Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, has said a European Union (EU) hammer is coming down shortly on the region’s Citizenship by Investment program (CBI). He was reacting to a decision by the British government to impose visa restrictions on travelers holding Dominican passports.
In a video interview, Gonsalves said the new visa regime on Dominica, which was imposed due to concerns over the island’s CBI program, was just a matter of time.
And based on what he is saying, there is more bad news on the horizon for CBI programs across the region.
“The European Union Commissioner had a meeting with those same governments (within the OECS),” he said.
“And they told them, look we have come to tell you that this is not a matter of if, not a matter of this thing may happen, this thing is happening. We are going to bring down the hammer and the hammer is coming down shortly.”
Last week, Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, joined other Heads of OECS member states for discussions on the CBI with officials of the European Union in Brussels, Belgium. The outcome of that meeting has not been made public, at least here in Dominica.
Also last week, the British government announced its decision to impose a new visa regime on Dominica passport holders.
In announcing the decision, Home Secretary, Suella Braverman said careful consideration of Dominica’s CBI program showed “clear and evident abuse of the scheme, including the granting of citizenship to individuals known to pose a risk to the UK.”
The British government also said there was poor due diligence around applications, including those of dependents, despite the fact that Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit vowed that Dominica has the most proactive and robust due diligence processes which vet anyone who wants to attain a Dominican passport.
Gonsalves has always been a fierce opponent of the CBI, insisting that it is not sustainable. St Vincent and the Grenadines is among few Caribbean countries which never implemented such a program.
At an address during National Heroes Day last year, Gonsalves said: “You could understand why I could never sell passport and never sell citizenship? I’m not talking politics, I’m talking policy. It’s not sustainable and it depends on what other people do. I saw around the corner, I tell you that is not sustainable. And today on National Heroes
Day, we must reaffirm our commitment to our citizenship and our passport.”
It was a position he reiterated in the recent video interview.
“Look, those who didn’t see it and who wanted to base an economic strategy on that, like the opposition in St Vincent and the Grenadines, they now get their comeuppance,” he said.
“You see how much your judgment brought to bear, when I say this thing is not sustainable, you cannot base your economic development on this, you cannot finance your budget on these kinds of monies…”
He explained that the “highest offer in the land is citizen,” adding that a passport is an “outward sign of the inward grace of citizenship” and according to him, both are not for sale.
Gonsalves added that the volume needed to make money in the CBI program will eventually cause it to run into difficulties.
“And this thing was just a matter of time,” he said, referring to the British visa regime on Dominica.
Meanwhile, the UK is transitioning towards Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), which will certainly include Dominica in the future. The program facilitates people traveling to the UK. The traveler can enter and stay with an
electronic document. All information, including name, passport details, and purpose of travel is filled in on an online form.
All 79 countries that previously had visa-free access to the UK will be transitioned into the ETA starting from November 2023. It is expected that by the end of 2024, all previous visa-free countries will be part of the ETA.
Con:
Gary, read that part where the communicate has indicated the involvement of the EU, UK, and US, and apparently approval of the sale of Dominica passports.
Unless, my brain deceives me, I read where the prospective buyers of Dominica passports must invest in Dominica!
Gary if I am correct, that is how the CBI programs are supposed to work, that’s how it works in Europe, and the United States. So, the hammer that Ralph Gonsalze; Roosevelt friend said was going to come down, has fallen, and during falling, it hit Roosevelt Skerrit in the center of his corrupted head!
Gary, even if Dominica, is an independent country, if the corrupted, leaders, such as Roosevelt has done and is doing something that cause harm to other peoples country: the powerful such as the UK, EU, and the US, will always do as in this case.
They have the power over the the triple doctor, the sir knight, the little rat Roosevelt: who can’t change it as set down by the EU; and your stupid comment is…
Did you know that only 10% of the value of a CBI passport makes it through to the Government of Dominica? So where, you might ask does the rest go? Well it goes to CBI agents. 90% of the CBI money goes to agents and 10% to the Goverment coffers. So the CBI program is 90% not for Domicans on a whole but for the Kleptocrats to funnel through their cronies and into their own personal accounts. You have to ask yourself who this program benefits most: the people of Dominica or the kleprocratic elites who run the offshore agencies and the government.
