Facing an increasingly uncertain future, investors must plan for the unexpected and be prepared. Acquiring citizenship by investment allows successful applicants to obtain a second passport for global access, financial security and economic freedom. Additionally, second citizenship is reasonably affordable for financially responsible applicants and their families.
There is no minimum net worth requirement, indeed investors only need to produce the investment amount and submit proof of a clean background and bill of health. If so, successful applicants can experience the freedom, access and security that they deserve.
Time is of the essence to protect your family, your freedom, and your assets. iGlobal is an authorized Caribbean citizenship by investment specialist providing efficient and affordable access to these five Caribbean programs, plus Vanuatu.
How To Get Caribbean Citizenship by Investment
Qualifying for one of these five Caribbean citizenship programs plus Vanuatu is a simple 2 step process. First, the investor must complete the application process and then meet the minimum investment requirement.
Application Process: To be sure, the application process for acquiring Caribbean citizenship by investment is not easy. However, the process is only contingent on your financial means and medical history, plus verification of your personal and professional background. Simply put, if the source of your investment funds is legitimate, you can prove your identity beyond any doubt, you have a clean bill of health and no criminal history – you will succeed!
Refundable Investment Options: The best option is investing US$220,000 in government approved real estate which can be sold to a new citizenship applicant at the end of a minimum holding period (usually 5-7 years). As a result, it is possible to recover your investment capital, accrue an investment yield and also make a profit on the sale of the assets.
Non-Refundable Contribution: In contrast, this requirement can by met by making a non-refundable donation into the government’s development fund. As a result, it is not necessary to manage your investment or be concerned with fluctuating asset prices. Your contribution will help fund local initiatives such as education, health care, tourism, infrastructure and hurricane relief.
Caribbean Citizenship Approval Process
- Step One: Choose Program, Complete Application Forms, Collate Documents – Duration 30 Days.
- Step Two: Submit Completed Application and required documents to the citizenship by investment unit for processing and due diligence – Duration 60-120 days.
- Step Three: Receive Approval, Certificate of Citizenship, Passport – Duration 3-4 weeks.
- Accelerated Application: Steps Two and Three completed in combined 45-60 days maximum.
Citizenship by Investment Benefits
- Access to British Consulate: Each of the five Caribbean citizenship by investment programs plus Vanuatu are beneficiaries under the British Commonwealth system. As a result, in non-Commonwealth countries where their own country has no diplomatic or consular post, their citizens can receive assistance at the British Embassy or consulate.
- Emergency Passport:Citizens of the Caribbean countries plus Vanuatu can apply for an emergency passport at the British consulate if theirs is lost or stolen.
- Preferential Treatment: The children of successful applicants from the five Caribbean countries plus Vanuatu can receive preferential treatment inside the UK for student visas and work visas.
- Dual Citizenship Permitted: All five Caribbean citizenship by investment programs plus Vanuatu permit dual citizenship. Additionally, there is no requirement to notify the applicant’s home country of their application for second citizenship.
- No Conventional Requirements: There are no conventional requirements such as fluency in the national language, marriage, family descent, religion or place of birth and international income is tax free. Furthermore, none of these countries impose conscription into the military service. Indeed, each country promoted here is politically neutral and they do not maintain armed forces.
- Visa Free Travel: Second citizenship benefits provide visa free access to the European Union plus over 135 global destinations. Exclusive visa benefits are offered by Grenada citizenship by investment which is the only Caribbean country offering visa free access to China and eligibility to apply for the US E-2 visa.
- Inclusion of Dependents: A citizenship by investment comparison reveals each country’s specific benefits regarding the inclusion of dependents such as siblings, parents, grandparents and newborns.
- Add On Dependents: Several citizenship by investment programs now allow the retroactive addition of dependents such as a new spouse and newborns, plus any dependents who would have been qualified at the time the original application was made.
- No Residency Requirement: There is no need to visit the country during the application process or reside there in order to retain citizenship. The only exception is Antigua and Barbuda citizenship which requires successful applicants to visit the country for a total of five days during the first five years of citizenship.
History of Caribbean Citizenship by Investment
Citizenship by investment is a relatively new development. In 1984, St Kitts and Nevis developed the world’s first citizenship by investment program in order to diversify their economy. Unfortunately, their economy had overly relied on the sugar industry for far to long. Therefore, when sugar prices collapsed in the middle of the 20th century their small island nation had an economic crisis.
Indeed, the St Kitts and Nevis citizenship by investment program was a huge success and the economy stabilized. As a result, many other developed and undeveloped countries have since followed in their footsteps. This would include some of the other Caribbean countries plus Vanuatu, but ironically the world’s largest developed economies followed suit. Ironically, the largest competitors to the original Caribbean citizenship by investment countries are the United States and European Union.
Dual Citizenship by Conventional Means
Prior to the introduction of the citizenship by investment programs, obtaining a second passport by conventional means was the only option available. These conventional means remain intact, however they can be very expensive, time consuming and sometimes fate also must play a part. With the exception of naturalization by birth all of the conventional means involve what is invariably a long and arduous process.
List of Conventional Means:
Citizenship by Naturalization – most countries provide the path of second citizenship to immigrants who fulfill certain requirements. However, this may involve a lengthy period of residency, fluency in the national language and taking a pledge of allegiance. Unfortunately, swearing allegiance to the host country may involve renunciation of your current citizenship.
Citizenship by Marriage – acquiring a spouse from the issuing country has long been a conventional means of acquiring dual citizenship. However, very few instant citizenship countries will grant citizenship to the new spouse on the wedding day (e.g. Iran). Additionally, a marriage can be fraught with domestic complications. Furthermore, many countries have passed laws against sham marriages. Therefore, marriage is only a reliable method to obtain dual citizenship if it is sustainable.
Citizenship by Religion– some instant citizenship countries such as Israel will grant citizenship based on religion. As a result, all Jews are allowed to immigrate to Israel and will be given a fast tracked path to citizenship. Additionally, dual citizenship is allowed but Israeli citizens can only enter Israel by using their Israeli passport.
Citizenship by Descent – historically many free citizenship countries have granted dual citizenship based on descent. As a result, if your parents or even grandparents are citizens of the issuing country then you may be granted a new second passport. In recent times many free citizenship countries have modified traditional laws to permit descent to be traced through either parent. Although descent had previously only been traced through the father.
Citizenship by Adoption – a minor who is adopted by parents that are citizens of the issuing country is usually granted citizenship.
Countries that Prohibit Dual Citizenship
Investors pursuing Caribbean citizenship by investment can rest assured that their citizenship application is completely confidential. Additionally, all of the Caribbean citizenship by investment programs plus Vanuatu allow dual citizenship. Indeed, some countries such as Singapore have long been the darlings of the financial elite seeking tax havens. However, Singapore and a few other countries have decided to put sovereign unity ahead of their citizenship by investment programs.
Indeed, you may be required to renounce your current citizenship before acquiring a new passport from a short list of countries. This can be done by requiring applicants to forfeit their current citizenship or revoking existing citizenship from citizens who subsequently acquired dual citizenship.