CaribPR Wire

CARIBPR WIRE, London, England, Tues. Dec. 27, 2022: The much-anticipated changes to St Kitts and Nevis’ Citizenship by Investment Programme have been announced today by the country’s recently appointed Citizenship by Investment Unit Head, Michael Martin. Setting a bold and new tone for the industry as a whole, St Kitts and Nevis is once again leading the way for the investment immigration industry – adding a new layer of integrity to truly accelerate the country’s economic diversification, empower and prosper local citizens while creating an enriching base for intelligent investors.

“Today, our progressive government brings to fruition these much-awaited and very important changes to our much-loved Citizenship by Investment Programme. Today marks a new era for the investment immigration industry as we boldly declare that a clear strategy will drive our Citizenship by Investment Programme with the sole purpose of benefiting our people and investors who want to see our nation flourish.”

“Today these changes show the international community that we place honesty and integrity above all else as we look to deliver a product that will bring us a positive reputation and send a clear message that we are open for business,” said Michael Martin.

Watch the full video announcement here.

The changes have been gazetted on 23 December 2022 and will take effect on 1 January 2023.

Since his election in August, the Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Terrance Drew, has hinted at upcoming changes to the country’s Citizenship by Investment programme – reiterating multiple times that the revamped programme needs to be mutually beneficial to both Kittians and Nevisians and international investors.

The Prime Minister said at a recent event “While we navigate the complexities of managing a small island developing state in this unpredictable and highly globalized world, we have made it a priority to craft a solution to ensure that the evolution of our citizenship programme will be a sustainable model filled with integrity, transparency and accountability.”

The Programme will be underpinned by three fundamental principles that have guided the administration’s decision making with respect to the evolved version of the twin-island’s Citizenship by Investment Programme – sustainability, good governance and pragmatism.

“We have crafted a sustainable model that will continue to be the envy of the international community by injecting high levels of integrity that will come through administrative improvements. We have also structured our programme to allow for greater transparency and accountability, which make the hallmarks of a good governance framework that solidifies the foundation of any successful endeavour. Lastly, we have tailored our investment options to align with market realities while preserving the platinum brand our proud nation has developed and nurtured for four decades, operating the oldest Citizenship by Investment Programme in the world,” added the Prime Minister.

To achieve this, the most notable change to the programme will be the introduction of a Board of Governors and a Technical Committee.

Effective next year, a professional Citizenship by Investment Board of Governors will be responsible for high level supervisory matters such as providing general oversight of the operations the CBI Unit, developing and implementing policies and procedures for the CBI Unit, ensuring that application processing is completed as swiftly as possible within the time frames advertised without comprising the integrity of the programme and, continuously monitoring the global investor immigration industry to ensure that the country’s Citizenship by Investment regulations align with and adjust to, international market forces.

To further the Programme’s good governance agenda, a Citizenship by Investment Technical Committee will be charged with ensuring that all due diligence background checks are comprehensive and that all citizenship by investment applications are reviewed thoroughly. This committee will also be tasked with making recommendations to the Prime Minister in his capacity as Minister of National Security, Immigration and Citizenship.

The Technical Committee will be comprised of a chairperson, this role will be filled by the recently appointed Head of the CBI Unit, Michael Martin; a senior officer and a secretary – who will be a civil servant assigned by the Prime Minister.

Applicants can gain second citizenship in 60 days, but only for a limited time

St Kitts and Nevis is offering applicants a chance to gain second citizenship in as little as 60 days through its Sustainable Growth Fund – the revenue from the fund is aimed to facilitate economic development and social upliftment in the country. The Sustainable Growth Fund will be used to provide financial support to educational institutions, medical facilities, as well as provide additional funding for the construction of infrastructure, the development of local tourism, the preservation of local culture and heritage and support of sustainable growth initiatives in the twin-island nation.

The Sustainable Growth Fund remains the quickest and easiest route to second citizenship in St Kitts and Nevis and from 1 January to 30 June 2023, for a Limited Time Offer, a main applicant, following stringent background checks, can make a minimum investment of US$125,000 to the Fund and receive approval in principle within 60 days of submission of application.

Under the Limited Time Offer, investment options are as follows:

• Single applicant – US$ 125,000
• Main applicant and a spouse – US$150,000
• Main applicant, spouse and two dependants – US$170,000
• Each additional dependant under 18 – US$10,000
• Each additional dependant over 18 – US$25,000

From 1 July 2023 onwards, applicants investing through the Sustainable Growth Fund will be charged as follows and can expect approval in principle within 90 days of submission of application.

