The Eastern Caribbean countries have provided latest data upon request by European commission on citizenship by investment programs. The European Commission has been engaging with the five visa-free Eastern Caribbean countries operating investor citizenship schemes (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and
Nevis, and Saint Lucia) to obtain relevant information and data on those schemes.
Data published by European Commission, shows five Eastern caribbean nations have received a staggering number of applications and passports issued for citizenship by investment programs from 2014 to 2024 with low rejection rates, indicating unprecedented demand for CBI. Dominica and St.Kitts remained the most popular countries the data reveals.
The number of total applications is often lower than the total number of passports issued because applications can cover more than one person (e.g., a successful application for a family of 4 counts as 1 application, but 4 passports issued).
Key Observations
- St.Kitts registered 19,753 CBI applications received during 2014 to 2024 (june). Dominica received 20,210 applications for citizenship by investment. Antigua received the lowest number of applications of all five. Saint Lucia received 7000+ applications from 2015 to 2024.
- Dominica issued close to 50,000 (exactly 49,619 passports) from 2018-2024 under CBI. St.Kitts 35,577 from 2015 to 2022.
- St Kitts received only 98 applications in 2024 (until mid) after the price hike implemented for $250,000
- St.Lucia rejected the lowest number of applications (179) compared to all five countries. Dominica rejected 800+ applications while St.Kitts rejected 700+ files.
Application Process
All five countries operate different investor citizenship schemes, which consist mainly in either direct contributions to the State budget or investments in large infrastructure, utilities or real estate projects. The first option is normally cheaper, while the real estate option is normally more expensive.
The process to apply for citizenship and the due diligence and security screening used are similar across the five countries, with five main steps:
- Licensed marketing agents are trusted to find interested investors in third countries.
- Interested investors file their applications through authorised local agents, who submit the applications and supporting documents to the Citizenship-by-investment (CBI) unit.
- A three-layer vetting process is conducted on the origin of the funds (by the banks), on the identity, security and reputational profile of the applicants (by international due diligence firms) and on the security and immigration risks (by the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security’s Joint Regional Communications Centre – JRCC). Based on the above-mentioned checks, the CBI unit approves or rejects the application.
- For approved applications, the final decision on the granting of citizenship is taken by competent Minister.
Top 5 Nationalities
The figures per third country provided in this paragraph are based on data submitted by the Eastern Caribbean countries regarding the top 5 nationalities in terms of successful applications.
The main successful applicants’ nationalities in 2023-2024, according to the information received, include
- Iran (1 918),
- China (1 099),
- Syria (747),
- Iraq (425),
- Nigeria (308) and
- Lebanon (149), among others.
Note: All applications from nationals of Iran reported here were processed only by Dominica. Grenada informed the Commission that as of 16 September 2024, there were 87 Russian applications outstanding for review.
It is possible that the actual figures per third country are slightly higher than those provided based on this data collection exercise (i.e., some of these nationalities may not have made it to the ‘top 5’ in one or more Eastern Caribbean countries).
