Saint Lucia started accepting applications for citizenship by investment from January 1, 2016.
This follows an announcement made by Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony during his opening address to the Global Citizens Forum in Monaco last October.
Dr Anthony described himself as a jealous guardian of Saint Lucian citizenship, but noted the time had come to think beyond traditional approaches in order to deal with the challenges that small states face. Citizenship through investment, he said, has become a viable alternative.
The Prime Minister informed the gathering of citizenship lawyers, wealth managers, marketing agents, investors and VIPs that Saint Lucia, by accepting new citizens, would not just be offering citizenship but would be offering an identity, a people, and Saint Lucia’s place in the world.
He stressed that new citizens must enhance Saint Lucia’s global standing and ensure that the country’s proud heritage endures.
The Prime Minister also outlined the principles and characteristics of the programme to be implemented. He noted the legislation establishing the programme was supported without political rancor, with the blessing of both the ruling government and opposition parties.
With a shady Saudi billionaire as St. Lucia’s diplomat and the UK questioning his bona fides the move to economic citizenship by St. Lucia is consistent. Here’s hoping they don’t get a Allan Stanford type setting up because that’s when the sh*te hits the fan. Economic citizenship programs are fraught with dangers for host islands.
It is nice to see that both political parties is in favour of the program where as in Dominica there is always a tuck of war between government and opposition. The opposition will always find reasons to reject it even though it is of paramount importance to the development of our country. They cannot see the wood for the trees because the hatred for the PM is greater than anything else
You must be living in a twilight zone, Dominicas pasport Money dont reach our treasery, so how can it be good for Dominica????
smh Dominica has already been sold.
The level of criminality is much too high in st .lucia to encourage people to take the st lucia citizenship..st lucia needs money but foreigners lives are more important…sort out the high crime level first then think of money after..
You do not have to live in St. Lucia to acquire that country’s citizenship. That is not a requirement.
I hope that they use the earned money for the betterment of St. Lucians and not for unaccounted personal enrichment
unlike Dominica right. need I say more.
What a way to kick off a politician in power piggy bank scam game. Can the people of St Lucia trust politicians with this passport selling scheme when there is a big scandal regarding the issuing of a ST Lucia Diplomatic Passport to a Suadi billionaire who is allegedly trying to avoid paying divorce settlement. In fact the St Lucia government is forced to rescind the guys diplomatic immunity by January 8 in order for the British court to proceed with the court matter.
St Lucians the program seem well intended but it is a launch pad for corruption. There are people in Dominica who gave become overnight millionaires selling passports; there are those who set up 9 shell companies to launder passport monies all from her house; then we have secretaries in lawyer office with millions in offshore businesses.
Lucians “pwen pwekusion ce politiciene celestial volere “
Sure, the St. Lucia scheme starts with that handicap hanging over the government’s head.
Not very good publicity but ti does mean extra competition for Dominica and from what I can tell it is better designed, thought out and apparently more transparent than our own.
Everyone says that theirs is transparent wiii. We boast that we have to most romantic us due deligence system wii. I would like to share your optimism but I cant.