August 27, 2021
In a new report released by the Financial Times’ Professional Wealth Management (PWM) magazine, the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis was recognised for having the most extensive offering in the Caribbean for visa-free and visa-on-arrival destinations. The report, titled “A Guide to Global Citizenship,” ranks the best citizenship by investment (CBI) jurisdictions in the world based on nine pillars. Overall, researchers awarded St Kitts and Nevis 2021’s top spot for the best CBI programme worldwide.
One of the nine pillars of the report is Freedom of Movement, in which St Kitts and Nevis scored highly. The pillar’s assessment is based on the number of destinations to which a country’s passport allows restriction-free travel, the amount of accessible business hubs, and other nations citizens can settle in. The ranking is based on Government, UN World Tourism Organisation and other official sources. Presently, St Kitts and Nevis citizens can travel to 156 countries and territories across seven continents without limitations of extensive pre-departure paperwork.
“Freedom of movement within and between countries is of paramount importance to any individual seeking second citizenship. This holds true whether the individual wishes to travel for work purposes, to visit family, or for leisure,” the report stated. “St Kitts and Nevis remains the CBI nation with the fastest processing time and is the Caribbean country with the largest visa-free or visa-on-arrival offering.”
Considering the ongoing pandemic and the economic crisis it has brought on, many business people and families have resorted to alternative citizenship for safety and security. One of the simplest methods to achieve this status through CBI. CBI allows vetted foreigners second citizenship after they make an economic contribution to a country’s economy. In St Kitts and Nevis, the process generally takes less than 60 days under an Accelerated Application Programme fee, and travel to the nation is not required.
“What second citizenship means is that it is simply an insurance policy should something go wrong… and [it] is applicable to anyone anywhere in the world,” said Micha Emmett, a dual-qualified lawyer and citizenship solutions expert in a recent webinar.
Families of up to four can also take advantage of a limited time offer under the programme’s Sustainable Growth Fund, which grants citizenship for $150,000 rather than the previous $195,000.