What happens when a country shuts down every business immigration pathway precisely at the moment it needs entrepreneurs the most?

Canada is staring down a $2 trillion crisis. With 75% of Canada’s 1.2 million small business owners reportedly planning to exit within the next decade, Canada is facing a succession crisis. Whilst the solution seems obvious to attract new entrepreneurial talent to the country, Canada has instead systematically dismantled almost every route for them to enter.

In this episode of Global Investment Voice, immigration expert Sam Bayat joins our host Mona Shah to explore the shocking closure, suspension, and redrafting of major federal business immigration programmes in Canada, at precisely the moment Canada needs entrepreneurs the most.

The Federal Investor Programme? Terminated in 2014 after 70,000 fraudulent applications overwhelmed the system. Quebec's investor option? Reduced to single-digit applications after introducing mandatory B2 French proficiency. The innovative Start-Up Visa that once promised so much? Shut down in late 2025 under the weight of 42,000 applications and 35-year processing times.

Sam discusses the systemic failures which ended these programmes, such as paper startups and widespread abuse of the system with virtually non-existent enforcement. Perhaps most damning is the maths. Canada needs 100,000 entrepreneurs in the next 20 years, but their current intake now is merely 500.

Find out which pathways still exist for serious investors in 2026, what created the growing gap between political rhetoric and economic reality and whether the perfect storm of retiring Canadian business owners alongside closed immigration routes is disastrous or an unexpected opportunity.

It’s fair to say easy immigration to Canada is over. But has a more strategic game just begun?

What happens when a G7 leader accidentally makes the case for citizenship and residency by investment on the world’s biggest stage?

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made an unexpected declaration, stating the end of the American-led world order at Davos 2026. In doing so, he unknowingly provided the framework to validate what millions of globally mobile individuals have known all along. Multiple citizenships are not divided loyalties, but rather a means of survival, through an insurance policy.

In this explorative episode of Global Investment Voice, host Mona Shah reunites with Iliana Oris Valiente, who was in Davos at the time of Carney’s bombshell speech. Together, they unpack what this means for RCBI programmes across the globe, from the Americas to Europe and beyond.

You’ll discover the reason why Carney’s restructuring of sovereignty highlights second citizenship as a necessity and hear tell-all statistics from Henley & Partners’ 2026 Global Mobility Report, revealing Canada and the UK are dropping in mobility rankings. The conversation explores the evolution of citizenship from a loyalty pledge to a portfolio of strategic rights.

From AI’s disruption of the nature of work to the explosive rise of what Iliana has coined “The Flexible Class,” we connect the dots between geopolitics, investment migration, and your family’s freedom strategy. So, whether you’re considering future-proofing your family’s global options or learning more about Davos, this episode reveals why 2026 may be remembered as when multiple citizenships became a strategic necessity.

The world order has shifted. But the real question is: Has your citizenship strategy kept pace?

What if the future of global migration and citizenship wasn’t about uprooting your life from one place to another, but about multiplying it?

Have you ever thought about calling more than one country home?

Welcome to the reality of a Globally Mobile Individual. A rapidly growing group of entrepreneurs, remote workers, digital nomads, and retirees who aren’t restricted by borders or traditional migration routes. A community that values the flexibility to build their own lives focused on their own choices and needs.

In this episode of Global Investment Voice, we sit down with Iliana Oris Valiente, founder of The Flexible Class to further explore this growing community of global citizens. We discuss the ins and outs of who is driving this movement and what they are really chasing: better climate, lifestyle or freedom to create a life across continents.

Iliana uncovers the practical considerations of joining this community, from real estate to your children's education, we discuss the full works. She also reveals how her platform, The Flexible Class, is supporting these unique individuals in managing cross-border finances, securing golden visas, global health coverage, and lots more.

And, of course, we discuss locations. The world really is your oyster when you’re part of the flexible class.

So, whether you're exploring second citizenship, dreaming of spreading your life across the continents, a remote worker craving some sunshine, or simply curious about global citizenship, this episode offers a whistle-stop tour into the migration revolution. You certainly don’t want to miss this one.