• Main applicant – US$150,000
• Main applicant and a spouse – US$175,000
• Main applicant, spouse and two dependants – US$195,000
• Each additional dependant under 18 – US$10,000
• Each additional dependant over 18 – US$25,000

These changes are part of the government’s tireless efforts to create conditions necessary for sustainable economic growth and diverse business opportunities.

“This is an exciting time because these policies will continue our progressive course in the global investor immigration industry and cement St Kitts and Nevis’ place as a leader in the Citizenship by Investment space. As we move toward a brand-new diversified economy, we remain committed to investing in tangible projects to uplift the country to achieve our goal of establishing a sustainable island state,” continued the Prime Minister.

It is important to note that these additional layers are not meant to hinder the application process but rather ensure multiple aspects including keeping processing to agreed timelines, all approved applicants are of the highest repute and most importantly, that projects meet the requirement of benefitting the local economy.

Another change is that the sustainable model of the Citizenship by Investment programme will now involve the implementation of an improved multi-faceted approved real estate application process, the removal of loopholes and the strict enforcement of escrow and project milestone requirements.

The evolved St Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Programme will invite bold and creative investors to facilitate the development of innovative industries in St Kitts and Nevis including construction of real estate developments pursuant to the new administration’s priority infrastructure list. “All projects must bring substantial benefit to the people of St Kitts and Nevis,” noted the Prime Minister.

The government will approve real estate projects to be developed and of these, a designated number of real estate units will be available to be sold to qualifying investors. Real estate projects will be constructed and completed according to a pre-defined schedule and a designated escrow drawdown process will also be implemented.

Only approved real estate developments will be eligible for the Citizenship by Investment option and most importantly, current “Approved Projects” will lose this designation once the new Citizenship by Investment regulations have been gazetted and approved, meaning stakeholders of these projects will need to apply afresh to become an “Approved Development”.

Minimum investment for approved real estate will remain at US$200,000 but there will be an introduction of penalties for the circumvention of minimum investment sums including:

• Fines of up to US$200,000 on summary conviction
• Revocation/suspension of Approved Development status
• Removal of Authorised Agent licence
• Blacklisting on the Citizenship by Investment website as a person or entity not authorised to submit a Citizenship b Investment application

A new Public Good Investment Option (PGIO) will replace the Alternative Investment Option (AIO) and will focus on effecting real transformation for the country by investing into areas that will benefit the citizens of St Kitts and Nevis – these projects must maximise local employment, transfer technological skills and increase capacity building. Investors of the PGIO must assume all financial risks associated with the projects and, if the investment results in the development of real estate on State land, investors must agree to transfer all real estate to the State on substantial completion. Investors looking to contribute to the PGIO will be required to apply to the Board of Governors to be designated as a Public Good Investor. To qualify under the PGIO, an applicant must contribute US$175,000, excluding relevant due diligence, processing and Government fees.

Investors can also apply for citizenship through the purchase of a qualified private home, for a minimum investment of US$400 000.00 for each main applicant. Unlike the preapproved real estate option, investing through a private home means a single-family home is sold as one unit and cannot be converted into apartments, condominiums or divided otherwise. The use of shares is also prohibited.

A private home that has been purchased through the Citizenship by Investment Programme cannot be sold for a period of five years after the granting of the citizenship and the property may never be eligible for use in a subsequent Citizenship by Investment application.

Having established the citizenship by investment industry 40 years ago, the progressive government of St Kitts and Nevis believes that these changes to its programme will once again set a much-needed positive tone and direction in the investor immigration industry.

St Kitts and Nevis has created a name for itself as a financial nexus with an attractive citizenship programme underpinned by a sound legal framework and robust multi-layered due diligence.

For nearly 40 years, St Kitts and Nevis has been the pioneer of the global investor immigration industry.

Watch the full video announcement here.

Click Here for More Information »

CARIBPR WIRE, Castries, Aug. 26, 2022: St Lucia took third place in this year’s instalment of the CBI Index – which ranked 13 countries with operational citizenship by investment programmes.

Seen as an industry voice and reliable source for those looking to vet CBI programmes around the world, the CBI Index is published annually by the Private Wealth Management magazine, a publication of the Financial Times, and in partnership with CS Global Partners.

This year, St Lucia was ranked alongside Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Cambodia, Dominica, Egypt, Grenada, Jordan, Malta, Montenegro, St Kitts and Nevis, Turkey, and Vanuatu.

The CBI Index ranked these jurisdictions across nine pillars including Freedom of Movement, Standard of Living, Minimum Investment Outlay, Mandatory Travel or Residence, Citizenship Timeline, Ease of Processing, Due Diligence, Family and Certainty of Product.

