While some dislike the residency initiatives, European governments are bending over backward to attract new investors, as wealthy people pour millions of dollars into economies outside their homelands.

The push comes as unemployment in countries like Spain remains in the double digits. Europe’s economy grew barely 1 percent last year, compared with 2.4 percent in the United States.

Some programs, including those in Cyprus and Malta, aim squarely for the superrich. By investing roughly €2.5 million, or $2.8 million, an individual can receive immediate Cypriot citizenship, which brings the right to work or live anywhere in the European Union, as well as easy access to the United States and other Western countries. In Malta, a combined €1.2 million, or $1.3 million, investment through a donation to the government, as well as in real estate and government bonds, is required, though wealthy individuals can apply for citizenship only after holding Maltese residency for one year.

In Britain, home to one of Europe’s most exclusive programs, the right to local residency for up to five years requires a $3 million investment, and individuals must live in the country for at least half the year. For rich investors, the British plan offers the chance to live in London, if they choose, and to send their children to world-class schools while investing in the British property market that has remained a bulwark against the global financial crisis.

“There’s certainly competition between programs,” said Yuri Botiuk, a foreign investment partner at Pinsent Masons in London. “But the U.K. has all the history, culture and education opportunities that countries like Cyprus just can’t offer.”

For those on a budget — at least compared with higher-priced visa programs that demand millions of dollars of investment — many southern European countries’ visa programs involve significantly less cash. In Greece, for example, wealthy people can gain long-term residency after buying local property worth roughly €250,000, or $280,000, roughly the price of an apartment in central Athens.