up on the "US Travel Ban" list you were just reading about.
It's a good thing. Major areas of BA would have become Chinatown. Canada should have shut CBI down after the Hong Kong migration in the 80s, but they let it stand and our cities were swamped with Chinese immigrants. Homes became unaffordable to citizens.
You have to laugh at the media saying the Yuan is going to replace the dollar as the world's reserve currency when every Chinese citizen, as soon as they get some money, they look for ways to get it out of China. There are other reasons why it won't happen, but lack of trust is #1.
You have to laugh at the media saying the Yuan is going to replace the dollar as the world's reserve currency when every Chinese citizen, as soon as they get some money, they look for ways to get it out of China. There are other reasons why it won't happen, but lack of trust is #1.
TonyTigre
Well-known member
If only Argentina were so lucky.
Uncle Wong
Well-known member
It is a bit wild to think how much Canada has changed over the past few decades. Not in too much time. My uncle came to the USA but first through Canada. Most that have any money it is like you said Craig they want out ASAP. They know better. USD I don't think is going anywhere. People always talk about its demise but it's going strong.
I would think if Argentina makes residency easy there are a lot of people that will move here. I can only believe that prices will skyrocket in desirable cities like Buenos Aires and Bariloche and Patagonia.
I just saw Israel and Argentina are going to do direct flights which makes me think a wave of people from Israel are coming.
Uncle Wong
Well-known member
Actually I am amazed with how great Chinatown has turned out. My first visit a few years ago and today. They did a great job there and it is very popular. That actually looks like a great area to live in now. All the Chinese that I have met in BA are very hard workers. Most of them own their own stores, always working and seem to be contributing to Argentina. Seems like ideal population.
I wonder what Argentina will look like in 10 years.
Have to disagree with you there.
Most Canadian cities have a great Chinatown and hard working immigrants. What you would get with CBI is a whole other kettle of fish.
Canada Goose
Well-known member
Totally agree with Craig. Talk to any native Canadian and they are going to agree with you. The Canada today is nothing like when I grew up. In some cities it's almost unrecognizable. Many Canadians I know have fled to Mexico and the US. None of my siblings can afford a house in Toronto because the prices skyrocketed up from all the Chinese and Indians.
Agree SOME immigration is ok but this is probably why Argentina is trying to control not making it so easy now. I actually agree with this strategy as long as they have some system to let in the good immigration too. I read a post on here of a Russian that was trying to get Citizenship and her husband had to go to Russia to visit a family member and had to restart his 2 year clock again.
They probably see what happened in Canada and UK and want to prevent that in the future.
Spend Thrift
Well-known member
CBI are very wealthy high net worth. I would think any country would want these people. I can't see any reason not to start a program other than if the US is pushing against it which I am not sure. It has been very popular in other countries. I have a few friends that moved to Portugal.
That was the thinking and for years it was a net positive, but we didn't consider the consequences of a nation with 40x our population that was starting to generate wealth and immediately wanted to get it out of there along with their families. It swamped us and the same happened in Australia.
This is what I worry about for any country. I don't think it will be a big issue for the USA. But I already see some evidence that it could be a problem.
Countries like China that have a huge population could come and flood a country. Canada is one example with very easy to get in.
earlyretirement
Moderator
Agree. I had an office in Toronto for 2 years. I couldn't believe how expensive properties were there. Every time I thought it would slow down it never did. They had to create laws to try to control it. People underestimate the amount of wealth there is in China. I'm heading there this summer for a month and can't wait to check it all out.
I have already seen a huge uptick in Chinese moving to Buenos Aires. A few months ago I was in one of my favorite places, La Dorita in Palermo Chico. I was having dinner with some friends and I was surprised it was full of Chinese. They had several tables and I asked the manager as they all seemed known by the waiters and staff. He told me they all bought places in the neighborhood and come in all the time. They were speaking Chinese but they also were speaking Spanish with the staff.
I think Argentina is going to be a desirable place for the foreseeable future. Sure, it has its fair share of economic problems and maybe always will but there will always be wealthy people that want to live in nice countries and nice cities and nice neighborhoods. Recoleta and Palermo are two of the nicest neighborhoods in the entire Continent. I've been to every major city in every South American country. This is the best of the best.
Yes I have a lot of clients/friends that got their Portugal passport by only investing about $500,000 USD. It was a hugely popular program but it drove up property prices and shut it down.
Argentina is a bit different as you have most of the wealthy that store its wealth in real estate as they can't trust their banking system. Now cost of construction is really going up as the peso is strong and dollar is flat. The reality is that prices will keep going up as it's not so much just about real estate but a store of value. There will be a lot of money chasing a few areas of the city (Recoleta, Palermo, Belgrano, Nunez).
And that happened while China is recoiling from a downturn largely driven by massive over investment in real estate. If the CBI was in force 15 years ago when China was on a tear, I suspect BA would look quite different.
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