Basseterre: St Kitts and Nevis, the smallest country in the Western Hemisphere, is not letting its tiny size limit its ability to do due diligence on citizenship by investment applications.

All applicants seeking alternate citizenship from the country are subjected to the most thorough, multi-layered background checks through its CBI Programme.

The citizenship by investment programme of St Kitts and Nevis is considered as the “Platinum Standard” for the global CBI business due to its multi-layered due diligence requirements. Furthermore, St Kitts and Nevis was the first government to create a “economic citizenship programme” in 1984, making it the industry’s pioneer.

St Kitts and Nevis has the longest-running, safest, most secure, and transparent CBI Programme.

The background checks are carried out by the government and third-party agencies to examine the applicants. The multi-layered approach ensures that the citizenship is granted only to the reputed as well as honest individuals who possess no criminal or financial fraud backgrounds. Strict screening procedures are conducted to ensure and cross-verify each and every aspect declared in the application by the applicant. Not only that, but the background checks also verify the source of income of the investor seeking alternative citizenship. Following this, individuals’ details such as their residency, their source of funds and occupation are checked.

The due-diligence procedure is carried out by verifying some basic documents or materials, which are:

• Identifying documents (birth certificate, passport, or any other verification certificate)
• Financial materials (including bank account numbers, information about your income and other sources of wealth, employment history, etc.)
• Personal references
• Criminal history

After the third-party verification, due-diligence firms re-send the report back to CBI units, which then again cross-verifies the facts, and the final approval or rejection depends on the unit.

The citizenship by investment programme of St Kitts and Nevis is helping the nation to run socio-economic activities. Many sectors are directly or indirectly benefitted from the programme.

The most widely used investment option under the citizenship by investment programme is the Sustainable Growth Fund (SGF), which is also called the “Fund Option”.

The citizenship by investment programme revenues provides economic assistance towards the social programmes; it also helps in providing income support to the residents and many more.

The Fund Option allows making a contribution towards the economy and social prosperity of St Kitts and Nevis.

The Sustainable Growth Fund was established in 2018, and since then, it has been assisting the country in one way or another. Some of the benefits of SGF to residents include the following:

• Enhancing the quality of education
• Ensure the health and well-being of a growing population
• Promote St Kitts and Nevis’ thriving tourism industry
• Publicize the different cultural savour of the people

An investor can contribute a minimum of USD 150,000 to apply for citizenship by investment programme under the Sustainable Growth Fund option.

The alternative citizenship of St Kitts and Nevis may be attained by an individual whose age is more than 18 years. An applicant can also add additional dependents such as spouse and children.

The Citizenship by Investment Programme of the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis ranked highest in the CBI Index for being the fastest, safest and most secure. The CBI Index is annually published by the Financial Times’ Professional Wealth Management magazine.

The CBI Index rankings are based on the points earned in nine different pillars, whereas in the pillar of due diligence, St Kitts and Nevis topped the charts.

St Kitts and Nevis is a small twin-island Federation with a population of around 53,192. The country is loved by the tourists because of its stunning white-sand beaches, sheer blue water and mesmerizing beauty sights; due to these natural gems, it is dubbed the “Paradise of the Caribbean”.

The maximum of the tourists visits the twin-island Federation through cruise ships, and now it is considered one of the most desired locations for cruise ship travellers.