CARICOM nationals and legal residents could soon be able to travel around the region with greater ease as a new CARICOM travel pass is set to be introduced next year. The pass will be a high tech card that will feature facial and finger printing biometrics and will allow holders to go through automatic gates rather than the regular immigration control.

The travel pass is part of an effort to unite the Caribbean region and to further develop the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). The news of the upcoming travel pass is also a further incentive for those who are thinking of investing in Economic Citizenship as the card will make the passage of nationals easier and faster and automatically entitles the holder to spend up to 6 months at their regional destination.

The islands of St Kitts & Nevis and Dominica are the only two places in the Caribbean still offering an Economic Citizenship program. This program entitles foreign investors to buy citizenship to the country, subject to the successful completion of security checks. The process of obtaining a second passport is relatively simple and takes 2-3 months. Continue reading "CARICOM Travel Pass Will Increase Benefits of Caribbean Citizenship"

So you want to move to one of the Eastern Caribbean islands and start a new life? There are many decisions and even more options involved in such a move, and one of them can be economic citizenship.

Why economic citizenship? Economic citizenship programmes in the region allow foreign nationals a fast track to full citizenship of a participating country, through a government sponsored programme. For both personal and professional reasons, this can be a perfect solution for a number of reasons. If you have made a commitment to a lifestyle change, economically, physically and emotionally you want to move forward and finalise that commitment as soon as possible, which can include becoming a citizen.

Of course, its not going to be a cheap option, but a great alternative to waiting the normal five or seven years for full citizenship with passport and voting rights. Although it can take up to 30 years in the worst case countries, and even then, there are no guarantees of success. So you must do your research carefully and find out which countries are most welcoming to new citizens.

There are few Caribbean countries with an active disincentive policy towards new citizenry, but the BVI is currently creating just that, so unless you were particularly determined to live and work in the BVI, you will find it an uphill struggle to start your new life there. For example, a new policy document states that businesses may not employ foreign workers for longer than 4.5 years, after which the worker must leave.

Most Eastern Caribbean countries do not have an economic citizenship programme, although many are amenable to an approach from a private individual with a very deep pocket.

It has to be a win/win situation, for the country and for the aspiring citizen. It has to be well thought out by each country to maximize the benefits, and those countries that have not set up the correct framework for the process have found themselves bogged down with their own bureaucracy and frustrated potential citizens. Small countries especially have to protect themselves with a legal framework that doesn't bend under political or commercial pressures. Countries with tiny gross national incomes of, for example, less than 200 million US dollars are small cheese for a private wealthy investor and could be bought out a number of times over! Nevertheless the benefits can be considerable and include, capital investment, generating a new wealth class, and giving room to motivated citizens who are likely to start businesses, add to the education and even the gene pool, and generally stimulating the economy.

Continue reading "Caribbean Second Passports"