November 2025 Global Mobility News: UK Millionaire Exodus, Qatar's $200K Residency, Spain Tops Digital Nomad Rankings
Global mobility updates you should not miss this month
Each month I track new visas, residency changes, and travel rules that can affect where you go or what you pay.
Visa launches
Rule and fee changes
Travel access changes
Digital Nomad News (new)
Citizenship & investment news
One short question for reflection
Here is what changed in the last four weeks.
Visa News
Qatar Introduces $200,000 Property Path to Residency
Qatar rolled out a new residency tier in November 2025, lowering the bar for foreign property investors.
The country now offers a renewable one-year residence permit for anyone buying real estate worth at least $200,000 (QAR 730,000) in designated zones like Lusail and The Pearl in Doha.
Key points:
$200,000 minimum for temporary residency (renewable annually).
$1 million minimum for permanent residency (capped at 100 per year).
Title deeds and residency issued within days after purchase.
Qatar is positioning itself below regional competitors.
The UAE Golden Visa requires around $545,000 in property and grants 10-year residency with no annual cap. Saudi Arabia charges $1.1 million for permanent residence through real estate.
The catch?
Qatar’s $200,000 tier only gets you short-term residency in specific zones, while the UAE offers longer validity and broader investment options.
Still, for investors priced out of Dubai or Riyadh, Qatar just became one of the most accessible entry points in the Gulf.
Rule Changes
Germany Raises Blue Card Salary Threshold for 2026
Germany announced new salary thresholds for its Blue Card program, effective January 1, 2026.
The Blue Card allows non-EU nationals with university degrees to live and work in Germany with a pathway to permanent residency.
New threshold: €50,700 gross per year (up from €48,300 in 2025).
Cards issued by December 31, 2025 use the current threshold. Cards issued from January 1, 2026 onwards must meet the new requirement.
Germany adjusts the threshold annually based on wage growth and cost of living.
China Extends Visa-Free Access Through 2026 and Adds Sweden
On November 4, 2025, China extended its 30-day visa-free scheme for over 40 countries until December 31, 2026, and added Sweden to the list effective November 10, 2025.
Ordinary passport holders from 48 countries can now enter China for business, tourism, family visits, or transit for up to 30 days without a visa.
Countries covered include:
France
Germany
Italy
Netherlands
Spain
Switzerland
Ireland
Hungary
Sweden (new)
The US, Canada, and UK are not included.
Sweden becomes the latest Nordic country to join. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway were already on the list.
China also expanded its 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit program to five additional ports, bringing the total to 65 ports across 24 provincial regions.
China launched this program in late 2023 and has progressively widened it. Government data shows 7.24 million foreign arrivals used visa-free entry in Q3 2025, up 48% year-on-year and accounting for over 72% of all foreign entries.
Samoa Considers Halving Citizenship Investment Threshold
Samoa’s Chamber of Commerce proposed cutting the citizenship by investment minimum from SAT$4 million (US$1.42 million) to SAT$2 million (US$710,000) in November 2025.
The recommendation ties the reduced threshold to job creation:
Investors would need to create either 15 skilled jobs or 50 total positions, depending on the sector.
The current program, established under the Citizenship Investment Act 2015, has attracted limited interest since launch.
Samoa’s passport currently ranks 42nd globally, offering visa-free access to 129 countries, including EU member states, the UK, and ETA eligibility for Canada.
The program requires a three-month permanent residency period before citizenship application.
Processing for permanent residency takes approximately three months.
The chamber’s proposal remains under government review.
Travel Access Changes
Caribbean Free Movement Launches for Four Countries
On October 1, 2025, four Caribbean countries launched full free movement for their nationals: Barbados, Belize, Dominica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
This marks a major shift from the existing CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) framework, which limited movement to temporary entry or work under specific skills categories.
What changed:
Nationals of these four countries can now travel to any of the four countries to reside, work, and remain indefinitely.
No work permits or CARICOM skills certificates required
Access to emergency and primary healthcare
Public primary and secondary education for children
This serves as a pilot to test implementation before the rest of CARICOM potentially follows.