He is just a big open mouth spreading contracting rumors!
If you look at latest EU decision:
https://presseditorials.com/eu-raises-the-bar-new-directives-set-to-enhance-cbi-programmes/
They are completely NOT against the CBI programs and they understand how vital it is for Caribbean countries.
Saint Kitts is the first one to implement changes and i hope rest will follow shortly!
GO BIG DOMINICA!!!!
Don’t let your past experience to prevail!!
Choose quality!
I hope Skeritt still wants his motherland to prosper in a true heart and understands what shall be done!!!
Beautiful country for beautiful people!
just to be clear . UK ETA will not return visa free to dominica cirizens. ETA is for countries who do not need a visa to UK.
if there is not immediate action EU and other countries will be in same doom as UK visa dceision.
Yes,but Gonsalves has never gone through the disasters Skerrit has gone through.I bet anytime election is called in Dominica,Skerrit will win by a landslide,based on what he did for Dominicans with CBI money.The thousands of people who were given $250,000 $300,000 and $400,000 houses is CBI money.The 2,700 senior citizens who are receiving $300 monthly are being paid with CBI money.The 4,500 employed in the NEP is being paid with CBI money.Yes We Care is CBI paid employees.All those programms,UWP and DFP say they would stop,driving more than 10,000 Dominicans into poverty.Right now the CBI is in the interest of Dominicans,it is not going anywhere.Skerrit has always said the CBI will never last forever,in the meantime we are making maximum of it.
We need to ask the question again. We need to ask it loudly enough, that he is forced to answer.
IF NOT CBI? WHAT THEN??
Because we hardly export, our trade deficit is growing exponentially, airport being built, government workers have to pay. How will Dominica continue to make money? As usual like FOOLS, similarly like what we did with Ross, we put all our eggs in one basket. Will agriculture save us? i doubt it. Tourism? please thats a seasonal thing and even in high tourism season we cannot even full half of our hotel/guesthouse stock, much less for all those resorts coming up. Whats Kempinski’s occupancy rate these days? Anyway. We going down slowly. but surely with these people as our leaders.
Not a big fan of the CBI. It however baffles me why Gonsalves should be doing a victory lap on the pending action against the CBI by the European Union. All the European Union is doing is protecting its interest. Malta which is part of the EU runs CBI program. Spain, Italy, Portugal and some other EU countries operate the Golden passport scheme similar to the CBI. These programs benifit treasuries of these EU countries and boost their economy. The citizens of the EU have free access to these caribbean island( including St. Vincent), so when citizenship is granted by EU under their CBI and Golden passport program these individuals even if they are criminals will have free access to our islands. Yet we stand back and do nothing but like the banana industry we watch the CBI crippled by the EU and the US. The only thing that we do is to blame our local politicians. Gonsalves will continue to serve his master King Charles as he does not have balls to get out under the bed of the monarchy.
I always knew it, it’s not the fault of the local politicians. It’s the fault of the EU. Why don’t you ask your Master Skerrit to slap a visa regime on EU passport. How about that for retaliation. Hahahahaha
Let me quote Roosevelt Skerrit “ what kind of Dominica do you want for your children?…. Is it a free and independent country or a passport selling production factory for a group of European colonizers….” I wonder what the Starboy of stupidity thinks
Well there we have from the mouth of a Skerrit friend and I quote: “those who didn’t see it and who wanted to base an economic strategy on that (CBI program) like the opposition in St Vincent and the Grenadines, they now get their comeuppance,” Gonsalves said. (By the way he forgot to mention the chief offender in DA).
“You see how much your judgment brought to bear, when I say this thing is not sustainable, you cannot base your economic development on this, you cannot finance your budget on these kinds of monies…”
The question all Dominicans should ask now, why did Gonsalves know all this but our clever PM didn’t know it? Why is St. Vincent doing so much better even without a CBI program? They even could build an international airport without a CBI program. Something is seriously wrong in our country!!
Your comment is so nonsensical and only geared towards your political partisan Politics, such tunnel vision. Your opening quote, which you are overwhelmed with, is what I’m talking about. Do you know there are Countries who belong to the EU who have CBI programs, are you saying these Countries and the Leaders fall under the nonsense you are embracing with a sheep like mentality. If these EU Countries can use the CBI to benefit their economies, why shouldn’t Dominica and the other Countries do so. Who told you, St. Vincent is doing much better without a CBI program
https://thevincentian.com/our-debt-burden-p23494-110.htm.