Having recently welcomed Mc Claude Emmanuel to the position of Chief Executive Officer of its CBI unit, St Lucia was recognised its affordable minimum investment outlay, reasonable mandatory travel or residence requirements and ease of application processing.

“This recognition means a lot to us. The CBI Index is a globally recognised report that has been assessing CBI programmes for the last six years and not only will investors gain insight into our programme but it also gives us an opportunity to improve aspects of our programme to increase our scores next year,” said notes Mc Claude Emmanuel, CEO of St Lucia’s CPI Unit.

Investors can become a citizen of St Lucia in as little as 90 days by investing only a minimum of US$100,000 through its National Economic Fund, and busy entrepreneurs are not required to stay in the country for prescribed periods of time.

There weren’t many significant changes in the minimum investment outlays since the 2021 CBI Index, this was reflected in no change in the order of the final scores.

There were also no changes from the 2021 CBI Index to scores under the Mandatory Travel or Residence Pillar – Caribbean nations continue to rank highly in this area.

The country scored 87% overall.

St Lucia scored 9 out of ten for Due Diligence, Citizenship Timeline, and Family.

A very important aspect of any CBI programme is its ability to vet applicants and ensure that only honest individuals who can account for how they make a living are accepted into the programmes.

“We are on an ongoing drive to continuously enhance the due diligence processes of our programme as we are very keen to protect its integrity and value,” noted Mc Claude Emmanuel.

With ongoing geopolitical tensions, special attention is now being given to jurisdictions that offer CBI programmes. The international community is concerned that these programmes may offer boltholes for suspect characters looking to evade the law.

International respect is vital for any CBI programme to thrive, and a layer of ongoing monitoring is becoming a key pillar of reputable CBI Units such as that of St Lucia. Caribbean nations are setting global best practices when it comes to advancements in due diligence processes.

The Citizenship Timeline Pillar looks at the average time taken for citizenship to be secured by the applicant. One of the key merits of CBI programmes is their ability to provide a rapid route to second citizenship; St Lucia was awarded top points for its short turnaround times, which takes three months for citizenship to be granted from the date the Authorised Agent is notified that the application has been accepted for processing.

The CBI Index recognises that the rise of increasingly complex family relationships is driving investors to seek programmes that allow for a more diverse range of family members to be included under a primary application.

As an additional layer of nuance to its scoring system, this year’s CBI Index also draws a distinction between family members who are allowed to apply with and obtain citizenship at the same time as the main applicant and those who can apply at a later stage and because of the main applicant has already received citizenship.

Multiple family member categories were considered, with points being awarded for adult children, parents, grandparents and even siblings. Additional merit was also given to programmes with provisions for family members of the main applicant’s spouse. Additionally, the degree of flexibility within each of these categories can differ radically from programme to programme.

St Lucia scored 8 out of 10 in the Certainty of Product pillar. This pillar encompasses a range of factors that measure a programme’s certainty across five different dimensions: longevity, popularity and renown, stability, reputation, and adaptability.

Longevity measures the age of a given programme while Popularity and renown evaluate the number of applications and naturalisations under each programme per year, as well as a programme’s eminence in the industry.

The reputation of a programme was determined by the amount of negative press or the number of scandals it has been linked to, affecting investors’ broader perceptions of the countries in which they invest. Just as important, however, is evidence that programme funds are being utilised for social good. Points were awarded for a jurisdiction’s transparent use of CBI funds, for example for the development of domestic healthcare, education, tourism and other infrastructure. One of the main ways that investors can become citizens of St Lucia is through its Economic Fund which Mc Claude Emmanuel has said will “benefit all St Lucians by investing in social interventions and assisting the country to be food secure as assistance will be given to local farmers.”

Lastly, adaptability reflects a programme’s ability to rapidly respond to, and sometimes even predict, the needs of applicants and the industry.

St Lucia continues to offer a popular programme with consistently high application volumes, stability with no caps on the number of applications or specific calls to end the programme, and adaptability both in respect of changes to keep the programme functioning during Covid-19 and its swift response to the Russian invasion.

St Lucia, along with Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada and St Kitts and Nevis scored seven out of 10 in the Freedom of Movement pillar. St Lucia has access to 15 of the 20 key business hubs assessed in the 2022 CBI Index.

Lastly, St Lucia scored six out of 10 for its decent freedom, GDP growth and GNI scores.

Download the full CBI Index here, to get further insights into the CBI industry and a full evaluation of the CBI programmes of the 12 other jurisdictions in the rankings.

Click Here for More Information »