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Many countries do. Yeah, it usually requires a TON of liquid cash or assets, though there are even a couple of EU countries that are hard up for investment mone

Many countries do. Yeah, it usually requires a TON of liquid cash or assets, though there are even a couple of EU countries that are hard up for investment money and provide easy investment visas for very little. Some (like Estonia) require that you get your business plan validated by a committee or board, but others (like Spain and Portugal and Hungary) really don’t seem to care as long as you claim you can make money and/or employ people (or buy or rent a property for a certain amount and spend 180+ days a year there). There are VERY few people in the world who can take two years off and not worry about needing any income, so it’s incredibly understandable that that’s not a common visa scenario. Americans also forget that the rest of the world doesn’t have to pay income tax on earnings no matter where they live, so the visa ties into tax residency as well.

baybal2 7y ago
China once used to be like that, and the 10 years "golden" (called that way for a hefty processing fee) business visa was pretty much accepted as a "pay to play" option to stay in China. A few years ago China made a u-turn and started tightening on legit applicants. Property bought by business visa holders is now in legal limbo. It's said that it is now nowhere as certain for small business owners to get an extension, even when their business operate in good standing. If you get kicked out with you business still in China, it will suck.
- poiuyt098 7y ago
  you might get kicked out, or you might be held hostage as retaliation https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/16/canadians-detained-in-china-charged-with-espionage https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/16/canadians-deta...