Employment and talent
Eligibility may depend on an employer, a qualifying role, professional experience or recognised talent. Confirm whether status is tied to one sponsor and what happens if the work changes.
International residence
Find a residence route that fits the life you want to build
Whether you are moving for work, business, investment, independent income, study or family, we help you explore residence options around your plans and the people making the move with you.
Make the move work for you
Choose a route that supports how you want to live and work
A residence route can open the door to a new home, career, business opportunity or family move. The right option depends on where you want to be, what you want to do there and how you expect life to look after you arrive.
We help you compare the routes that match your plans: the status available, the activity it supports, how family members can be included and what you need to keep in place over time.
Residence, permanent residence and citizenship are different outcomes. Starting with the right one gives your plans a clearer direction from the outset.
Ways to make your move
Explore the route that best matches your plans
Start with the route family that matches your intended activity, then compare the status, work rights, family rules and renewal conditions in each destination.
Business and entrepreneurship
Some routes are designed around establishing or operating a business. The immigration test, company obligations and permission to work are separate questions.
Investment-linked residence
A qualifying asset or investment may support residence, but it does not by itself establish investment quality, unrestricted work rights or a future citizenship outcome.
Income and remote work
Independent-income and remote-work routes can have different rules on local employment, overseas activity, tax residence, insurance and minimum presence.
Family and study
Family connection or study may provide a route, but each applicant can face separate evidence, age, dependency, enrolment and progression requirements.
Compare properly
Questions that reveal how a route really works
Compare each route against the same practical questions: what grants status, what you may do, who can join you and what must continue after approval.
| Topic | Why it matters | Route details | Possible evidence | What can change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying basis | Status may depend on a job, business, investment, income, study or relationship. | The exact legal category and who decides eligibility. | Contracts, ownership, funds, income, enrolment or civil-status records. | A change to the original basis may affect renewal or validity. |
| Work position | Permission to reside does not always include permission to work in every capacity. | Employment, self-employment, employer and sector restrictions. | Employment offer, licence, qualifications or business plan. | Starting an unauthorised activity can breach conditions. |
| Family position | “Family included” rarely answers who qualifies or which status each person receives. | Relationships, ages, dependency, custody and application timing. | Marriage and birth records, consent, education and support evidence. | A family member may cease to qualify after a life change. |
| Presence and renewal | Travel patterns and ongoing evidence can determine whether status is retained. | Permitted absences, renewal dates and continuing conditions. | Travel history, insurance, accommodation and proof that the basis continues. | Long absences or missing evidence may interrupt a future plan. |
| Future status | Permanent residence or citizenship is usually a separate legal decision. | Whether time counts and which additional tests apply. | Residence history, language or integration evidence where required. | Never plan on automatic progression. |
Qualifying basis
- Why it matters
- Status may depend on a job, business, investment, income, study or relationship.
- Route details
- The exact legal category and who decides eligibility.
- Possible evidence
- Contracts, ownership, funds, income, enrolment or civil-status records.
- What can change
- A change to the original basis may affect renewal or validity.
Work position
- Why it matters
- Permission to reside does not always include permission to work in every capacity.
- Route details
- Employment, self-employment, employer and sector restrictions.
- Possible evidence
- Employment offer, licence, qualifications or business plan.
- What can change
- Starting an unauthorised activity can breach conditions.
Family position
- Why it matters
- “Family included” rarely answers who qualifies or which status each person receives.
- Route details
- Relationships, ages, dependency, custody and application timing.
- Possible evidence
- Marriage and birth records, consent, education and support evidence.
- What can change
- A family member may cease to qualify after a life change.
Presence and renewal
- Why it matters
- Travel patterns and ongoing evidence can determine whether status is retained.
- Route details
- Permitted absences, renewal dates and continuing conditions.
- Possible evidence
- Travel history, insurance, accommodation and proof that the basis continues.
- What can change
- Long absences or missing evidence may interrupt a future plan.
Future status
- Why it matters
- Permanent residence or citizenship is usually a separate legal decision.
- Route details
- Whether time counts and which additional tests apply.
