Bill Browder says such visas ‘a way for dodgy people … to buy themselves legitimacy and insert themselves into countries’

The architect of global Magnitsky sanctions – which punish human rights abusers and corrupt officials – has warned Peter Dutton’s desire to bring back a controversial “golden ticket” visa scheme would be “a big mistake”.

The significant investor scheme allowed foreign nationals who invested $5m in Australia access to a four-year visa that could be converted to permanent residency. While it was open to all nationalities, it targeted Chinese nationals who represented more than 80% of visas granted over more than a decade.

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