The UK is exploring two potential alternatives to its discontinued Tier 1 Investor Visa: a £5 million investment in a government-backed innovation fund or a £2.5 million investor visa with a fixed annual tax of £200,000. Neither option would allow residential property purchases to count towards the investment requirement.
Cyprus has lost more than €1 billion in tax revenue due to the reduced 5% VAT rate, which was widely used by buyers of luxury villas rather than the families it was intended to support. Under pressure from Brussels, the Cypriot authorities have set a firm deadline: 31 December 2026 will be the final day to purchase property under the previous, highly favourable VAT rules.