[LONDON] – The Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community and Common Market, also known as CARICOM, issued an End of Year Message for 2020 earlier this week.
The Secretary-General praised the region’s fight against COVID-19 and optimized health care services in the 15 member states and five associate member states that make up the group.
Like the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis and the Commonwealth of Dominica, several CARICOM nations have programmes that allow vetted foreigners second citizenship in exchange for their economic contribution in the betterment of the host country.
Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programmes in countries like St Kitts and Nevis and Dominica play a significant role in ensuring the islands’ wellbeing during this uncertain time.
To maintain its inhabitants’ safety, St Kitts and Nevis’s government provided stimulus packages and introduced waivers of specific payments. In Dominica, funding and work on the state-of-the-art Marigot Hospital continue.
The health facility will be completed in April 2021, occupying 55,800 square feet. The CBI Programme of the individual country sponsors these initiates.
“Thanks to the hard work of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), our lead Institution in the sector, other Regional Institutions, the CARICOM Secretariat and health officials across the Community, all under the guidance of the Heads of Government, we were able to avoid the worst effects,” CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque said.
“The world has realised the importance and need for alternative citizenship in the wake of the current pandemic,” said Paul Singh, the director of CS Global Partners, a London-headquartered legal advisory with expertise in citizenship and residency. “We are surprised to see even the citizens of the most advanced countries such as the US inquiring about second passports so that they can relocate when the need arises to secure the health of themselves and their families.”
The CBI Index – a report published by the Financial Times’ Professional Wealth Management magazine – showed both St Kitts and Nevis and Dominica topping the charts for the best citizenship by investment programmes.
Successful applicants are granted citizenship for life and can live or work in the country. They can also have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to more than 75 percent of the world.
