No Residency Requirement on Caribbean Citizenship Programmes for the Next Six Months

The introduction of mandatory residency requirements across Caribbean citizenship-by-investment (CBI) programmes is expected to be delayed by at least six months, following the announcement of Saint Lucia’s general election scheduled for December 1, 2025. The CBI nations of Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, and Saint Lucia had previously signalled their intention to introduce minimum residency periods, an obligation that has never been part of their programmes.

The five CBI jurisdictions had committed to implementing these residency requirements simultaneously, taking identical legislation to their respective parliaments. However, Saint Lucia’s election has resulted in the dissolution of its government, delaying the tabling and passage of the required resolution in its national parliament.

As all five countries agreed to introduce residency provisions at the same time, Saint Lucia’s inability to proceed has effectively paused progress across the group. As a result, implementation is now expected to be pushed back by at least six months.

The residency requirement forms part of a wider regional reform package adopted in late September 2025, when the Eastern Caribbean states signed an agreement establishing the Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority (ECCIRA), the region’s first unified CBI regulatory body.

ECCIRA’s mandate is to oversee the operations of the region’s CBI programmes and safeguard their integrity in the global investment-migration sector. The 92-article agreement also obliges member states to introduce biometric data collection during mandatory interviews, as well as minimum residency requirements, to strengthen programme credibility.

Under the proposed residency rule, approved applicants must spend an aggregate of at least 30 days physically present within the territory of the participating state.

The CBI countries adopted these reforms after the mutual discussions and dialogues with the international authorities. Over the past two years, the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union have intensified calls for greater transparency, harmonised due-diligence standards, and stronger safeguards against potential abuse of CBI programmes.

In early 2025, US officials also asked the CBI countries to work for their programmes as failing to meet security benchmarks could cause visa restrictions. This spurred governments to fast-track reforms, culminating in the creation of ECCIRA.

These measures follow extensive consultations between Caribbean governments and international partners, including US–Caribbean roundtables in 2023 and 2024, European Commission discussions, and stakeholder meetings with industry experts and civil society held between March and August 2025.

All reforms are aligned with the Six CBI Principles agreed during these engagements, covering biometric screening, enhanced data sharing, regular audits, and stronger oversight mechanisms.

For now, however, the implementation of residency requirements remains on hold, and will not be enforced for at least another six months due to the electoral developments in Saint Lucia.