Top 25 Global Migration Attorneys

Uglobal Immigration Magazine is pleased to announce the Top 25 Global Migration Attorneys for 2021. To be eligible, distinguished attorneys needed to be primarily active in the investment migration space and experienced in filing a large volume of applications.

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BERNARD WOLFSDORF

Wolfsdorf Rosenthal LLP 

United States

Bernard Wolfsdorf is the former president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, where he earned the Service Excellence award. He is managing partner of Wolfsdorf Rosenthal LLP (WR) law firm, a top-rated legal consultancy with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Oakland, San Francisco, Santa Monica and Shanghai. Wolfsdorf has been selected as Immigration Lawyer of the Year by Who’s Who Legal and by Best Lawyers U.S. News and World Report. EB5 Investor Magazine has named him in its ranking of the top EB-5 lawyers five times. Chambers USA describes him as “one of the hardest-working immigration lawyers around.”

What new trends are you seeing in the global RCBI industry especially with the impact of COVID-19?

Global RCBI is experiencing unprecedented surges in demand. Covid-19 has been the wake-up call for many global citizens as they have discovered their nationality has severely limited their ability to travel, obtain visas and live in another country. As a result, the global investor industry has exploded as people realize that the passports or visas they have are inadequate, because of their nationality. Having a lawful residence permit or a second passport greatly enhances one’s ability to travel and live in another country.

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CAROLYN LEE

Carolyn Lee PLLC

United States

Carolyn Lee is the founder of Carolyn Lee PLLC, a U.S. immigration law firm dedicated to investment immigration. Lee has represented regional centers, developers, funds, and investors for over a decade, helping U.S. project clients raise $2.5 billion in investment immigration capital. She has also supervised thousands of investor cases to completion. An immigrant entrepreneur herself, Lee dedicates her practice to investors and entrepreneurs making a positive economic impact. She is the four-term chair of American Immigration Lawyers national EB-5 Committee and is Legislative Counsel to Invest in the USA. She authors leading publications and analyses on investment immigration. 

What new trends are you seeing in the global RCBI industry especially with the impact of COVID-19?

The trend is to think outside one’s own boundaries in every sense. To use a respected industry colleague’s words, “spread one’s wings” appears to be the call of Covid-19. I think this means good things for the global RCBI industry, and indeed, for our world community generally. We’re all called to be practical and smart about our resources.

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DAVID HIRSON 

David Hirson & Partners LLP

United States

David Hirson has more than 35 years of experience in the practice of immigration law. Although he practices in almost all areas of immigration law, including family law immigration and all aspects of business law immigration, his focus is on EB-5 investment immigration law. He has been certified as a specialist in immigration and nationality law by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization continuously since 1990.

What new trends are you seeing in the global RCBI industry especially with the impact of COVID-19?

The number of people moving about to different countries throughout the world continues to grow with a small drop during the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries vie between themselves to attract investors, resulting in lower costs for obtaining a third country passport. The political and other problems arising around the world will spur this industry on. I see an increase in business going forward. The foreign direct investment program of the United States continues to be promoted by the U.S. Department of Commerce. This ties into the EB-5 program, which is currently in limbo. I anticipate a reauthorization of the Regional Center part of the program in the near future.

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DIOGO CAPELA

Lamares, Capela & Associados

Portugal

Diogo Capela is the co-managing partner of Lamares, Capela & Associados, a law firm in Portugal. Acting in a close, high-standard and tailored manner to the client, he provides services to those who want to live or invest in Portugal, namely: foreign investments consultancy, immigration law, golden visa, real estate law, corporate and tax law. He is a member of the Investment Migration Council and a verified professional by Uglobal. He also has been present as a speaker or panel moderator at international events related to immigration, namely RCBI.

What new trends are you seeing in the global RCBI industry especially with the impact of COVID-19?

