Citizenship By Investment

Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programs offer successful people the opportunity to legally acquire a new citizenship within a short period of time and without any disruptions to their lives. The program offers an expedited citizenship process to foreign investors in exchange for a one-time economic contribution to the development of the country, such as buying a property or making a substantial donation/contribution to the Government fund. Though the prerequisite under which the status of naturalization is granted varies from state to state, quite a number of developing countries have introduced citizenship-by-investment programs to offer a direct route to citizenship for high net worth individuals looking for a way to access certain universal opportunities or global citizenship. Such countries include: Antigua and Barbuda, Cyprus, Dominica, Grenada, Malta, and St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and several others. 

The first modern citizenship by investment program was introduced by St Kitts and Nevis in 1983. The number has gradually increased since then and more than 10 countries have enshrined this program into their constitution today. Presently the Citizenship by Investment industry is estimated to be worth $5 billion annually. Most Caribbean countries offering the program have used the proceeds for disaster recovery and rebuilding.