Residence and Citizenship Diversification as a Wealth Planning Strategy

Global wealth holders are rethinking where and how they anchor their futures, with residence and citizenship planning becoming a defining tool of modern wealth strategy. As instability grows, so does the appeal of investment migration programs and other pathways for acquiring alternative residences and citizenships. Over the past two decades, these programs have steadily gained popularity, and the demand for additional residence and citizenship options continues to rise.

A growing number of affluent individuals are turning to residence and citizenship programs to mitigate the risks that threaten their wealth, lifestyles, and legacies, as well as to create new opportunities for themselves and their families across destinations and jurisdictions worldwide.

Strategic Residence Planning in a Volatile Era

In the past, one of the primary reasons high-net-worth investors sought alternative residences and additional citizenships was to enhance their global mobility by investing in a country with a stronger passport with fewer visa restrictions, which would enable them to travel more freely. As the new world order emerges, marked by shifting power dynamics, widespread conflict, and escalating climate events, fresh ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors are reshaping global mobility. Today’s wealthy families increasingly view multiple residences as a form of geopolitical insurance — allowing them to pivot swiftly as opportunities and risks shift across regions. This realization is prompting more investors across the globe to diversify their domicile options through participating in one or more residence and citizenship programs, according to their family’s unique requirements and global outlook.

Alternative residence and citizenship options are no longer a luxury add-on but a central pillar of long-term wealth and legacy planning. There is a wide range of attractive programs in highly sought-after places in terms of business environment, quality of life, access to top-tier education institutions and private hospitals, and even resilience to climate change. A growing number of high-net-worth individuals are seeking out alternative residence options in crypto-friendly jurisdictions. If the residence by investment path is chosen, many programs include the possibility of acquiring citizenship after a stipulated period of legal residence, among other eligibility requirements.

Navigating Conflict, Climate, and Change

The 2020s have seen demand for residence and citizenship optionality accelerate, driven by a convergence of pressures — from geopolitical instability and climate risks to the rise of crypto wealth and the search for effective governance. Together, these forces signal a global shift in priorities, with affluent individuals seeking greater stability, resilience, and opportunity in a rapidly changing world. As noted by Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, Chairman at Henley & Partners, and Dr. Parag Khanna, Founder at AlphaGeo, the societies that are most resilient are most likely to succeed in the long run. Locations that invest in adaptation to perpetual uncertainty will attract investment and wealthy migrants, and enjoy economic growth and value creation.

The polarization and fragmentation that are evident across many of the world’s nations are eroding social cohesion, fueling a rising sense of unease. The Global Peace Index 2025 revealed that many of the key factors that precede major conflicts are higher than they have been since the end of World War II — concerning evidence that we are living through turbulent times. Warfare, political instability, and violence feature in our daily newsfeeds. In this context, having an alternative place to call home may in some circumstances even be a matter of life and death.

Turning to the accelerating climate crisis, a recent World Meteorological Organization report found an 86% chance that global average temperatures will exceed 1.5° C above pre-industrial levels in the next five years — a critical threshold scientists warn will sharply increase the risks of extreme weather, ecosystem disruption, and social instability. This is one of the biggest challenges of our time, with repercussions for almost every aspect of our lives, society, and environment. Global investors seeking to improve their resilience to the impacts of the climate crisis can explore residence and citizenship program options and make strategic, data-driven choices about where best to live, study, conduct business, invest, and retire — now and for future generations.

Alongside these environmental and geopolitical pressures, technological and financial shifts are also shaping the landscape. The expansion of crypto wealth, for example, is fueling interest in jurisdictions that offer residence and citizenship programs and that also welcome digital asset investors, with demand rising particularly among the growing ranks of crypto millionaires.

Tax reforms are also spurring demand, with the UK’s abolition of its non-dom regime in April 2025, France advancing new wealth-tax proposals, and the G20’s global minimum tax now in force. These shifts are prompting wealthy families to reassess their options and consider more favorable jurisdictions.

Alternative Residence and Citizenship Options Are a ‘Must-Have’

In 2025, six of the top ten countries from which Henley & Partners received outbound enquiries in terms of residence and citizenship advisory were G20 members. Remarkably, American client numbers have grown by over 1,000% in the past five years, and since 2020, Americans have ranked as the top nationality for applications processed by the firm. Interest also remains perennially high in the UK, Canada, and Australia.

As global uncertainty persists, interest in residence optionality and dual citizenship remains strong, with residence and citizenship programs also continuing to draw attention from wealth markets in the Global South, where demand has long been a defining feature of the sector. With wealth in emerging economies forecast to expand more rapidly than in developed markets over the next five years, these regions are expected to drive an increasingly diverse and dynamic global alternative residence and citizenship landscape.

Portfolio Approaches to Residence and Citizenship

Faced with unprecedented volatility, investors and wealthy families are adopting a strategy of geopolitical arbitrage by acquiring multiple additional residence and/or citizenship options to hedge against jurisdictional risk and leverage differences in legal, economic, political, and social conditions across countries. This strategy helps them to optimize their personal, financial, and lifestyle outcomes. Through residence and citizenship planning, affluent investors can overcome the limitation of being restricted to a single jurisdiction.

For ultra-high-net-worth investors, a single alternative residence or citizenship will always create value, but strategic yield can be created only through strategic advisory, and a portfolio investment approach to residence and citizenship acquisition. To cover all eventualities, an integrated portfolio of complementary options will create optimal value, by permitting them and their families to live, work, and invest in a suite of locations worldwide, thereby hedging manifold levels of volatility and creating enhanced yield.

Mutual Benefits for High-Net-Worth Individuals and Nations

In the high-stakes competition for global wealth, residence and citizenship programs are a powerful tool for countries seeking to attract and retain capital and sought-after talent. These programs offer a mutually beneficial exchange: for affluent individuals, they furnish a golden key to a new life of stability and opportunity; for host nations, they supply a vital injection of capital and talent to boost economic dynamism.

Today, residence and citizenship advisory has evolved into a mature global sector, with more than 100 countries with legislation in place and over 60 active programs globally. Astute investors increasingly regard these options as integral to their wealth planning and legacy management strategies. By incorporating residence and citizenship options, they can accelerate the transition to new lives in countries that provide greater comfort, security, and a future that aligns with their long-term aspirations — not just for themselves, but for generations to come.

Ultimately, for private clients, residence and citizenship portfolios are less about mobility alone and more about future-proofing — ensuring access, opportunity, and security in an age of accelerating change.