With the outbreak of Covid-19, working remotely has reached a tipping point, as workers across the globe had to introduce this work arrangement to ensure continued delivery of services. Digital nomads are not a new phenomenon, but with the pandemic, they have become more popular as people realized they could work from anywhere in the world. Remote workers are seeing some advantages in moving to other countries that may offer better living conditions or lower living costs. This should prompt governments to create special visa programs for remote workers, which also attracts long-term visitors and increases local economic activity due to the flexibility in work locations.

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ELENI DRAKOU

Michael Kyprianou & Co. LLC

Cyprus

Eleni Drakou is a lawyer and partner of the law firm of Michael Kyprianou & Co. LLC, one of the leading law firms in Cyprus. Drakou has extensive experience in immigration law. She regularly advises clients on their immigration matters including applications for obtaining the Cyprus citizenship and residency. She specializes in immovable property law, assisting international and local clients with their real estate matters. She often advises individuals on private client matters including estate planning, succession planning, banking, taxation and corporate matters. Her practice focuses on strategic planning for business growth in Cyprus and abroad. Drakou is a member of the Cyprus Bar Association, the Investment Migration Council (IMC), and the Board of Directors of STEP Cyprus.

What new trends are you seeing in the global RCBI industry especially with the impact of COVID-19?

The outbreak of the pandemic has ultimately altered the investors’ preferences. Just holding a passport during a lockdown might not be as much of an asset as it used to be. On the contrary, relocating to—or the option to relocate if needed—to a safe destination with stable economic and political conditions, and most importantly with an adequate health infrastructure system, has been nowadays set as a priority for a number of clients of the RCBI industry. We have seen that the demand for the RCBI industry is intact, even during the pandemic, but the investors are considering different elements in their decision-making process as to their destination of choice.

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FRANCISCO VICENTE-VIDAL 

Vidal Law Firm

United States

Francisco Vicente-Vidal is a licensed attorney in California and founder of Vidal Law Firm – a boutique business and investment immigration law firm focused on the representation of investors, entrepreneurs, and companies from Mexico, Latin America, and Spain who are interested in doing business in the United States. Vidal has substantial experience and expertise in investor visas including E-2, EB-5, and L-1 visas. He is fully bilingual (English/Spanish) and bicultural. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in international business, an Executive MBA from the University of Texas, and a law degree from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law.

What new trends are you seeing in the global RCBI industry especially with the impact of COVID-19?

What we have seen in the last year and half is a substantially increased interest from investors and business owners from countries in Latin America that have been hit the hardest, economically and socially, by the COVID-19 pandemic, to invest and move their business activities (totally or partially) to the United States, particularly to states with more laxed government restrictions such as Texas and Florida. This has created a great demand for investment visas, such as the E-2 and L-1 visas.

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IGNACIO DONOSO

Donoso & Partners LLC

United States

Founder and managing attorney of Donoso & Partners, LLC, Ignacio Donoso is a renowned business immigration lawyer for the United States and Canada. He has particular expertise working with investors, technology companies, academics and researchers. Donoso’s career spans over 20 years as a lawyer, advising thousands of clients to successfully navigate visa systems. He has been recognized among the Top 25 immigration attorneys in the United States for entrepreneur visas multiple times. Donoso is a frequent speaker at conferences on immigration law, and has frequently published on issues related to business immigration and investment visas. He has been interviewed on national media, as well as television and radio on immigration issues.

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JULIEN TETRAULT

JTH Lawyers

Canada

Julien Tétrault is the founder and president of JTH Lawyers based in Montreal, Canada. Tétrault started his career in immigration by investment for Canada in Hong Kong in 2002, and moved back to Canada in 2006. In 2013, he launched JTH Lawyers, which offers immigration by investment mainly to Canada but also to the USA, Europe and the Caribbean. Since 2002, Tétrault represented over 1,000 immigrant investors from over 80 countries in obtaining permanent residence and/or citizenship.

What new trends are you seeing in the global RCBI industry especially with the impact of COVID-19?

