With the US adopting restrictive immigration policies and uncertainty still looming over Brexit, many have started looking elsewhere for realizing their overseas dreams.
High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) are exploring alternative citizenship or residency rights that will allow their children to fulfil their academic aspirations without getting entangled in unpredictable or risk-ridden visa application processes.
While there are many reasons behind taking up alternative citizenship or residency, education is an essential consideration for generally everyone.
Long term stability and security are the key deciding factors. When families are involved, residency by investment or citizenship by investment options revolve around the educational opportunities that the country under consideration holds.
Let us see what some prominent countries offer in lieu of investment.
| Program | Investment needed | Family Members |
| UK Investor immigration Program | £2,000,000 or more in the UK | Your ‘dependents’ can come with you. Dependents include –
§ Spouse or partners § Children under 18 § Children above 18 [if they are already in the UK as dependent] |
| US EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program | § standard minimum investment increased to USD 1.8 million [w.e.f. November 21, 2019]
§ Minimum investment in Targeted Employment Area (TEA) increased to USD 900,000 [w.e.f. November 21, 2019] |
Entrepreneurs and their family members [spouses and unmarried children below 21 years of age] can apply for Green Card (permanent residence), provided the appropriate investment is made and 10 permanent full-time jobs are created/preserved for US workers. |
| Australia Residence by Investment Programme | Investment required depends on the visa category and type applied for. There are many subclasses here, which include –
§ BUSINESS INNOVATION STREAM: Business Innovation and Investment (Provisional) visa (subclass 188) § BUSINESS INNOVATION STREAM: Business Innovation and Investment (Permanent) visa (subclass 888) |
You can bring eligible family members along with you. |
The US, the UK and Australia are among the most sought-after study abroad destinations.
As per the QS World University Rankings 2020, these countries have the following in the global Top 50 –
[I] The United States:
| Rank in 2020 | University |
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) |
| 2 | Stanford University |
| 3 | Harvard University |
| 5 | California Institute of Technology (Caltech) |
| 10 | University of Chicago |
| 13 | Princeton University |
| 14 | Cornell University |
| 15 | University of Pennsylvania |
| 17 | Yale University |
| 18 | Columbia University |
| 21 | University of Michigan |
| 24 | Johns Hopkins University |
| 25 | Duke University |
| 28 | University of California, Berkeley (UCB) |
| 31 | Northwestern University |
| 35 | University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) |
| 39 | New York University (NYU) |
| 45 | University of California, San Diego (UCSD) |
| 48 | Carnegie Mellon University |
With 5 among the Top 10, the US is an established name in study overseas.
Incidentally, in 2019 as well, the Top 3 spots were also taken up by MIT, Stanford, and Harvard in the same order as in 2020.
[II] The United Kingdom:
| Rank in 2020 | University |
| 4 | University of Oxford |
| 7 | University of Cambridge |
| 8 | UCL (University College London) |
| 9 | Imperial College London |
| 20 | University of Edinburgh |
| 27 | The University of Manchester |
| 33 | King’s College London (KCL) |
| 44 | London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) |
| 49 | University of Bristol |
While the University of Oxford was at Rank 5 in 2019, it has moved up one spot to get Rank 4 globally.
[III] Australia:
| Rank in 2020 | University |
| 29 | Australian National University (ANU) |
| 38 | The University of Melbourne |
| 42 | The University of Sydney |
| 43 | The University of New South Wales (UNSW) |
| 47 | The University of Queensland (UQ) |
For Australia, 2020 is a good year where it comes to the QS World Universities Rankings 2020. Australia has 18 in the Top 300. Out of the 18, 14 are ahead of the position that they had held in 2019.
Study overseas can help you in many ways – broadening your horizons by inter-cultural exchanges with other overseas students, access to a world-class education, and becoming globally employable once you complete your education.
While the visa rules are subject to changes by the concerned governments, High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) can literally pay their way through world-class education for their children.
All that is required is money. Loads of it.
If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate Overseas, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No. 1 Immigration & Visa Company.
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