Investment Migration as a Pathway to Accessing the World’s Top Universities

Investment migration provides a unique chance to assure access rights to the jurisdictions most important to you and your family. Coupling alternative residence and citizenship by investment programs with the Henley Opportunity Index allows wealthy families and their advisors to obtain a thorough understanding of global opportunities, so they can safeguard themselves and future generations from geopolitical instability and changes. Premium education is most certainly a first step in ensuring children have doors open for them, but such access multiplies exponentially once combined with investment migration.

How investment migration creates opportunity

The Henley Opportunity Index is a tool developed specifically to quantify the enormous impact that world-class education combined with expanded access and privileges through investment migration can have in preserving multi-generational wealth. The index guides families on tailored investment migration strategies to clear pathways for their heirs to access the world’s best schooling, most lucrative job markets, and enhanced quality of life through the privileges and flexibility of alternative residence or citizenship rights.

Utilizing the comparison tool can distinctly showcase the difference in six crucial parameters that combine to form a country’s opportunity score. With the clearly quantified, systemic approach, it becomes apparent that securing access rights to different jurisdictions by pursuing investment migration delivers much more than simply a residence or citizenship of one country – rather, it provides a comprehensive improvement of circumstances and advantages for the individual, their family, and even the next generations yet to come.

Coupled with the new metric of the world’s wealthiest cities in 2024, the Henley Opportunity Index provides a clear direction to pursue a world-class education and assure a breadth of opportunities that manifest after graduation, especially in global hotspots such as New York (ranked 1^st on the list of the world’s wealthiest cities), Singapore (4^th), London (5^th), and Dubai (21^st).

Identifying places of opportunity

When considering the pursuit of international education, much more should be taken into consideration than the sole quality of the educational establishment. Using the Henley Opportunity Index together with world rankings of the best universities, families can make a well-informed decision for the long-term benefits of their children, assuring they graduate not only with a top degree but also with an additional residence permit or passport that grants them access to jurisdictions where they can truly advance their careers and live an internationally mobile lifestyle.

MIT: Boston, Massachusetts

MIT ranks first in this year’s QS World University ranking, which is not surprising considering its historical placement within the Top 5 universities across the globe. With a wide array of entrepreneurs, CEOs, and exceptional individuals hailing from MIT, including Buzz Aldrin and Kofi Annan, it is not surprising that the university holds ever greater interest among international elites. Gaining admission into MIT is an exceptional feat in itself, and the time spent at the university would be made all the more worthwhile by simultaneously contributing towards obtaining residence rights in the US. Taking into account American immigration laws, if recent graduates do not have assured residence rights and instead rely on a student visa followed by sponsored employment to enable them to stay in the US post-graduation, there is a significant chance that the children would have to return home to their countries of birth. Gaining US residence rights via the US EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program requires a minimum investment of USD 800,000, which ensures that graduates can live and work in the country, without the added pressure of securing a job. Moreover, considering the fact that the children’s earning potential and their economic mobility skyrocket by acquiring residence (and citizenship after five years) in the US alongside the already attained premium education, the one-time investment is more than justified.

ETH Zürich: Zurich, Switzerland

Switzerland enjoys the highest total opportunity score in the Henley Opportunity Index due to its outstanding earning potential, career advancement, and top-tier employment scores. The nation offers an excellent quality of life and enables its residents access to a wealth of opportunities within its borders and abroad. The Alpine country is known for its beautiful mountainous scenery and modern, livable cities. It is also home to 7 universities that place in the Top 250 globally, the highest scoring one being ETH Zürich, which is ranked 7^th on the QS Ranking for 2024.

Obtaining a degree from such a renowned institution is an impressive accomplishment, and studying at ETH Zürich has the added benefit of situating individuals in one of the economic centres of Europe and the world alike. Following graduation from the university, by planning in advance, a family could secure residence rights to one of the most developed economies in the world, thereby significantly increasing their economic mobility and earning potential scores. The Swiss Residence Program enables financially independent individuals who are not gainfully employed in Switzerland but who agree to pay a certain minimum in net annual taxes to acquire a residence permit regardless of their age. For annual taxes starting from CHF 250,000, a family could ensure multi-generational access to a global hub where a premium education can set up their children to fully realize their potential.

National University of Singapore: Singapore

Singapore is frequently voted the best Asian city in which to live due to its excellent infrastructure and public services. It has one of the lowest crime rates in the world and offers a high quality of life to its residents. Globally, it is rated one of the wealthiest countries when measured by GDP per capita. Additionally, Singapore ranks 3^rd on the Henley Opportunity Index thanks to its remarkable earning potential, top-tier employment prospects, and economic mobility scores. Its robust free market economy and excellent connections throughout Asia and the world place it as one of the most desirable locations globally. Finally, it boasts 2 universities in the global Top 250. Most notably, the National University of Singapore has established itself in 8^th place in the 2024 ranking.

Singapore drives innovation and growth in the region and the world alike, focusing on cutting-edge development in banking, engineering, fintech, IT, and software development. The competitive job market adopts a skills-first approach, meaning employers will overlook a lack of experience if a candidate possesses the necessary skills, allowing recent graduates more ease of entry. Recent graduates that use this to the fullest extent if they have assured access to Singapore, which can most directly be attained via the Singapore Global Investor Program. For an investment of SGD 10 million and the right to citizenship after two years of residence, a family can assure access to an emerging hub of global commerce and operations for themselves and for their heirs.