You know, sometimes I wonder if you are a real practicing accountant, St. Vincent built their international airport without a CBI program with their choice of financing. Our PM sought another way of financing our international airport with the CBI program and outlined the benefits to the Country and you have a problem with that, lol, praising St. Vincent.
I have told you on several occasions that I do not engage with political daydreamers who on each and every occasion sing for their super. Suffice to say, all you Skerrit supporter make me sick!!!
Gary, everybody comments in your mind is nonsencical, but what about you stupid comments?
In any event what you say counts as nothing, you and Roosevelt are screwed, support corruption; but here is the EU power over Roosevelt corruption!
”
“The European Union (EU) has laid down a number of stringent rules that must be adopted by countries with Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programs that it says will ensure enhanced safety and security of countries in Europe. Robust due diligence, mandatory interviews, the enhancement of security measures, and increase in investment thresholds are some of the measures CBI countries must develop, the EU has mandated.”
How are you and the corrupted doctor of nothing, perhaps doctor of fart Roosevelt Skerrit going to overcome that.
Prime minister in Dominica, in name only, powerless, by the time he face the international spectrum!
Roosevelt is a dunce sucker, let’s see how he is going to overcome the powers he has to deal with now!
I don’t care how much money the country obtains from this scheme. Selling of our birthright/patrimony does not feel right. It’s a slap in the face of our forebears who made the ultimate sacrifice for our land and freedom. They have to be restless in their graves.
Ninety-nine point nine percent of the recipients mainly from Middle Eastern and dictatorial countries do not have an iota of care about their newly acquired nationality. All they want is visa free travel to mainly European and North American countries. Most cannot even locate our countries or region on a map.
Who suffers because of the many thousands of illicit actors who lounge on the opportunity to get our passports? Of course, we, the indigenous inhabitants.
Why you write such pathetic nonsense, I’m referring to the opening paragraph of your comment, your senseless moral beliefs regarding Citizenship. What you think of Citizenship and what we are taught to believe is not what it is. You write eloquently, but you do not think, you should spend your time more analyzing geopolitics. Look at the world we live in, don’t you see where it is heading to, Don’t you see how sovereignty of Countries are being eroded day by day. Do you really think that most people who obtain citizenship through CBI want is visa free travel to mainly European and North American countries, how naive and ignorant are you with such thinking. I will tell you this, the primary goal of Citizenship is to pay Taxes To Government, not about our forebears who made the ultimate sacrifice for our land and freedom, it’s not everything that’s written eloquently and sounds good is true, so long.
“Why you write such pathetic nonsense, I’m referring to the opening paragraph of your comment, your senseless moral beliefs regarding Citizenship.”(Gary).
Gary, the above may appear to be sorrowful, and nonsensical to you; that is because your feeble, and shallow mind is programmed to believe that the economy of the country should be based on the sale of passports.
lbo is practically correct all the time; you are the sorrowful soul who are brainwashed by the unlearned Roosevelt Skerrit, who has absolutely no other alternative than to sell as lbo quoted: ” Selling of our birthright/patrimony does not feel right. It’s a slap in the face of our forebears who made the ultimate sacrifice for our land and freedom. They have to be restless in their graves.”
You will never come close to understanding such a powerful, and meaningful concern.
All you can appreciate is Roosevelt corruption; well the EU has actually all but halt Roosevelt source of revenue.
Argue that with the EU US UK
Yes! The country is veing sold to the highest bidder with rights and needs of the native Dominicans being trampled upon during the lust for the money that the CBI program brings in. My wife applied to the DHC in London for a replacement passport in March this year and four months later she still has to receive one. Her mother is elderly and she wants to see her whilst she still can. We were told that they were understaffed and they were overwhelmed by the number of applications they had to process. We were puzzled as to why it would take so long to get a passport when the UK Dominicans are not that numerous and a passport is only required every ten years. And then finally the penny dropped: THE REASON THEY ARE TAKING SO LONG IS THE CBI PASSPORT APPLICATIONS. These pay over 1000X than that of a Dominican National and so we don’t matter as much! Eventually Dominican nationals will be second or third place to the Chinese and Arabs that will own the country and pay no tax: NEW SLAVERY
Follow up to previous post: We have been informed that it could take up to a further 12 weeks to get a passport according to the acting high commissioner! So native Dominicans must wait for a passport while the CBI applicants probably get theirs in days. With the amount of money coming in you would think that they would have seperate staff to look after the native passport applications and another for the CBI passport applications but instead the CBI applications are given priority whilst the native Dominicans can go suck salt at the back of the queue. WTF?????
