I am testing my climate resilience this week!

Now you may ask “so what Ilana, you run an investment business”…what does freezing in the snow in London have to do with residency & citizenship? Let me expand…

The investment migration industry often credits climate change as one of the quieter drivers of new business. Not always front-page news, not always dramatic—but increasingly decisive. This week, I decided to test my own climate resilience on my first trip of the year to London. Arrival temperature: –5°C. Snow falling.

Of course, climate isn’t simply about good or bad weather. It’s about how—and where—we can live well. Climate affects daily productivity, access to quality food and water, energy costs, health outcomes, and ultimately lifestyle sustainability. These are no longer abstract concepts; they show up directly in client conversations about second residencies, diversification, and long-term family planning.

From a practical investment-migration perspective, climate influences decisions in many ways. Environmental stress—air pollution, water scarcity, and declining urban livability—quietly pushes families to consider alternatives. Air-quality challenges in parts of India are not just environmental headlines; they translate into health concerns, schooling decisions, and long-term family planning. Climate volatility elsewhere, including heavier snow events across North America and Canada, influences how people think about where they need to be versus where they want to be at different times of the year.

Heat plays an equally powerful role. In the Middle East, rising summer temperatures increasingly shape how residency rights are used rather than whether they are acquired. Many clients structure their lives around seasonal presence—productive, high-energy months in one jurisdiction and strategic retreats elsewhere—rather than permanent relocation. This has made climate a factor not only in destination choice, but in how investment migration programs are designed, activated, and maintained over time.

We’ve seen these migration patterns repeat themselves globally. The Caribbean has long benefited from Canadian snowbirds escaping long winters, while other regions attract their own seasonal “swallows.” These movements are no longer just about comfort; they intersect with healthcare access, insurance costs, infrastructure resilience, and lifestyle sustainability. Climate, once a background consideration, now sits alongside tax, mobility, and security as a core variable in long-term migration planning.

My own life is a reflection of climate adaption and yet I did not consciously think about it as a motivator until I landed in London yesterday. I have a golden visa in Dubai (tax benefits, efficient corporate structures, excellent business banking, but only I visit and spend time outside the high summer months. I have residency in Portugal, but I really do not love the long cold wet winters…so I spend much of winter in warmer climates (London being the anomaly here!) This year most of my first quarter will be spent in South America (I am getting residency to expand my own portfolio so will write about that when it happens!), South Africa (family & investments)  & Asia (just a holiday).

I know you can simply be a tourist in all these countries, but there is something very re-assuring holding residency status and legally having the right to arrive, spend time unhindered, manage my business or just relax knowing that I am legally protected.

Climate is no longer a background consideration in migration decisions; it’s a strategic one. And whether clients are moving towards the sun or occasionally into the snow, resilience—personal, environmental, and financial—is becoming the common thread.

To find out more about how I can help with your global mobility get in touch here.