After a significant "freeze" of several months in 2020, interest for RCBI programs gradually came back and reached a level I had not seen before in my 19-year career. Whereas some countries still encounter low demand because of the COVID situation, others have seen a surge in RCBI applications. I have used the pandemic slowdown to go back to my study board and improve the offer to our clients: completing due diligence processes to find innovative ways to get our clients into RCBI programs, adapting the way we reach out to our clients since we can't travel anymore, etc. The new trend I see with the impact of Covid-19 is the necessity to adapt and find up-to-date solutions.

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MARCO MAZZESCHI 

Mazzeschi S.R.L

Italy

Marco Mazzeschi is an attorney in Milan, and in Taipei a foreign practicing lawyer. He is also an adjunct professor at the Chinese Culture University, Taipei. He is the founder of Mazzeschi SRL, a leading firm in Italy specializing in business, immigration and citizenship law. The firm has offices in Florence, Milan, Taipei and Tokyo, and its network of 100+ local counsels can assist clients in all Italian cities. The firm assists HNW clients and foreign investors as well as more than 100 of the Fortune 500 companies. Mazzeschi is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and accredited partner with Invest in Tuscany, the government agency for the promotion of inward investments.

What new trends are you seeing in the global RCBI industry especially with the impact of COVID-19?

I expect a further growth of the industry. RBI schemes will become even more popular, because many countries will try to attract more investments to help their economies to recover after the pandemic. Most countries are implementing more restrictive and selective immigration policies. Many people have therefore realized the importance of having a second passport or residency, in order to maintain the freedom of traveling and moving to a different country. Obtaining a passport or residency in an EU country is particularly valuable, because holders can obtain the right to move and settle freely in any EU country. We are in fact experiencing an increasing interest for the Italian residency by investment visa, which previously was not very popular.

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MARK DAVIES

Davies & Associates

United States

Mark Davies is the founder of Davies & Associates, a law firm dedicated to assisting investors and businesses relocate and grow internationally. Davies has served as investor counsel to leading investment banks and financial intuitions from every continent except Antarctica. He combines this legal experience with an MBA in real estate finance from the Wharton School of Business together with ivy league law degrees from the U.S. and the UK. Recognized by the Bush White House for his service to the U.S. legal profession and the author of legislative reform proposals commissioned by the UK government, Davies has also served as Chairman of Lawyers without Borders and sat on multiple other boards.

What new trends are you seeing in the global RCBI industry especially with the impact of COVID-19?

The United States is undeniably the hottest investment migration market for our law firm at the moment. Our clients are scrambling to file EB-5 visa petitions at the $500,000 minimum investment threshold, either for direct EB-5 or for preparing their source of funds in anticipation of a return of the EB-5 regional center program. Outside the U.S., our Italy practice has been seeing increased interest in the country’s residency-by-investment program, especially since the Italian government slashed the investment requirements to galvanize its post-Covid economic recovery.

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MATHIEU SIMARD

Simard & Associates Ltd.

Hong Kong

Mathieu Simard is an immigration lawyer and director of Simard & Associates Limited. Simard obtained a Bachelor of Law degree from Sherbrooke University in 2000, and has been a member in good standing of the Quebec Bar since 2002. He has been working in Hong Kong as immigration lawyer and consultant, representing clients from around the world, specifically in the APAC region. During his numerous years of practice, Simard has gained an unrivalled reputation within the immigration law and business community. In 2010, he established Simard & Associates, specialized in immigration law for entrepreneurs and investors.

What new trends are you seeing in the global RCBI industry especially with the impact of COVID-19?

Most countries, it would appear, are starting to veer in the direction of more active types of immigration programs (for example business start-ups, work-related migration) rather than the typical passive investment schemes that were popular in the past. This can be seen as a consequence of COVID-19 ravaged economies slowly recovering and trying to focus on recalibration and growth of their local workforce. Most countries have the same level or more demand for immigration but are slowly looking to attract migration that will lead to a flourishing working sector.

