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Chinese are big customers for schemes selling foreign residency

economist.com

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Re: Chinese are big customers for schemes selling foreign residency

#101

Post by CptFribble »

dev_dull wrote: post #100
addicted wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I agree with most of what you say, I'm struggling to see how rule breakers get rewarded. For the most part pretty much everyone in the immigration system gets screwed, other than the wealthiest, whether they buy their residency, or they hire the workers who are either here illegally or legally.

Applying for asylum after illegally crossing the border versus applying for asylum before entering the USA.

When would refugees fleeing violence with only the clothes on their backs find the time and money to pop into an internet cafe and fill out the application?

Or do border guards have a stack of asylum application forms to hand out at crossings?

Re: Chinese are big customers for schemes selling foreign residency

#102

Post by chaostheory »

rolltiide wrote: post #37
chaostheory wrote: post #22

The reasons for this are obvious: 1. Money laundering i.e. How can Chinese government officials embezzle tax money and keep it? Buy real estate overseas and have your family live in them. 2. Tax evasion. Buy real estate overseas and have your family live in them. The education angle makes sense, but imo it's not the main reason.

But who cares? if we don't respect Chinese rule of law (or lack thereof) then is it money laundering? As in, money laundering requires that the source of money have an illicit origin - not merely the observation thats its being moved around - but if the origin is successfully completely unknown, or if the origin is determined illicit by the Chinese government, then neither of those really satisfy the criteria for vil…

> But who cares?

Anyone who wants to know where this magic foreign money is coming from. Personally, I'm not judging anyone. At the same time I don't like living in ignorance.

Re: Chinese are big customers for schemes selling foreign residency

#103

Post by NonEUCitizen »

jseliger wrote: post #49
Tiktaalik wrote: post #4

> But Canada closed its federal programme in 2014 (some provincial schemes, such as Quebec’s, continue). Only mentioned as an aside, but for Vancouverites, this has been very painful. Uniquely Quebec manages its own immigration (let's not get into it) and they have an investor immigration scheme that essentially sells citizenship for a pittance. Of course since persons have freedom of movement there's nothing stoppin…

If we only had a technology that could be used to build more housing units on a given plot of land, we could probably build as many housing units as people want to buy. Until such technologies emerge from the land of science fiction, we'll be stuck with shortages, because the problems are really technical, not legal. https://www.vox.com/a/new-economy-future/urban-sprawl-housin...

Technology for "more housing units on a given plot of land" is in widespread use Hongkong, Singapore, Shenzhen, Seoul, and many other parts of Asia. It's even used in parts of the USA like NYC.

Re: Chinese are big customers for schemes selling foreign residency

#104

Post by chaostheory »

jseliger wrote: post #50
chaostheory wrote: post #22

The reasons for this are obvious: 1. Money laundering i.e. How can Chinese government officials embezzle tax money and keep it? Buy real estate overseas and have your family live in them. 2. Tax evasion. Buy real estate overseas and have your family live in them. The education angle makes sense, but imo it's not the main reason.

You're missing the most obvious reason that's far more important: Anyone smart and Chinese knows that there's a very decent chance that the system collapses and/or the government steals all your money and possibly your life. In the US and Canada, it's extremely uncommon for the government to steal a rich person's money and even life, and it virtually never happens without a public trial. Anyone smart, Chinese, and wi…

I agree. China has little rule of law. It runs mainly on nepotism now even more than pre-XJ. That said, I'm still guessing that most of this money was made illicitly.

Re: Chinese are big customers for schemes selling foreign residency

#105

Post by barry-cotter »

Tiktaalik wrote: post #4

> But Canada closed its federal programme in 2014 (some provincial schemes, such as Quebec’s, continue). Only mentioned as an aside, but for Vancouverites, this has been very painful. Uniquely Quebec manages its own immigration (let's not get into it) and they have an investor immigration scheme that essentially sells citizenship for a pittance. Of course since persons have freedom of movement there's nothing stoppin…

> Uniquely Quebec manages its own immigration

That Quebec is the only province that avails itself of the opportunity to attract immigrants to itself rather than relying on the federal government is to its credit. If the Anglophone provinces don’t feel like exercising the powers they and Quebec share that’s their problem, not Quebec’s.

