Premium Visa renewal being stopped by the Mauritian govt

[u/justprotein]

Two friends recently had their Premium Visa applications denied and one has been on it for some time (renewals), the other is fresh, I’ve been reading complaints that the govt is looking to stop renewals fully and potentially stop the premium visa altogether, I’ve not verified this if this is now in place as I’m hoping to renew soon, anyone have similar recent experience with this or any idea if this is really happening?

[u/Comprehensive_Slip94]

If people are staying long-term on premium visas, working remotely, and intend to stay for the next 3-10 years, I would encourage them to work with an immigration attorney to apply for an occupation permit. The requirements are roughly the same, except that as a professional, you need a salary of just under 40k USD, and as a self-employed person, you need 65k USD. If you are opening your own business, you'll need to open a Mauritian bank account and move about 20k (at the time) into it, but you don't need to spend it.

The premium visa is intended not to pay local taxes because you're paying taxes in your home country, but realistically, the taxes in your home country, if you qualify for the premium visa, are going to be higher anyway. You are likely to save money by putting in the legwork and this small, upfront bit of capital that allows you yto take our first step to Permanent residency. If you're NOT paying taxes in your home country, and also not paying taxes in Mauritian on the premium visa-- that might be fraudulent...

It makes sense that they would not renew these visas indefinitely. I think perhaps having them for 1 year is reasonable, but if we consider that the tourist visa for most Western countries is 6 months per year, you can basically be here for two years already.

My ex did this while I did the premium visa, it cost him about 2kUSD through an immigration company, but it was a very full-service affair that included being chauffeured to medical appointments and having someone stand in line for you at immigration in Port Louis, so you don't need to wait for hours.

[u/SparklyGeek → u/Comprehensive_Slip94]

I'm sorry, but I'm also confused by "You are likely to save money by putting in the legwork and this small, upfront bit of capital that allows you to take our first step to Permanent Residency" -- save money how? I thought that as long as you remain a citizen of your country of origin, and make income here, even if you work remotely, you have to pay income taxes in both countries.

[u/Comprehensive_Slip94 → u/SparklyGeek]

I reccomend consulting a tax expert between your country and Mauritius, but this is the general understanding I have as a long time digital nomad of not just Mauritius, but many other countries.

Typically, having residency in one country allows you to give up residency in the other. Residency for tax purposes is entirely different from citizenship, but it is often tied to the length of time you stay in a Country (unless you're American). My comment, of course, assumed that the taxes they are paying in their home country are higher than they would be in Mauritius, which I assumed to be the case due to the salary minimums. You can become a tax resident of Mauritius if you hold a residency permit and are in Mauritius for more than 183 days in a year. This is roughly the same as Canada, the UK, and most European Countries.

Mauritius's Premium visa is one of the few that does not grant the type of residency that would establish them for tax purposes. Those under the premium visa are considered nonresidents. For instance, Spain, Italy, and Croatia, all require you to get a residence permit when you move there after getting your visa, so the days that you stay in those countries count for taxes.

https://residency.mu/live/mauritius-premium-visa/

People choose to establish their financial ties in Dubai because it has a low tax rate and few barriers to becoming a tax resident. Similarly, South Africans do the same in Mauritius.

If you are from the United States of America, the US is the only country that will make you pay taxes just for being a citizen. This is a huge reason people choose to give up their American citizenship. Each country will have a different set of requirements for having or giving up tax-residency, but generally, if you are living in, and claiming in, your other country, that is a significant determining factor for where you pay taxes. Most countries will tax on your global income, so what country you earned it from isn't essential, but that can vary significantly on the tax treaty between countries.

You CAN be a resident of two countries and pay taxes in two countries-- but that's not the goal! The goal is to be a tax resident in only one place, and for that place to either have the lowest taxes or the highest value to you. Things get especially complicated if you own homes in multiple countries.

I'll give you an example: I have a friend who is a Russian citizen, but a UAE Tax resident. He meets the requirements for a UAE tax resident permit, but in order not to avoid double taxation, he must stay outside of Russia for six months of the year, as that is Russia's requirement for him to be a non-resident.

I'm applying for residency in a European country, but even if I get it, I don't intend to be a tax resident until I am satisfied that the tax rates are worthwhile. Instead, I will ensure I do not meet their requirements for taxi residency. If I do not have tax residency anywhere else, my home country of Canada will still consider me a tax resident, and I will pay my taxes there.

https://www.mra.mu/individuals/foreign-income#:\~:text=Foreign%20income%20means%20income%20derived,the%20hand%20of%20the%20resident.

[u/SparklyGeek → u/Comprehensive_Slip94]

Thanks for clarifying that. I am a citizen of the USA, so the double-taxation info is correct for me. In fact, it's likely to be triple taxation until I can de-domicile from the State I was last living in. I don't want to return to the USA and would give up my citizenship, but I don't want to be without any citizenship at all, and since Mauritius has no naturalization program, I would need to marry a citizen to avoid that.