Permanent residency by investment is a foreign national who has been granted temporary residence and has the legal authority to temporarily occupy a state. A temporary residency permit or a visa are both options. Depending on the type of visa, temporary residents can legally live, work, study, or do business in the country without becoming a citizen in their own right. When you are required to invest in a country where you will be residing in the future, a residence by investment program is another means to gain temporary and permanent residence.