CBI Small Island Countries Program Becomes Popular Among People Seeking Investment Opportunities : CS Global Partners

Caribbean: Small island countries are rapidly emerging in the field of citizenship in exchange for economic investments. People who are looking for a platform to diversify their wealth are gradually considering these programs because they offer benefits that most investors are looking for and cannot find in some parts of the world.

Various regions of the Caribbean, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia offer Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programs with attractive and profitable investment opportunities.

Citizenship of Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia has many advantages for investors. Benefits such as great opportunities to plan and distribute one’s wealth, reduced citizenship application times, ability to add additional dependents in one application, many investment opportunities, high standard of living and enjoy the general benefits that come with living in modern, diverse countries.

In addition, the investment threshold is not as high as those of other countries. Individuals invest less to access the same benefits offered by relatively large countries.

Shorter citizenship application deadline:

When seeking a second citizenship, the timeline for citizenship or how long it takes to go from investor to citizen makes a huge difference. According to the 2021 CBI Index, the processing speed of citizenship applications in small island countries is fast compared to other countries offering the same program. According to the same report, expedited CBI processing options are available for an additional fee.

This is especially important for time-poor investors looking for efficient and reliable options with little or no residency.

It should be noted that expedited options do not reduce the amount of due diligence performed on individuals. The same multi-layered approach conducted by various external and local companies as well as international law enforcement authorities applies to these programs.

Obtaining nationality within the family:

The rise of increasingly complex family relationships is driving investors to seek CBI programs that allow for a more diverse range of family members to be included in one primary application. Although the majority of CBI programs provide for the inclusion of spouses and minor children, only a few countries do so for adult children and extended family.

Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia were ranked highest in this regard according to the 2021 CBI Index. These countries have multi-family membership categories that can be considered with a single main application. The degree of flexibility in these categories means points are awarded for adult children, parents, grandparents and even siblings. Investors seeking second citizenship in these Caribbean countries need not worry about the breakdown of family ties that accompanies relocation and immigration.

Wide range of investment programs:

Each investment option is valued based on its rate of return. When considering a CBI option, the types of investments are carefully considered as they form the basis of the income that investors will receive for the foreseeable future. The broader the investment programs, the better the diversification of an investor’s portfolio.

Individuals applying for the Dominica CBI can make contributions to the Economic Diversification Fund and Real Estate. The former supports private and public projects in the country while the latter involves investments in approved real estate projects.

St. Kitts and Nevis offers a wide range of CBI options such as the Sustainable Growth Fund. This option follows the Dominica CBI orientation which is public and private real estate development.

Major investments in Saint Lucia include the National Economic Fund Investment and real estate, among others. This diversification of investment options is beneficial as it allows investors to select suitable investments that match their risk appetite.

High standard of living:

The United Nations Human Development Index (HDI), which encompasses factors such as life expectancy, education, access to health care, security and income is used to determine a country’s standard of living. Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia have an HDI of 0.742, 0.779 and 0.759 respectively. These country indices are higher than the countries from which most investors come and they indicate fairly high standards of living.

Apart from economic factors, small island countries rank high in terms of freedom of speech, civil liberties and political rights, all of which contribute to a high standard of living. Investments in these countries also tend to offer considerably stable returns due to the reduced political risk associated with upheaval or conflict.

Low minimum investment:

According to the 2021 CBI report, small island countries offer relatively lower capital expenditure for their CBI programs. The minimum capital expenditure is an important metric because it is one of the most practical and important considerations for all investors. Overall, small island countries had the lowest minimum investment requirements, with some as low as USD 100,000 in Dominica. Low investment expenses mean that investors can access the similar benefits that come with being a citizen of a country, without paying a fortune.