It appears that the CM was told last week in Brussels that visa free travel to the EU will end. But he doesn’t see fit to brief the nation on that, instead he chooses to downplay the negative effect on our passport the UK decision will have. This man is not fit to continue to be our leader. He has overstepped the mark considerably. By the way, what’s happening to electoral reform and when are we going to see independently audited CBI account?
The illustrious PM of Dominica his royal highness Skerrit has no idea who he sold passports to. Terrorists may be holding Dominican passports.
Exactly right! Two Iranian terrorists were deported from the UK only to return under Dominican CBI passports. So every terrorist who cannot enter legally could opt for a Dominica CBI passport to circumvent the visa restrictions unless restrictions were brought into place.
One point I need to emphasize here is that: in the late 1950’s when the very Melville Airport was built, the engineers who built it comprised of all Dominicans; one of the engineers came out of Wesley, his name is Armour, from that part of our village called Eden Road and employed by the former colonial PWD.
There has been one crash at the end of the Runway, and that was not because of any defect, or flaws in construction of the Runway; and the one which crashed in the mountain was not due to construction.
If over sixty years or so ago we had native sons with architectural and Building Engineering knowledge to take on such ventures; what about in the era of 2023?
Roosevelt Skerrit is wiping his feet on Dominicans, and they are taking it lying down; not that furnace is burning, some are starved; they grumble, but by the time election comes around and they are handed a red cap, they forget Roosevelt corruption and vote him back, rather than kicking him out!
Smart man.
Lets see them try to finish that billion dollar airport.
They can ask Papa China for the money. But then they would want a say in running the airport. And I don’t think the Americans would want that.
Airport site soon to be a wasteland.
@SilentMajority
It’s not America’s dam business where China runs airport. America cannot interfere in China’s business as you think. Go learn something before blurting foolishness. Go study how corrupt the Biden administration is. It’s more corrupt than Dominica Labour Party administration.
Who the Hell is that ahole Silent Majority, have you been drinking ugly Lenny, bad rum under a coconut tree? Or is it possible you been listening to ugly Lenny, many crazy crap on Q95 radio that old man Lenny, said today last sham election 69% of voters didn’t take part, and all the rubbish he been dishing out about Pm Skerrit, as if he’s a nice little innocent boy free from guilt or sin. SilentMajority, you out to get yourself a head specialist.
Right from the beginning I told all you that the international airport was nothing but a land-grab. Skerrit knew already 15 years ago that Dominica could never afford this new airport, with or without CBI. Having said that, it might have been just about possible if not half of the proceed of the CBI had not been ‘lost in action’ and remain unaccounted for until today. As far as the leftover of the CBI is concerned, a new airport doesn’t win election but presents do. Some of these presents are as big as apartments. The problem is, these presents cost money, money that’s ultimately not available for a new airport or other vitally important investments. The truth is that Dimples enriched himself and squandered the rest on elections and votes and other vanity projects.
It could be also only a matter of time before Dominica implode!
Right at this moment I am viewing a situation taking place in Marigot, where people are protesting, and blocking the Road, to prevent some people from Barbados from entering a certain area where they claim that they are going to extend the Melville Hall Airport.
The protesters are complaining that there are people in Dominica with better; more modern heavy equipment than what the Bajans brought to Dominica ready to work; nevertheless, they are ignored while both Bajans, and Chines, are working, in our country while Dominicans starve!
Our people seems to exists in the poorest nation on earth; yet Skerrit claims he has the money to build a new International Airport, while extending the existing municipal airport at the same time.
Something is wrong!
It will take more than a thousand rocket scientists to figure out what is taking in Dominica. The extension indicates “INT. Airport;” the other thing is Chines Base!
