LONDON, May 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Last week, the CEO of St Kitts and Nevis' Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme, Les Khan, spoke about what makes the nation's programme the 'Platinum Standard' of the industry. While presenting to investors in China, Khan welcomed Chinese investors to apply and illustrated the programme's success due to its longevity, due diligence, and commitment to surpass investor needs.
The St Kitts and Nevis CBI Programme is the longest-running in the world. It started in 1984 and was the first to offer such a programme to candidates worldwide. Since 1984, the programme has evolved to exceed industry standards and stand as an economic diversification solution for the Federation's development. Countries around the world strive to follow its example, Khan noted.
"Our Platinum brand is based on a number of factors. One of the most important factors is the due diligence that we do on our clients," he said. The applicant vetting process is multi-layered and consists of checks done by agents, local service providers, the CBI Unit, and several international due diligence providers. "This is all the rigour that we put around the due diligence and the actual application process to ensure that we maintain the Platinum brand, and we only ensure that individuals of high integrity coming to our Programme."
The Unit has also implemented several modifications to meet investors priorities. Through its fast-track process in the Sustainable Growth Fund (SGF) option, applicants can gain approval within 60 days. Investors can also add various dependants like parents, grandparents, children and siblings to their application to ensure their family stays united and can live, work and study in their new home if they choose.
Citizens of St Kitts and Nevis can also travel to 157 destinations for work or leisure visa-free or with a visa on arrival. Within all nations that offer CBI programmes within the Caribbean, the Federation has one of the strongest passports in the region and "is aggressively looking to expand visa-free access."
Currently, the dual island has a limited time offer of USD 150,000 for a family of up to four under its SGF option, which is a USD 45,000 price reduction. "[This] attests that clients around the world trust the St Kitts and Nevis Programme, they trust that their investment is safe, that the investment is being used for growth within the country, that they are confident of the citizenship that they gain from St Kitts and Nevis," he said.