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MICHELLE EMMANUEL-STEELE 

Veritas Legal

Grenada

Michelle Emmanuel-Steele is an attorney at law and a thought-leader in the area of citizenship by investment and investment migration. She is based in the Spice Isle of Grenada, West Indies, an ideal location for investment. She is one of Grenada’s most experienced business lawyers with 26 years of commercial experience and offers bespoke services to investors setting up their operations in Grenada. Steele is the owner of Veritas Legal, a boutique law firm serving clients globally, and Oyster Ventures Inc, an international immigration services company. She is a licensed local agent of the Grenada citizenship by investment program.

What new trends are you seeing in the global RCBI industry especially with the impact of COVID-19?

The crises caused by COVID-19 and climate change have created new opportunities for investors and encouraged us to be innovative in business and practicing sustainability. Safety and security, global mobility, wealth and succession planning remain persistent needs for investors and their families. Immigration is an important element to satisfy this demand and the RCBI industry is well placed to deliver. In this time of economic recovery, we are seeing an expansion of the industry in that more jurisdictions are offering RCBI programs in one form or another. This can only augur well for the industry as we experience the anticipated “roaring 20s” of the 21st century.

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NADINE GOLDFOOT

Fragomen

UK

Nadine Goldfoot leads Fragomen’s Worldwide Private Client Practice and is the UK Managing Partner. With 20 years’ experience, Goldfoot is a leading authority on immigration for high-net-worth individuals in the UK and globally. She works with HNWIs, entrepreneurs and third-party advisors in the private wealth industry on complex and cross-border multi-jurisdictional cases. In addition, she advises governments and intra-governmental organizations on investment migration. She is a member of the board of the Investment Migration Council and is regularly invited to speak at industry events and provide commentary in the press.

What new trends are you seeing in the global RCBI industry especially with the impact of COVID-19?

People have always migrated but the pandemic has resulted in more interest in residence and citizenship by investment routes. Covid-19 continues to cause disruption, meaning travel for global citizens has become more complex. Dual citizenship or alternative residencies enable travelers to navigate international restrictions more freely. Individuals and families are considering investment migration to facilitate international travel and safeguard against future challenges. Countries with high living standards, economic stability and strong healthcare are favored. There is also an opportunity for countries to adapt and consider how they can use investment migration as part of their foreign direct investment policy.

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PATRICIA VALADAS CORIEL

Valadas Coriel & Associados

Portugal

Patricia Valadas Coriel is partner of Valadas Coriel & Associados (VCA), a Portuguese law firm established in 2001 in Lisbon. Coriel is also one of the heads of the Immigration Department. She represents clients from all over the world and provides legal advice on all aspects of foreign investment, Portuguese immigration and citizenship. She often attends international conferences and seminars related to her areas of practice. Coriel is a member of prestigious organizations such as the Investment Migration Council and the International Bar Association. 

What new trends are you seeing in the global RCBI industry especially with the impact of COVID-19?

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have experienced an increase in new inquiries regarding residence in Portugal. What we thought would be a tragic year for the immigration industry turned out to be the year of growth for our department; we hired more members and started to specialize in other residence schemes, such as the digital nomad visa. This visa, as opposed to the Golden Visa, is for those who desire to relocate permanently to Portugal. We have also noticed a significant increase in residence inquiries from U.S. citizens, something quite unexpected coming from one of the biggest nations of the world.

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PIERRE-MARC LECOMPTE 

Eterna International

Ireland

Pierre-Marc Lecompte is a recognized Quebec lawyer having helped over 1000 clients to immigrate overseas since 2004. Lecompte is the CEO of McGuire by Eterna, which offers exclusive immigration products for the Republic of Ireland from its Dublin office, and is director of Eterna International, which designs investment products for Portugal under the Golden Visa program and in Canada under the Quebec Investor and Startup Investor Program (SUV). With seven global offices, Lecompte’s company partners with the best immigration agencies around the world to deliver these products to high-net-worth individuals.

What new trends are you seeing in the global RCBI industry especially with the impact of COVID-19?