The person that was protesting is a greedy self centered man. A Skerrit doormat who thinks that he can do whatever it takes to keep Skerrit in power, once HE ALONE gets work. Good for him. He deserves nothing….He seem to be so greedy if he alone can eat, he will say to hell with every other person.
Vonn is his name. You all seem to be related.
Let greedy Vonn face the music. He should have been arrested yesterday.
Good for him!!
So, according to you the video recording that I have with quite a number of people demonstrating, and talking to some whom might be some news reporter, in you narrow disgusting dirty lying mind boils down to Vaungh Dods(Dodds) only?
What about the man who claims to be the constituency representative and others in the video; with mini-vans blocking the road?
The more Roosevelt kick people like you, it is the more you defend him. Roosevelt and his family live like Royalties, while you scum of the earth grovel from day to day to eat; Roosevelt invites foreigners into the country to take bread out of your salivating mouth because you are hungry.
And all you can do is lie about an event which is documented on video, all over social media!
Why don’t you shut up?
So why you did not tell your friend this very pertinent information.. We are not like SVG, if not Passport then what?
Skerritt must now look for alternative and sustainable income drivers like Agriculture, tourism, industry and manufacturing.
Honestly, I believe we need a new PM, a new Party and a new Dominica. Skerritt is a liar:
1. He said we have the most proactive due diligence program- UK said this is not true;
2. He said there permanent damage- Comrade Gonsalves said otherwise;
3. He said Dominica was careful not to allow crooks and criminals to have our Passports-UK said many have obtained our passports.
Conclusion, Skerritt is a liar
Well spoken! Skerrit is selling passports to just about anyone who is willing to pay for one. Skerrit sold passports to criminals on the run from their home countries where they had embezzled money and sold them diplomatic passports so they could attempt to evade justice. Recently two individuals were deported from the UK for terrorism offences and they managed to sneak back into the UK with the CBI passports that Dominica had sold them. As a result the UK will require Dominicans to obtain a visa before entering the UK. This irresponsible provision of passports has now changed the opportunities for the ordinary Dominicans who were nothing to do with this fiasco. But this is not the end. Of the matter as The EU will inevitably follow suit. And I think that the US and Canada will also follow suit. When that happens the value of the Dominican passport will quickly diminish and the Dominica CBI program will collapse. And not before time. Where will money for the airport come from then?
So while St. Vincent convinced our PM that we didn’t need an international airport, and later that we didn’t need Ross University, now he’s gloating over the fact that other islands could potentially lose a source of income, because his opposition were in support of such a program. But of course this has nothing to do with politics.
The countries seeking to impose these restrictions on caribbean countries have much more to worry about with their illegal migration problem with the thousands of immigrants from Africa that are flooding into their country.
The UK is spending millions housing migrants who contribute next to nothing to the country and whom pose a real risk in the form of increased crime and potential terrorist activity but they worried about a CBI program from a tiny caribbean country.
@hmm, good observation. Also the people getting citizenship from Dominica, Antigua et al are wealthy people they will not be sneaking in on a boat to avoid UK/EU immigration, they will present themselves to the immigration with their documents and they can be denied entry.
Any bli d man could predict the demise of that program. Of course Skeriit and his hangers-on could not care less. They were becoming Rick while the rest of the real Dominican population will pay the price of his misdeeds.
Now that the end is nigh, where is the money going to come from to finance the economy?
Since 2017 Caricom countryens have had the opportunity to travle to Europe without visas. I Saw it being removed with the situation with England now. The Queen.
Stop the CBI scheme
Comrade Ralph is not a favourite politician of mine by any stretch of the imagination. But he was perfectly right on not being lured into the CBI scheme. He rightly envisioned that this would not only be problematic but unsustainable. Now he has the right to pontificate “I told you so.”
We should always use our god given gifts and talents, our initiatives, acumen and general brain power to eek our a reasonably high standard of living for ourselves.
These governments want shortcuts to success. Just like they want to become millionaires over night. Little do they know that every shortcut has a price usually greater than the reward.
Not only that Ibo, Gonsalves without a CBI scheme has built a better and more sustainable economy than smart boy Skerrit in Dominica.