- Possible evidence
- Residence history, language or integration evidence where required.
- What can change
- Never plan on automatic progression.
Make the route work in practice
Plan for the life you want after approval
The strongest route is not simply one you can apply for now. It is one that supports your work, business, travel and family plans once you have made the move.
We help you consider the practical points that shape a lasting plan, from the activity you want to undertake to the conditions you will need to maintain.
Activity
Confirm what the main applicant and each adult family member may lawfully do.
Continuity
Identify which employment, business, investment, income or insurance conditions must continue.
Change
Ask what happens after a job move, sale, divorce, birth, graduation or extended absence.
Build your shortlist
Four steps from your plans to a suitable route
Use these steps to turn a broad objective into a focused shortlist of residence options.
-
Define where, why and when you want to move
Set out the destination, intended activity, family members, likely travel pattern and preferred timeframe.
-
Match your circumstances to the route types
Identify whether employment, business, investment, income, study or family connection provides the strongest starting point.
-
Compare the rights and ongoing conditions
Review work, family, presence, renewal and change-of-circumstance rules for every shortlisted programme.
-
Choose the route and prepare the application
Select the best-fit option, build the document plan and organise the application stages around its requirements.
Real-life considerations
Similar objectives can require different routes
Work, business, travel and family circumstances can change which residence route is the most practical fit.
A professional changing employers
A sponsored work route may fit the first move, but the applicant should confirm whether a later employer change needs a new approval and how family status would be affected.
A business owner spending part of the year abroad
The plan should distinguish company ownership from immigration permission and test whether presence, active management or renewal evidence fits the intended travel pattern.
A family planning for the long term
Each person’s status, work position and future eligibility should be mapped separately. A child’s age or education can change before renewal or a later application.
Relevant programmes
Explore residency routes
Greece
Greece Golden Visa — investor residence
Investor residence route with 3 recognised qualifying options, including qualifying real-estate ownership or a qualifying long-term lease or timeshare arrangement.
View programme
Greece
Greece Digital Nomad Visa
Temporary residence route based on national visa followed, where applicable, by the digital-nomad residence-permit process.
View programme
Cyprus
Cyprus Permanent Residence by Investment
Investor residence route with 2 qualifying options: a qualifying new residential property or other investment categories accepted by the current Regulation 6(2) policy.
View programme
Germany
Germany Opportunity Card
Temporary residence route with 2 qualifying options: direct access as a recognised skilled worker or points-based access using the route's qualification, language…
View programme
Spain
Spain Non-Lucrative Visa
Temporary residence route based on national non-lucrative residence visa based on sufficient independent means.
View programme
United Arab Emirates
UAE Golden Visa
Specialist assessment route with 5 recognised qualifying options, including investor category or entrepreneur category.
View programmePrepare the questions
What to bring to your first conversation
Bring these details so we can compare the most relevant residence routes and identify the next steps efficiently.
Your intended move
- Preferred destination and timing
- Work, business, study or investment activity
- Expected time in and outside the country
- Longer-term residence or nationality objective
People and evidence
- Every person who needs status
- Relationships, ages and dependency
- Current nationalities and residence permissions
- Likely source documents and expiry dates
Conditions to compare
- Work and business permissions
- Sponsor or qualifying-asset dependence
- Presence and renewal requirements
- Other tax, legal or financial considerations
Common questions
Residence options FAQs
No. Residence can be time-limited and linked to a particular purpose. Permanent, settled or long-term status has a different legal basis, and its name and conditions vary by country.
No. Property can support an application only where the country has a route that recognises the relevant type and value of investment.
No. Work rights can be unrestricted, limited to a sponsor or activity, subject to another permission, or unavailable. The position can also differ between the main applicant and family members.
No. Some residence may count towards a later application, but permanent status and citizenship have their own residence, character, language or other requirements.
No, not automatically. Permission to travel and permission to live in another country are different. The rights depend on the status held, the issuing country and the intended destination.
Your circumstances first
Build a shortlist around what you need to do
Tell us the destination, activity, family position and timing you are considering. We will compare the relevant programmes and help you plan the next steps.