Investment Migration Council

What Investment Migration Council does

The Investment Migration Council (IMC) is a Geneva-based non-profit professional association founded in 2014 that serves as the recognized global standards body for the investment migration industry, encompassing citizenship-by-investment and residence-by-investment practitioners. The organization serves a diverse membership spanning investment migration practitioners, government/regulatory bodies, due diligence and compliance providers, and academic researchers across 20+ countries. Its core products and services include tiered membership programs (Individual, Business, and Fellow levels), the IMCET education and certification division offering full certificates, individual modules, and standalone courses, the annual Investment Migration Forum (the largest industry conference globally), and an extensive publications portfolio including the IM Yearbook, peer-reviewed Investment Migration Papers, and the Crossing Borders Bulletin. The organization is supported by regional representative offices in London, Hong Kong, and New York, and holds special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council since 2019, along with EU Transparency Register registration.

The IMC's business model is a community-led, membership-based revenue structure with three primary streams: recurring membership fees (individual and business tiers), education and training revenue through IMCET course fees, and transaction-based event revenue from Forum registration and sponsorship. It does not develop proprietary technology, software, or AI-driven products; its value proposition is built on institutional credibility, governance frameworks (Code of Ethics, Disciplinary Rules, Anti-Bribery Code), peer-reviewed research, and networking infrastructure. The organization engages in active regulatory advocacy, as evidenced by its 2025 position paper on the European Anti-Money Laundering Authority and its public statements on EU Court rulings affecting the investment migration industry. In 2025, the IMC also demonstrated enforcement of its disciplinary framework by suspending and reinstating members under investigation by Grenadian authorities.

Name

Investment Migration Council

Legal name

Investment Migration Council

Website

https://investmentmigration.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Investment Migration Council is a Geneva-based non-profit professional association founded in 2014 that serves as the global standards body for the investment migration industry, providing membership, education, certification, events, and research to practitioners across 20+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Mobility & Cross-Border Tax/Immigration Advisory (THACAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Global Mobility, Immigration & Relocation (BPACAPAN)

Keywords

• Investment migration association
• Citizenship by investment
• Residence by investment
• Professional certification programs
• Industry standards body

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: The IMC generates revenue through individual and business membership fees. Members benefit from professional development, networking opportunities, and information services provided by the association.
2. Education and Training: IMCET (IM Education & Training) designs and delivers training programs and qualifications for those working in or associated with the investment migration sector, generating revenue through course fees.
3. Events: The organization hosts the Investment Migration Forum (annual flagship event), workshops, and pop-up events including participation at the World Economic Forum in Davos, generating revenue through event registration and sponsorship.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

The Investment Migration Council is a Geneva-based professional association serving as the global standards body for the investment migration industry. It sells tiered individual and business memberships, IMCET education and certification programs (full certificates, modules, standalone courses), and the annual Investment Migration Forum conference. It also produces peer-reviewed academic publications including Investment Migration Papers, Policy Briefs, the IM Yearbook, and the Crossing Borders Bulletin newsletter, and maintains an IM Certified Practitioners Directory.

Product overview

The Investment Migration Council (IMC) operates as a membership-based professional association rather than a software product company. The organization offers a portfolio of services including professional education and certification through IMCET (offering full certificates, individual modules, and standalone courses), industry events (the Investment Migration Forum, workshops, trade missions), research publications (Investment Migration Papers, IM Yearbook, Crossing Borders Bulletin), industry reports repository, membership programs with tiered levels, and professional community resources. These offerings are interconnected within a unified professional ecosystem: IMCET provides education that leads to certification for the IM Certified Practitioners Directory, while the organization's publications, events, and membership services serve the broader investment migration professional community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Programs Tiered membership structure offering Individual Membership (Associate, Member, Senior Member, Fellow), Business Membership, and Fellow Membership with professional development, networking opportunities, directory listings, and information services for individuals and firms in the investment migration sector.
• IMCET (IMC Education & Training) Education and training division offering professional certification programs for those working in or associated with the investment migration sector, including full certificates, individual modules, and standalone courses.
• Investment Migration Forum Annual flagship conference described as the largest and most important conference in the investment migration world, bringing together academics, government officials, international organization representatives, and leading professionals.
• IM Yearbook Annual authoritative reference publication providing a comprehensive overview of key developments, emerging trends, and ethical leadership across the investment migration field.
• Investment Migration Papers Peer-reviewed multidisciplinary working papers including Research Papers (6,000-11,000 words) and Policy Briefs (starting at 3,500 words) dedicated to the analysis of citizenship and residence by investment.
• IMC Streaming

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80 sovereign states use investment migration globally

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Control RisksminorOthersPartner appearing on the IMC website as an advertiser/sponsor. Control Risks is a risk consultancy that may provide related services to the investment migration industry.
• S-RMminorOthersPartner appearing on the IMC website as an advertiser/sponsor. S-RM is a intelligence and risk consultancy.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Henley & Partners: Henley & Partners is the world's largest investment migration advisory firm and is listed as an IMC industry-reports partner. It directly competes with IMC-affiliated firms for the same CBI/RBI practitioner audience and is the most cited industry brand alongside the IMC.
• Global Citizen Solutions: Global Citizen Solutions is an investment migration advisory firm marketing citizenship and residence programmes to HNW individuals. It serves the same client base and uses the same IMC Forum channels for visibility, competing for IMC membership and event audiences.
• Immigrant Invest: Immigrant Invest is an investment migration consultancy active across Caribbean and European CBI/RBI programmes. It is a typical IMC business-member competitor, addressing the same practitioner market and programme categories.

Broad incumbents

• STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners): STEP is a global professional association for the trust and estate planning industry whose publications (STEP Barometer) appear in the IMC's industry-reports repository. It serves an overlapping ultra-high-net-worth and cross-border wealth practitioner audience but at much broader scope than IMC.
• Fragomen: Fragomen is the largest global immigration law firm and contributes its Worldwide Immigration Trends Report to IMC's industry-reports repository. It is a broad incumbent in immigration services whose investment migration practice overlaps directly with IMC's practitioner base.
• International Organization for Migration (IOM): IOM is the UN's migration agency and its reports appear in IMC's industry-reports repository. It is a broad incumbent operating across the entire migration ecosystem, with overlapping policy, research, and convening roles for sovereign states relevant to IMC's mission.

Others

• American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA): AILA is the largest US bar association for immigration lawyers, providing a directly comparable membership, education, and advocacy model. Although its focus is US immigration law rather than investment migration, the association business model and member-services structure are highly analogous.
• Control Risks: Control Risks is a risk consultancy listed as an advertiser/sponsor on the IMC website. It is an ecosystem enabler providing due-diligence services to investment migration practitioners rather than competing with IMC directly.
• S-RM: S-RM is an intelligence and risk consultancy listed as an IMC advertiser/sponsor. It serves investment migration clients with KYC/EDD services, making it an adjacent ecosystem provider rather than a direct competitor.

Emerging players

• Invest in Portugal / Get Golden Visa: Get Golden Visa is a digital CBI/RBI marketing platform focused on residency-by-investment programmes. It is an emerging player using content/lead-gen to capture the same end-investor audience that IMC members serve.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/imcouncil
• Facebookfacebook.com/investmentmigration
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/investment-migration-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Investment Migration Council