Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has revealed that Cabinet will approve regulations for a new ‘variant’ of the island’s Economic Citizenship Program within the next two weeks.
The new variant will target investors who prefer “fixed investments, such as real estate and /or a local address.”
Speaking on Kairi FM’s Next Level program on the weekend, the prime minister said “the regulations have been prepared, they have been revised by the attorney general, we have sent them to some of the stakeholders in the business for their own feedback and cabinet should approve these regulations in maybe a week or two.”
Skerrit also added that the new structure will be separated from the Financial Services Unit (FSU).
“It is a stand alone unit so that we could give more focus and attention to administrative issues and concerns in respect to the Economic Citizenship Program,” he noted.
The prime minister said that there are many companies willing to do business in Dominica. “There is a company coming in on Monday to speak with us with the possibility of doing a hotel … it is a well respected company and we will engage them in preliminary discussions,” he said.
He indicated further that there is another company which is interested in undertaking a water bottling plant on the island.
“That’s what we need. We are pushing this heavily,” he noted.
The new variant of the Economic Citizenship Program was introduced by the prime minister earlier this year during the National Budget.
He had pointed out that this was partly in response to a recommendation of the revised Tourism Master Plan for reviewing the legislative framework to attract new investment in the sector.
From a European standpoint these economic citizenship programs being offered by Caribbean Nations are quite fascinating. There is a lot of information on the Dominican program here: http://caribbeancitizenship.com/dominica-citizenship-program
It will be interesting to see how it plays out in the coming years.
Yes I! Here we go again. One day you will reach the end of that rope.
Important questions!!!
1. Should these proposed changes be approved by cabinet and come into effect without parliamentary discussion and scrutiny? These matters are related to our sovereignty and our passports and land ownership and so should be discussed openly before the people in a public forum before decisions are made.
2. Why is the FSU being removed from the equation in this newly proposed sector of the Economic Citizen Program? Is it not a vital part of the due diligence process which is meant to ensure that our program is not abused by unscrupulous persons or companies who may have motives contrary to the interest of our island nation and its economic, social, political and international security goals?
3. Why is it that so little information is given on these companies which supposedly are in discussion with the government with a view to investing? It appears that these company names and the details of the discussions are being kept secret until agreement is reached and paperwork is signed. If this is in fact so, why is this the case?
4. Why is it that the PM is saying that negotiations with a FOREIGN company is being ‘PUSHED HEAVILY’ when this company, according to this report, is seeking to engage in establishing a water bottling plant which would directly compete with the Nature Island Water Company, from my understanding, a locally owned entity? Would it not be more productive a move to solidify the position of this locally owned company by assisting in and facilitating promotion and sale of its products on the foreign market?
5. Since we are a country which has very little land resourced for local agricultural and/or residential usage, why is our government using access to land ownership as a promotional tool for the continued sale of our citizenship and passports? Will this not result, not only in the continued loss of limited land resources to foreign hands but also in the increase of the cost of land, making it even more difficult for local to be able to compete for land on the local market? WHERE IS THE PROTECTION FOR US LOCAL????
Wake up people! We need to ask the questions and to demand answers!!!
The characters that seek our citizenship – http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/532604/silk_road_defendant_deemed_flight_risk_denied_bail/
no matter what skerro do! is problems for the minority
what lennox say, nothing yet, boycott? oh veto!
Economic Citizenship? or some Citizens getting their sheep economically fat.
As I have said before, the PM seems to be very vague whenever he mentions this new variant. I am troubled that we may be rushing to pass new regulations without thoroughly thinking it through. I am even more troubled that someone may have come up with this bright idea as a get rich quick scheme for “the boys”. I am waiting anxiously for the full details.
Skerrit again on Dominicans backs with these slippery arrangements.
1. what is the new regulated variants although we know who they are targeting.
2. Why would you remove the FSU when they are trained to do the credibility and credential checks for the Economic Citizen program.
3. Who will now be response for FSU role in this new regulatory variant under Economic Citizen program and are they trained.
The amount of the passports sold thus far under your administration the FSU seems to be quite efficient in executing its duties.
the new variant will target investors who prefer “fixed investment,such as real estate and /or local address,in short the purchaseing of lands owning property and so though,this sounds dandy and so on,so i am guessing that the new variant has some types of restriction,like certain sectors have been already allocated for that reason,i am not against foreign investments,but i am hoping that the honorable primeminister is bearing in mind,the great number of dominicans who reside abroad,that may one day return home,and may have accomplished enough,and may want to do an investment,and may not find the right locations for the types of business’s that they would like to undergo,i mean dominica needs everthing right now,that is understandable,all i am saying is,certain conditions should be arranged,i am just looking at the BVI’s model,outsiders dont own the lands,at least that’s what i was made to understand,i might be wrong,so all i am saying,do things with caution,primeminister and cabinet.
Another hotel???? who going to full it up nuh? With no international airport it is sooo darn hard to come to Dominica. One has to really want to come to Dominica to go through that mess.
I agree. Too many hotels and not enough people to fill them…
To little to late. Does Skeritt really believe by changing the regulation, all the commess that was involved with the Citizenship Passport Programme will just go away just like that. Skeritt can change the regulations as much as he wants, as soon as he looses the next General Elections their will be an investigation as regards the sales of the Passports.
PM make sure the people of Dominica have a say and get the opportunity to invest too. Do not sell Dominica to foreign investors (totally) because in the long run we will encounter problems like many of the other caribbean islands who have gone down this road. Be sure there is a balance and keep Dominica for the Dominicans. Remember who put you where you are today – the people id DOMINICA.
