Launch of the Investment Migration Council

GENEVA, Oct. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

The founding of the Investment Migration Council was announced today.

The Investment Migration Council (IMC) has been formed by the leading experts within the immigration and citizenship by investment industry to bring together the foremost stakeholders within the field and to give the industry a voice.

The IMC will help to improve public understanding of the issues faced by clients and governments in this area, and promote education and demand the highest professional standards and ethics among its members.

The Chairman of the IMC, Professor Dr. Dimitry Kochenov of the University of Groningen, Netherlands, said: "The IMC will set industry standards on a global level, and interact with other professional associations, academic leaders, governments and international organizations in relation to investment migration."

The investment migration industry has grown significantly over the past decade. Immigration and citizenship options for investors have become topics of significant interest among international clients as well as practitioners and companies providing services to such clients. Likewise, countries are increasingly keen in attracting more foreign direct investment through investor immigration and citizenship programs. One founding member commented: "With the rapid growth of this important and influential field, there was a great need for a central, responsible body. The IMC will fulfil this role and provide significant structure, standards, and accountability for the industry."

The IMC is constituted as a not-for-profit association under Swiss law. Based in Geneva, it has initiated the opening of representative offices in New York, London, Dubai and Hong Kong. Managed by a Chief Executive Officer under the direction of a Governing Board, the IMC also has a non-executive Advisory Committee, in which the most important industry stakeholders are represented.

The founding members include national industry associations, major law firms such as Fragomen LLP, Mishcon de Reya Solicitors and Foster Quan LLP; National Bank of Canada, Henley & Partners, Visa Consulting Group, KPMG, BDO, and many further leading stakeholders.

The members of IMC's Governing Board and Advisory Committee comprise of many distinguished individuals from the global investment migration field, including:

• Professor Dr. Dimitry Kochenov, Chair in EU Constitutional and Citizenship Law, University of Groningen
• Dr. Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Co-Founder, Distinguished Senior Fellow and President Emeritus, Migration Policy Institute, Washington DC, USA, and President of MPI Europe, Brussels, Belgium
• Kamal Rahman, Head  of Immigration,  Mishcon de Reya, London, UK
• Professor Dr. Christian Joppke, University of Berne, Switzerland
• Christian H. Kalin, Chairman, Henley & Partners Holdings Plc
• David Chen, Visa Consulting Group, Shanghai, China
• Dr. Philippe Foret, SAGUF Environmental Humanities Co-Director, University of Zurich, Switzerland
• Robert F. Loughran, Partner, FosterQuan LLP, USA
• Louis Leblanc, Vice President and Managing Director, National Bank of Canada, Montreal, Canada
• Dr. Khalid Koser, Chair of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Migration, Geneva, Switzerland
• Timothy Mohr, Principal, National Financial Services Advisory Leader, BDO Consulting, New York, USA
• Val Kempadoo, Founder and CEO, Belmont Resorts Ltd., St. Kitts
• Boriss Cilevics, Citizenship and Human Rights Advocate and Member of Parliament, Riga, Latvia
• Nadine Goldfoot, Partner and Head of Investor Immigration Practice, Fragomen LLP, London, UK

The website of the Investment Migration Council, http://www.investmentmigration.org, has been launched today as well, where further information on the Council's structure, membership and governance may be found.

For media questions or requests for interviews with any board and advisory committee members of IMC, please contact Jane Bradwell, Public Relations Officer, at media@investmentmigration.org