Re: Chinese are big customers for schemes selling foreign residency

#106

Post by damnyou »

chance_state wrote: post #60
damnyou wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another frame: your acquaintances were frustrated at how hard it is to immigrate and figured out a workaround. I strongly believe in freedom of movement so any legal or extra-legal means to do so are all right in my book. Rules are meant to be bent. Laws are meant to be broken.

>I strongly believe in freedom of movement [...] Why?

Basic human rights. Borders are an expression of state violence. They demonize ordinary people that move to another place.

No human is illegal.

Re: Chinese are big customers for schemes selling foreign residency

#107

Post by propertius »

gcbw2 wrote: post #72
chance_state wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I strongly believe in freedom of movement [...] Why?

Why not?

"It's just obvious you can't have free immigration and a welfare state..."

That was Milton Friedman's view.

Re: Chinese are big customers for schemes selling foreign residency

#108

Post by vinay427 »

Tiktaalik wrote: post #4

> But Canada closed its federal programme in 2014 (some provincial schemes, such as Quebec’s, continue). Only mentioned as an aside, but for Vancouverites, this has been very painful. Uniquely Quebec manages its own immigration (let's not get into it) and they have an investor immigration scheme that essentially sells citizenship for a pittance. Of course since persons have freedom of movement there's nothing stoppin…

> Uniquely Quebec manages its own immigration (let's not get into it) and they have an investor immigration scheme that essentially sells citizenship for a pittance. Of course since persons have freedom of movement there's nothing stopping persons who buy citizenship in Quebec for moving to Vancouver, which almost all of them do.

Most every province seems to have some sort of provincial nominee program in place for granting permanent residence. They're just not usually designed for investors.

Example of Ontario: https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-immigrant-nominee-progra...

Re: Chinese are big customers for schemes selling foreign residency

#109

Post by dev_dull »

CptFribble wrote: post #101
dev_dull wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Applying for asylum after illegally crossing the border versus applying for asylum before entering the USA.

When would refugees fleeing violence with only the clothes on their backs find the time and money to pop into an internet cafe and fill out the application? Or do border guards have a stack of asylum application forms to hand out at crossings?

If you apply for asylum at a port of entry you can be denied entry according to the law. If you wait until you’ve illegally crossed into the USA our laws make it very hard to be deported.

I don’t blame or judge anyone. Like I said the laws reward those who break the law and punish those who try and follow the law.

Re: Chinese are big customers for schemes selling foreign residency

#110

Post by grecy »

vinay427 wrote: post #108
Tiktaalik wrote: post #4

> But Canada closed its federal programme in 2014 (some provincial schemes, such as Quebec’s, continue). Only mentioned as an aside, but for Vancouverites, this has been very painful. Uniquely Quebec manages its own immigration (let's not get into it) and they have an investor immigration scheme that essentially sells citizenship for a pittance. Of course since persons have freedom of movement there's nothing stoppin…

> Uniquely Quebec manages its own immigration (let's not get into it) and they have an investor immigration scheme that essentially sells citizenship for a pittance. Of course since persons have freedom of movement there's nothing stopping persons who buy citizenship in Quebec for moving to Vancouver, which almost all of them do. Most every province seems to have some sort of provincial nominee program in place for g…

> Most every province seems to have some sort of provincial nominee program in place for granting permanent residence. They're just not usually designed for investors.

I went through the program (I'm a PR now).

It takes many years, and then many years again to get citizenship. You have to work, etc. It's not even close to the same as the old "investor" program which was literally buy citizenship if you are rich.

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