The pandemic has completely upended the seemingly unshakeable hierarchy of global mobility, with more change still to come.
Unsurprisingly, those countries whose Covid-19 responses have been criticized for being inadequate have taken the greatest knock in terms of travel freedom of their citizens.
At the beginning of the year, for instance, Americans, Brazilian, Indian, Japanese, Russian as well as Singapore passport holders could travel hassle-free to a lot of destinations around the world. Since then, that number has dropped dramatically, with passport holders currently able to access fewer destinations.
Recent developments represent an era-defining shift.
For citizens of wealthy and democratic countries, the pandemic has abruptly changed this, and with the significant loss of access and privilege, has come to a re-evaluation.
The volatility of 2020 has boosted the appeal of investment migration for an increasingly wide range of people, from an increasingly wide array of countries.
Fascinatingly, there is unprecedented interest in residence- and citizenship-by-investment programs.
The events of this year have demonstrated that we cannot predict the future, but for those high-net-worth investors who want to ensure they are well prepared for the next major disruption, alternative residence or citizenship is increasingly seen as an indispensable asset and a vital hedge against ongoing volatility.