Clients have always focused on countries with high quality of education. Since Covid-19, they now additionally value access to quality healthcare as an important factor to consider. We are seeing a return to more traditional countries such as Canada, UK and Ireland because they offer these needs and great security. Europe as a whole is gaining popularity as it offers a common market and travel area, whilst providing high-quality healthcare and education. Clients are increasingly looking for strong credentials and quality due diligence before choosing an investment project and are more discerning than ever.  Eterna welcomes the recent improvements to the immigration industry and is excited as our economies move beyond Covid-19.

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RAFAEL LAMBERTI

Reinhardt LLP

United States

Rafael Lamberti was born and raised in Brazil and he began his life in the USA as an immigrant like most of his clients. Lamberti obtained his bachelor’s degree from Boston University and his Juris Doctor from Seton Hall University School of Law, where he received the award for “Outstanding Contributions to the Immigrant's Rights Clinic,” and published his research on Extraordinary Ability Visas. He represents clients in a wide variety of immigration matters, both temporary and permanent, with an emphasis on investment and employment-based immigration strategies. Lamberti has significant experience with investment-based E-2s and L-1 temporary visas, as well as investment and entrepreneurial-based EB-1, EB-2 NIW, and EB-5 visas.

What new trends are you seeing in the global RCBI industry especially with the impact of COVID-19?

The global RCBI industry has seen a significant impact as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly since the roll-out of the vaccine in larger numbers in certain countries, which led many foreign investors to consider residency in those nations. More specifically to the U.S., with the EB-5 program undergoing significant changes during the Covid-19 pandemic, U.S.-based projects were incentivized to offer safer, more profitable, and more transparent investments in order to attract foreign investors, and we hope this trend continues in the years to come.

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H. RONALD KLASKO 

Klasko Immigration

United States

H. Ronald Klasko is an industry-leading investment immigration lawyer with an Investor team that has represented thousands of investors, over 50 regional centers, and numerous U.S. developers in the EB-5 program. He was the lead attorney on the Matters of Walsh and Pollard, the key precedent for E-2 visas. Klasko serves on the Governing Board of the Investment Migration Council, and his firm is the North America Regional Representative office. He currently chairs AILA’s High Impact Litigation Task Force, is a past president and general counsel, and served five terms as chair of the EB-5 Committee. He is the only lawyer twice honored with AILA’s Founders Award.

What new trends are you seeing in the global RCBI industry especially with the impact of COVID-19?

My involvement with the global CBI industry relates mostly to clients obtaining CBI in Grenada or Turkey and then applying for an E-2 visa to the U.S. based on the investment treaties. Covid-19 has created at least three challenges. First, after obtaining third-country citizenship, the E-2 visa application is generally filed at a U.S. consulate. Many if not most U.S. consulates have been either closed, not accepting E-2 applications or experiencing long delays in scheduling E-2 interviews. Second, many clients’ plans for relocating have been altered or at least interrupted by Covid-19. Third, the U.S. has enacted a variety of visa and entry bans that have prevented many clients from applying for E-2 visas.

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SARA SOUSA REBOLO

Caiado Guerreiro

Portugal

Sara Sousa Rebolo is a Portuguese immigration lawyer and president of the Portuguese Association of Immigration, Investment and Relocation. Rebolo has collaborated with Caiado Guerreiro Law Firm since 2009, as partner and coordinator of the Immigration Department. She also integrates the Real Estate Law team, collaborates with the Chinese Desk, and works in the area of foreign investment. She has been responsible for a significant number of private and corporate investment operations, advising clients of diverse nationalities. Rebolo regularly participates as a speaker at international conferences and online webinars about the Portuguese migration programs and is the author of several articles for international publications.

What new trends are you seeing in the global RCBI industry especially with the impact of COVID-19?

