BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, February 16, 2024 (SKNIS) – With the significant changes and improvements made to the programme since August 2022, the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew, stated that the Federation’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme is now being viewed more favourably internationally.
Prime Minister Drew, speaking at his Tuesday, February 13 Press Conference with Cabinet Ministers, said the basis for introducing significant reforms to the programme was to ensure that St. Kitts and Nevis’ CBI Programme was secured and that it met all international standards.
“We went through probably two iterations of changes and those changes were really to ensure that,” said Prime Minister Drew, who noted that the task of reforming the CBI Programme was one of the most challenging aspects he has faced since taking office.
The prime minister added that, “St. Kitts and Nevis has taken the most significant steps in making sure that this type of programme, our programme, would be a programme that is very much in keeping with what is expected internationally.”
In achieving this goal, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis raised the price threshold for entry into the programme, included added layers of security, incorporated a Board of Governors and moved towards establishing an international security office that will actively monitor the status of persons granted St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship.
Prime Minister Drew said, “We believe that being the leaders in the programme and having made those substantial changes will result in the long run a viable and very stable programme that will benefit St. Kitts and Nevis.”
With these sweeping improvements, Prime Minister Drew said St. Kitts and Nevis’ CBI Programme is now one that is viewed very favourably by its international partners “to the point where we were … trusted enough to have had the Canadians look at us favourably and give us partial visa-free access, and we are working towards having full access.”
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