A golden visa firm says 'plan B' passports are going middle class

Some countries offer citizenship for a high price.

Images By Tang Ming Tung/Getty Images More middle class Americans are shopping for second citizenships, a "golden visa" firm told Business Insider.

Immigrant Invest said professionals and retirees make up 25% of consultations, up from 15% in 2025.

Another golden visa firm said in a 2026 report that demand from US clients has nearly doubled.

Buying second passports was once largely the preserve of the superrich, but one investment migration firm says that's changing as more middle-class Americans shop for them.

The investment migration industry has traditionally catered to those who can afford the six or seven-figure price tags of many " golden visas ." Peter Thiel , who was granted New Zealand citizenship in 2011 and temporarily relocated to Argentina this year , is among the billionaires to seek additional passports and residences.

For wealthy Americans, acquiring another citizenship generally doesn't eliminate their US tax obligations, but offers the freedom to live, travel, and work abroad.

Data shared exclusively with Business Insider by Immigrant Invest, a Malta-based citizenship-by-investment consultancy founded 20 years ago, showed that salaried professionals and retirees now account for 25% of its US consultations calls, up from around 15% in 2025.

The growing cohort included doctors, tech workers, academics, real estate brokers, and lawyers, as well as retirees with personal savings.

The company analyzed 450 consultation calls with US-based clients between January and July 2026.

It compared the results with its 2025 data from the same period.

The company's traditional core clientele, which includes ultrawealthy investors , entrepreneurs, and business owners, has shrunk as a share of its US consultation calls, from roughly 50% in 2026 to 40% in 2025.

Pavel Reshetnikov, a consultant at Immigrant Invest, told Business Insider that the cost of citizenship programs has stayed relatively stable in recent years.

This indicates that more Americans with savings are looking for a "Plan B" amid heightened political division in the US and global geopolitical volatility.