Three new trends stand out. First, a shift in global movement from those who have the financial means as they are now looking to know more about not-so-common countries that can give them a feeling of safety. Second, the increase of applications for programs that offer online steps with no physical presence required. Lastly, investment options that are more straightforward and have less maintenance costs attached. These were the reasons why Portugal registered a huge increase in demand in 2021. An increase in due diligence and anti-money laundering rules can also be expected, along with new and cheaper investment options, eventually opening the door to investments in green or blue projects, as well as in digital, health and social solutions.

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STEPHEN YALE-LOEHR 

Miller Mayer

United States

Stephen Yale-Loehr is co-author of Immigration Law and Procedure, the leading 21-volume immigration law treatise, published by LexisNexis. He also is Professor of Immigration Law Practice at Cornell Law School, and is of counsel at Miller Mayer in Ithaca, NY, where he practices business immigration law. Yale-Loehr founded and was the original executive director of Invest in the USA, a trade association of EB-5 immigrant investor regional centers. He regularly speaks and writes on EB-5 and other business immigration issues, and has testified numerous times in Congress, including on EB-5. He is frequently quoted in the press.

What new trends are you seeing in the global RCBI industry, especially with the impact of COVID-19?

I see two contrasting trends. First, more investors than ever want to leave their countries to move to a country they deem safer for themselves and their families. Second, because of travel restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, that is harder to do. It is taking longer to get visas to be able to travel to find new investments or to manage existing investments. Simply making a visa appointment at an embassy is challenging in many countries, since many embassies are closed or short-staffed.  Moreover, quarantine rules are constantly changing, which makes it harder to plan trips.

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TENI SHAHIEAN

OTS Solicitors

UK

Teni Shahiean is the co-founder and partner of OTS Solicitors. Her wealth of experience in immigration law has meant the firm has gained a reputation for providing exceptional immigration advice. She has built up a following with high-net-worth individuals seeking residency visa through investment in the UK. Shahiean is ranked by Legal 500 as a recommended immigration solicitor and is an advisor for the Law Society Human Rights committee. She has been invited to TV panel discussions such as the BBC Two Victoria Derbyshire program and she appeared on BBC World News channel speaking about the impact of Brexit.

What new trends are you seeing in the global RCBI industry especially with the impact of COVID-19?

The gradual removal of Covid travel restrictions has led to an increase in investor visa applications globally. China and Hong Kong dominate this visa route and there has been a steady increase in migration from developed nations such as the United States. As a result of Brexit in the UK and the end to freedom of movement, applicants from European countries have also, for the very first time, started applying through the investor route to live and work in the UK. Looking ahead, investor visa applications are set to increase as markets reopen and the global investment indices begin to increase.

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TIAGO GALI MACEDO

Next Lawyers – Gali Macedo e Associados

Portugal

Tiago Gali Macedo is the managing partner of Next Lawyers – Gali Macedo e Associados, with 25 years of experience as a lawyer. Next Laywers is a boutique law firm based in Porto, Portugal, with offices in Lisbon, Brussels and Angola. Macedo is currently concluding his Ph.D. at the Salford University, UK. He is a professor at various universities in Portugal and the U.S., in addition to being a member of the Portuguese Bar Association and the Belgian Bar Association. He was the vice president of the General Assembly of ANJE, founder of the Magellan – Association for the Representation of Portuguese Interests Abroad, and president of the Luso-Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce.

What new trends are you seeing in the global RCBI industry especially with the impact of COVID-19?

We are witnessing an increase in interest in the Portuguese RCBI program. Our country is being recognized not only by its safety, political stability, great weather, reasonable cost of living, and fantastic public education, but also for our great public health system. As far as the vaccination is concerned, in September, Portugal was the 9th country in the world with the highest rate of doses administered per 100 inhabitants. People are considering relocating even more than before since we have seen that we can actually work from anywhere in the world and not only the traditional office. For all these reasons, Portugal has become even more attractive!

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Winners who did not submit bios and interview answers:

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ALEXANDER VARNAVAS 

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DEMETRIS DEMETRIADES

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IRA KURZBAN

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RICHARD HOFFMANN 

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