You are always talking about diaspora. When diaspora come back to Dominica they are faced with Squatters law (a new law enacted by the Government changing and shortening the time that a landowner can be away from the land) In one way or the other it seems that the new change in economic passports is another way of taking dominicans land. As it is there is already very little land available for domicans. Since the dissolution of the Aliens Landholding Act, plus the new Squatters rights Act. Now with this new slant in the Economic Citizenship passport there will be not more land for Dominica. Yet Dominicans abroad are always being urged to come back home. A new plea has been put out for Medical doctors to come back home. It seems that the government only think of dominicans is when they are in dire need of doctors. Stop using the word “diaspora”. This word is for Isrealites and Israelies. Have you noticed that dominicans don’t want to come back to dominica anymore. There are many reasons why dominicans don’t want to come back to DA.One of the reasons is mosquitoes at Elmshall. Nothing is being done to eradicate the mosquitoes in this housing area, although a minister of government lives there. I remember the time when there was a very active and effective mosquito eradication and control program. They did a good job in the Portsmouth area. How come they cannot do the same thing in Elmshall and Canefield including River Estate?
A “New ‘variant’ of the economic citizenship programme?
Sounds like we are talking about about a new strain of virus, one that has infected the economic and financial fabric of the country.
Even before this new variant or strain is discussed, it would be appropriate to give a full accounting of the passport selling programme (that’s what it is in reality) over the past decade: How many passports were sold by whom and the net proceeds that flowed into the the nations’s coffers. This should also include the more lucrative diplomatic passports.
Absent the above, we should remain wary of any new scheme that is repackaged for marketing purposes, but the intent remains the same: To promote a shady operation with the primary purpose of reaping obscene profits for the promoters without any accountability to the general public.
when will this secretive plans and deals end. The man does wat he wants when he finish he tells people. He alone not even His cabinet knows. Boy I forget is fourchette alone in this damn cabinet
Our leaders not easy to say that out loud an outside company interested in a water bottling plant for our water in our country,water is our gold.There must be an error in this report.
The rate we are going in Dominica there will be no future for our grandchildren. This is a nation without a vision and it will soon perish. Another race will economically colonize this country and our black people are so silly they cannot see what is slowly happening to them.
It would seem as though this is the road we are on. But don’t give up. We will vote this self server out of office next election. No invaders/foreigners will take our Country from us.
So true! Case in point – look at St. John
more passport fort for sale
DID JASON BOURNE HAD A DOMINICA PASSPORT IN ONE OF THOSE MOVIES – BOURNE LAGACY, BOURNE IDENTITY or BOURNE SUPREMACY?
Skerro enjoy your kickbacks boy..
Wait…..why is it a new kind of citizenship………there are persons on the island who have obtained economic citizenship who have business enterprise…..don’t any one who obtain citizenship have the permission to invest if they want too??….y is this different……will the cost to obtain citizenship be reduced in this case???……..
Did he say it is a stand-alone programme? What does that tell you? No Treasury involvement? No accountability for moneys received? What else will be “none of our damn business”?
See St. Kitts has the same programme. But, they issued a diplomatic passport to an Iranian, who found himself in Canada… Now Canada is mad as hell.
Elections are near my people.
i was just about to say de same ting. he better be careful who he give our passport. d/ca already behind alot of countries pls dont spoil its good name like how st.kitts and nevis is now tarnished becuz of a slush fund
Sell Dominica skerro Sell Dominica and get rich on there backs.
The “stake holders” huh. Who are the stake holders? Is it the people of Dominica or those merchants of doom. As far as I am concerned the people of Dominica should be the only stakeholders not private selfish and greedy piggish lawyers and cabalists
3 containers of flat screen TV and 1 container of tablets coming for elections.
Just wait and see.
Real estate???……hotels???…hat investmeny will be sucsessful in Dominica….I racking my brains cause I know alot of Dominicans who are business minded……….are these investments gonna be targeting the lical community as a market ????…or iis it on a larger scale???……they gonna build a couple of malls …..develop a shopping areas in new locations??….I am waiting to see…..I am not against foreign investment but I would like to see local iwned businesses thriving too
This article reflects the PM ‘s spirit ! it gives us no information about this variant!And I like how it will be separated from the FSU
“Water bottling plant” what happen to Kubuli factory and Josephine Gabriel – do we have the market for another supplier……?
The OECS and CARICOM is our market… just so you know… SMDH
we should the investment monies to industry and, in special cases, to eco-tourism-based projects
are we going to lose our best lands to foreigners as is happening in St Kitts? We ought to be careful with this ”new variant” of the ECP
Thats Monies for the upcoming elections yes I….
DNO could you get the actual verbiage of the variant or produce a link where the PDF copy could be reviewed???
Hmmmmmmm, so why is this going to be separated from the FSU?? What does that mean?? Does this mean that the financial dealings of these applicants will be ignored or given less priority than that of their ‘investment’? In other words, does this mean that persons will not be investigated by the FSU so as to establish a reputable record as it relates to financial matters dependant on the amount of money which they are willing to invest in Dominica? This sounds like a decision which removes the checks and balances from the equation, checks and balances which Dominica needs in order to ensure that unscrupulous persons are not able to take advantage of our system and our passports/citizenship. What is the reason for this development?
MORE INVESTMENT, MORE EMPLOYMENT. Mr. PM I hope this NEW VENTURE means EMPLOYING OUR OWN.
this does not say what the variant is….
all it says is, who has it and who is targets…
can more details be provided please???
So y cant we invest in our own water bottling plant. Its like everything we have to make money for our selves we just giving it away only to get so little in return.
I Told You talk to athie he still holds a license to bottle water…. Or you can yourself get into it there is no barriers….. SMDH
Athie does not hold a license to bottle water. Get your facts correct before making an uninformed comment.