Decoded: Best global citizenship options to secure your child's future

The index evaluates how combining premium education with additional investment-based residence and citizenship rights creates significant opportunity for the next generation

Switzerland has once again claimed the top spot in the latest Henley Opportunity Index, emerging as the preferred citizenship for high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) seeking access to world-class education and investment opportunities. Published by Henley & Partners, the index evaluates how investment-based residence and citizenship programs, when combined with premium education, create long-term success and prosperity.  he Henley Opportunity Index evaluates multiple parameters like earning potential, career advancement, employment prospects, economic mobility, livability, and access to premium education to rank the best countries for investment migration. Here’s a look at the top countries that offer the most promising opportunities for individuals seeking a global advantage.  Top Investment Migration Program Options to Access the World’s Best Opportunities 

 

As competition for talent intensifies across the globe, the 2025 Henley Opportunity Index emphasizes the growing importance of investment migration as a strategy for securing a brighter future. With a focus on education, career growth, earning potential, and economic mobility, the report reveals that countries offering structured pathways to residency and citizenship are becoming increasingly sought after by families who view strategic relocation as key to wealth planning and career advancement. 

"“While studies confirm that tertiary graduates earn around 50% more than those with only secondary education, research also reveals that over two-thirds of income disparity worldwide is dictated by the country in which an individual lives and works. With barriers to opportunity often dictated by the limitations of our citizenship, the index makes a compelling case for investment migration as a game-changing strategy for families looking to transcend the constraints of their ‘birthright lottery’" said Tess Wilkinson, Director of Henley & Partners Education.

 

The Singapore Global Investor Program is popular among ultra-high-net-worth families, and the city-state is well-established as a world-class education destination. 

 

The US, with its EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program offering an efficient route to permanent resident status and new “gold card” visa proposed, which would offer wealthy investors the right to live and work in the US and a pathway to citizenship in exchange for a $5 million investment, is not far behind on 78%.

 

 Australia, which recently launched a new National Innovation Visa, comes in next with 76%, ahead of Canada, which offers a popular Start-Up Visa Program for entrepreneurs and scores 73%, rounding up the Top 5. 

 

The UK, which has an Innovator Founder Visa requiring individuals to set up a new, scaling business in the country, secures an opportunity score of 70% when it comes to providing strategic advantage to its citizens and residents, and the UAE, which has numerous categories of beneficiaries for its Golden Residence visa, earns 67%. 

 

Austria, which requires a substantial contribution to its economy to secure citizenship, and New Zealand, which recently eased the rules for its Active Investor Plus Visa Program to incentivize investors, each achieve 65%, closely followed by Italy, which also offers an Investor Visa and scores 64% on the Henley Opportunity Index. 

Further down the list evaluating the possibility of future success is the cosmopolitan wealth hub of Hong Kong, which reintroduced its Capital Investment Entrant Scheme in 2024 and scores 61%, just ahead of rising star Latvia, whose residence by investment offering is one of the fastest and most competitive programs in Europe and scores 60%.  Next is Malta, which offers an attractive pathway that allows for the granting of citizenship by a certificate of naturalization to foreign individuals and their families who contribute to the country’s economic development, scoring 59%.  Hungary, which offers a Guest Investor Residence Permit, follows with an opportunity score of 58%. Greece and Portugal, both scoring 56%, round out the rankings, with Greece’s Golden Visa Program shooting up in popularity in the past 12 months, while Portugal’s Golden Residence Permit Program has long been favored by investors from across the globe. 

"By investing in these residence and citizenship programs, families can permanently relocate to regions that offer exceptional educational opportunities, professional development, and high-quality living standards. This significantly enhances earning potential and facilitates wealth creation across generations," said Wilkinson. 

 

She explains this with the following examples: 

A Vietnamese family with an opportunity score of just 29% in their home country could elevate their next generation’s potential success to 78% by securing US residence through the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program. Similarly, an Indian family with a 37% score could boost their advantage to 84% by relocating to Switzerland via the Swiss Residence Program. In another example, a Nigerian family with a mere 21% opportunity score could dramatically increase their life chances to 79% by obtaining residence through Singapore’s Global Investor Program, securing a remarkable advantage. Additionally, investment migration routes such as the UAE’s Golden Visa and New Zealand’s Active Investor Plus Visa offer next-generation opportunity advantages of 67% and 65%, respectively. 

"Filipino investors leveraging Canada’s Start-Up Visa Program would experience significant improvements in multiple aspects of their lives. Access to premium education would see a rise from a score of 32 out of 100 in the Philippines to 73 in Canada. Earning potential would also grow substantially, improving from 34 to 66. Career advancement opportunities would witness an even greater jump, surging from 35 to 74. Economic mobility would skyrocket from just 10 in the Philippines to 75 in Canada, and the family’s total opportunity score would increase from 31% to 73%," said Henley & Partners in a statement.