The SEF website stated that all but one of the visas had been attributed based on property investments, with the exception stemming from a transfer of capital with the visa numbers up from August but down in terms of investment attracted with the latter month generating €21.6 million.


This takes the accumulated annual total to 480 visas and a total of 2,502 issued since the scheme was launched on October 8 2012.


This includes 1,526 visas issued in 2014 and 494 in 2013 with total investment calculated through to the end of September as standing at €1.517 billion with €1.37 billion ploughed into property purchases and the remaining €146.6 million in capital transfers.


The Chinese continue to lead the way with nationals taking up a total of 1,996 visas whilst in September Chinese citizens accounted for 27 of the 37 visas issued.


Brazil in turn put on three gold visas to its total of 92 with Russia unchanged on 86 visas.


September also saw four South African citizens take out visas to take the country’s total to 67 whilst the single Lebanese visa recipient joins 38 other co-nationals with this residency permit as the leading national groups.


There was a hiccup in the gold visa scheme with new legislation and procedures brought into effect this year following Operation Labyrinth in November of last year that led to five of eleven suspects remanded into custody facing charges of corruption in a case that led to the resignation of the then Minister of Internal Affairs.