Digital Nomad News
Spain Named World’s Best Digital Nomad Destination 2025
Spain topped the Global Citizen Solutions Digital Nomad Report 2025, scoring 99.67 out of 100 across 64 countries evaluated.
The report assessed locations based on visa benefits, tax optimization, quality of life, cost of living, tech infrastructure, and pathways to citizenship.
Spain ranked first primarily because it’s one of only three countries (along with Czechia and Greece) that offer a direct pathway from digital nomad visa to citizenship (which is rare).
Most other programs only offer routes to permanent residency.
The Spanish Digital Nomad Visa, launched in 2023 under the Startup Act, allows remote workers to live in Spain for up to one year initially (if applying from abroad) or three years (if applying from within Spain), with renewals available up to five years total.
Requirements as of 2025:
Minimum income of €2,762 per month (around €33,144 annually).
Must work remotely for a company outside Spain or be self-employed (freelancers can earn up to 20% from Spanish clients).
Tax benefits: Digital nomads qualify for a special 24% flat tax rate on income up to €600,000 for the first four years, instead of the standard progressive rates up to 47%.
The top 10 digital nomad destinations for 2025:
Spain (99.67)
Netherlands (92.84)
Uruguay (91.23)
Canada (90.42)
Czechia (90.17)
Portugal (90.12)
France (90.12)
UAE (90.04)
Germany (89.65)
Malta (89.45)
Europe dominated the rankings, accounting for 70% of the top 10, with strong performance in visa flexibility, quality of life, and Schengen mobility.
Also have a look at those 24 Remote Work Visa options:
Citizenship & Investment News
UK Millionaire Exodus Accelerates
The UK experienced the largest millionaire exodus of any country in 2025, with millionaire numbers falling 14.3% in a single year according to analysis from Astons using UBS Global Wealth Report 2025 data.
The UK still houses 2.6 million millionaires, but only six countries saw millionaire populations decline, and the UK’s drop dwarfed all others.
What’s driving it:
Abolition of non-dom status (March 2024), removing tax exemptions for foreign income and gains.
Capital Gains Tax increased from 20% to 24% (October 2024).
Inheritance Tax tweaks targeting high-net-worth estates.
Closure of the Tier 1 Investor Visa in 2022.
Where they are going:
Greece (Golden Visa from €250,000)
UAE (zero income tax, Golden Visa from $545,000)
US tax-friendly states like Florida and Texas.
Cambodia Launches Citizenship by Real Estate Investment
Cambodia now offers 2 pathways to citizenship through property investment.
The appeal: Cambodia’s constitution prohibits foreigners from owning land. Citizenship is the only path to direct land ownership.
1/ Direct Citizenship: $245,000 donation or $305,000 approved investment, plus $85,000 government fees. Processing takes 3-6 months (often extends to 12 months).
2/ Cambodia My Second Home (CM2H): $100,000 real estate investment in approved projects. 10-year renewable visa with citizenship eligibility after five years. Total costs $50,000-100,000.
The catch: Cambodia’s passport ranks 151st globally with visa-free access to only 53 destinations. No transparency on approval rates. Royal approval adds unpredictability.
These programs serve investors seeking land ownership rights in Southeast Asia, not those prioritizing travel benefits or transparent processes.
As Asia is on the rise, this could be an option for years to come.
Most Read on Digital Citizen in November 2025
The Expat Country Decision Kit was the most read post this month. This is very flattering, as it was a product launch.
Thanks to 53 of you, who purchased the Kit so far.
As a token of appreciation, I discounted the Kit to $37 until the end of the week (paid subscribers get it for $19, pls DM me for your custom code).
Over 1,300 of you tuned in, showing just how much interest there is in choosing the right country.
Thanks again for your support.
1 Question For You
If you have questions about your specific situation, drop them in the comments.
I read them all.
PS: Until Friday, the paid tier is 30% off.
Appreciate you being here,
— Ben
