Caribbean CBI Countries Propose New Residency Rules

A proposal of a 30-day residency requirement, mandatory integration programs and “genuine link” to countries have been put forth by Caribbean CBI countries amid the concerns about the international scrutiny. With its proposal, the countries will also provide an annual cap on applications, as per the draft agreement shared between them.

With the implementation of the proposal, the applicants for the Caribbean CBI Programmes are required to reside there for at least in these countries for 30 days. During the period, they will undergo integration programs and show they have “genuine links” in order to qualify for receiving citizenship.

The new requirements are considered a massive change from the original method of offering citizenship without the requirement of staying in the particular country. The draft agreement has also proposed the creation of a regulatory body to oversee CBI programmes in the five Caribbean countries.

As per the agreement, “The Unit or other Competent Authority of a Participating State shall ensure that an Applicant to whom citizenship is to be granted shall be required to commit to establishing a genuine and effective link to the Participating State through the fulfillment of residency and integration obligations.”

The agreement further added that the applicants must be “physically present within the territory of the Participating State for an aggregate of at least thirty days during or up to any of the first five calendar years after the date of the grant of the certificate of citizenship or naturalization”

As per the draft, physical presence of passport applicants is not enough but they must engage in “mandatory integration programs which may include

(i) civic education, including knowledge of the laws, history and constitutional principles of the Participating State;

(ii) cultural orientation or community service engagement; and

(iii) an in-person or virtual interview conducted by a Competent Authority of the Participating State.

On the annual cap applicants, the agreement noted that the Board shall recommend to the Council a maximum number of applicants who may be granted citizenship by investment in each Participating State in a financial year, based on an annual assessment of global demand, economic impact, national absorptive capacity and reputational risk. 

The draft of the agreement also showcased that each of the participating countries will report every month to the new regulatory body which will “determine and approve the maximum number of applicants to be granted citizenship in each participating State in a financial year.