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Three Eastern Caribbean Countries Woo Indians With Cash-for-citizenship Offers

NEW DELHI, India CMC – Cricket may soon not be the only connection Indians have with the Caribbean, according to reports here.

The Times of India in a report on Sunday said St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, and Antigua and Barbuda have “rolled out attractive cash-for-citizenship programs to woo Indian immigrants.”

It said that Antigua and Barbuda is the latest to launch a citizenship-by-investment (CIP) program, opening up its borders to Indian immigrants in a month. The paper said that Antigua and Barbuda is giving full citizenship to Indian nationals for an investment of at least US$400,000 in an approved real estate project.

It said in order to become a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis an investment of US$400,000 is also required while Dominica is even cheaper at US$100,000.

The Times of India said both countries have set their sights on wealthy Chinese, as well as Indian immigrants.

“Since the program was announced in March, we have had a number of inquiries from Indian citizens,” the paper quoted Jason Taylor, chief executive officer of Janik Partners, an Antigua-based company that specializes in CIP. “Most of them view it as a lifestyle investment.”

The report stated that an Antigua passport can get one visa-free travel to 126 countries, including Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Europe. St. Kitts and Nevis, on the other hand, gets one to over 100 countries, while and Indian passport only gets one to 55 countries, the paper said.

“Most Asian clients are keen on providing a western education for their children, and this is one of their primary reasons for seeking a citizenship,” said Eric Major, chief executive officer of Henley & Partners, considered the global leader in international residence and citizenship planning. “Another reason is mobility, thanks to visa-free travel.”

The Times of India said Henley and Partners recently advised the Antiguan government on the design, implementation and administration of its CIP, and also reformed the CIP of St. Kitts and Nevis.

“We get about a 1,000 such applications each year in total, and the overall numbers are growing,” he said, stating that NRIs (Non Resident Indians) account for much of the demand “because of the Dubai situation.

“Even though many Indians work there, most don’t have the privileges of residency,” he added. “Those who have done well there but don’t have status often want a better standing, passport ranking wise. This is the new breed of people we call global citizens, and we are helping them become that.”

The Times of Indian said the fact that the Caribbean nations are “serious about Indian immigrants became clear when Denzil Douglas, PM of St. Kitts, who was in India in April, asked Indians to look at its citizenship program and invest in it.”

The paper said St. Kitts and Nevis has “the world’s oldest CIP” that was launched in 1984.

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