“The maturity of the market is astonishing”: 10 weekend questions with Vipan Sharma (Gateway2World) — investment migration and residency

“10 On The Weekend” is IMI’s (almost) weekly column. The format is simple: each time we ask the same set of ten questions to different IMI Pro experts—so we get to know our guest in a more personal, informal way than is typical during day-to-day work.

This week’s guest is Vipan Sharma, founder of Gateway2World.

How do you spend your weekends?

I try to balance time with my family and time on the golf course. That helps me reset, recharge, and come back with fresh energy.

At the same time, I use my free time to travel and to study the residency options we recommend to clients. It keeps me up to speed on global immigration trends and shifts in immigration policy—so I can support HNWI families with greater precision.

Three main business goals for this year

My key goals are:

1. Expand Gateway2World’s portfolio of European residency-by-investment programs.

2. Scale the EB-5 practice for Indian families.

3. Strengthen Gateway2World through leadership in investment migration and deep expertise in investment-based programs.

What is currently the biggest concern in your business?

The main challenge is ensuring every client gets the “right fit” program—not simply the most popular option. When there are many residency choices, families often gravitate toward trend-driven programs without assessing whether they truly match their timeline, budget, and real-life objectives.

What worries me most is the risk of mismatch: when applications are pursued under the wrong strategy, time and money are inevitably lost.

What book are you keeping by your bedside right now?

To be honest, I don’t read that many books. Staying current is mostly about industry reports, immigration policy bulletins, and timely updates from official sources.

In investment migration, everything changes too fast for books to remain relevant for long. That’s why I spend more time analyzing regulatory developments, case law, and expert materials from migration specialists around the world.

How and when did you first enter the investment migration industry?

In 1996, I founded Aircruise Travels. At the beginning, the company focused on premium inbound tours for international clients.

Over decades of working with affluent travelers, I increasingly saw demand for solutions around global mobility. Families wanted to understand residency options, how to educate their children abroad, and tax strategies.

As investment migration programs evolved worldwide, it became clear that Indian families need specialized expertise—particularly for Portugal Golden Visa, EB-5, residency in the UAE (Dubai), and India-specific issues such as currency limitations and documentation related to the source of funds.

That’s how Gateway2World was born: a company dedicated entirely to advising Indian HNWI families on strategic residency and citizenship across different jurisdictions.

Over the past four years, we’ve focused exclusively on advisory services in residency and citizenship—helping families build global mobility and secure their future across multiple countries.

What moment are you most proud of as a service provider?

Honestly, it isn’t one single moment. Pride builds up every time a family calls from their new home in Dubai, Portugal, or Greece and shares how they’ve settled in.

It’s especially meaningful to hear from parents that their children are successfully studying at European universities as residents—or when families thank us for turning the dream of life abroad into reality.

We’re not just processing applications. We help families make their plans for living in different countries come true—and that never stops being inspiring.

What market shift in investment migration surprised you the most over the past year?

The pace at which Indian HNWI families are moving from reactive decisions to proactive residency planning. Five years ago, families would come to us in crisis situations. Today, parents are strategically planning EB-5 when their children are around 15.

That shift in market maturity is what has impressed me most.

If you could go back ten years, what decision would you change?

I’d like to have started advising on residency and citizenship ten years earlier. Then the families we’ve been working with over the last four years could have benefited from strategic planning much sooner.

If we had begun earlier, we would have had more opportunities to guide families through the “golden period” of investment migration—when programs were more accessible and regulation wasn’t as strict.

Which “personality” in the investment migration industry do you respect the most?

I’m particularly impressed by Armand Arton (Arton Capital). His global approach to residency and citizenship, along with a strong focus on educating clients—such as through the Global Passport Index platform—sets a benchmark for what service to HNWI families should look like.

What do you plan to do in five years if everything goes according to plan?

I want to grow Gateway2World into a multi-city practice, while still preserving a boutique approach and keeping the client at the center. I want to reach more Indian families who need strategic residency advice, build a team of specialists for each destination, and further strengthen Gateway2World as a trusted name in investment migration.

Ultimately, I see my role not only as helping families obtain visas and documents, but as truly expanding their global opportunities—changing their trajectory and outlook.

If you’re exploring investment migration and golden visa residence permits, the key is not choosing the “most popular” option, but selecting the right strategy for your family’s timeline, budget, and real goals. In the interview with Vipin Sharma (Gateway2World) you’ll see why the market has matured and how specialists help reduce the risk of an incorrect match. Want to understand which investment programs may fit your case? Learn more at our Golden Visa page.

Our Telegram channel about various types of Greek residence permits, digital nomad programs, and the Greek Golden Visa: @digitalnomadgr