By Caribbean News Global 
CASTRIES, St Lucia – Five months following a memorandum [September 14, 2022] that Saint Lucia resumed processing Iranian applications, Citizenship by Investment (CIP) Saint Lucia made a U-turn on Iranians in a memorandum dated February 20, 2023.
“ Having monitored the ongoing global challenges and as a follow-up to official memorandums previously sent regarding the matter at the subject, please note that the Saint Lucia Citizenship by Investment Unit shall not accept citizenship applications from nationals of the following three countries: The Russian Federation, The Republic of Belarus and, Iran,” the statement said.
The on-again-off-again policy decision by CIP Saint Lucia caught many agents and industry leaders by surprise.
There continues to be mixed messaging on CIP in the Caribbean region. The multiple variations to the program deliver little tangible development results. Except for a few CIP programs and development projects that are well documented, there is not a unified Caribbean/CARICOM position on CIP moving forward.
More concerning is the ethos of external forces driving the agenda for Caribbean governments and policymakers, similar to trade, investment and foreign policy.
In the memorandum on September 14, 2022, Mc Claude Emmanuel, chief executive officer, citizenship by investment unit, said: “The Unit has been able to secure relationships with due diligence service providers who are able to perform the usual thorough standard of due diligence on Iranians.”
Recently, ‘Contact Data PR Saint Lucia’, said:
“ A fast-rising number of Chinese citizens are investing in Saint Lucia in exchange for second citizenship, thanks to the country’s favourable business and family-friendly policies: for as little as US$100 000.00, Chinese investors rattled by China’s uncertain economy, are making the smart move by investing in Saint Lucia.”
Related: St Lucia’s immigrant investor programme draws in wealthy Chinese, says PR Saint Lucia
On 22 February 2023, Saint Lucia will celebrate 44th Independence Anniversary.
Saint Lucia’s marketing officer of the CIU, Tajma Brown, stated:
“There is more to Saint Lucia as a destination than simply obtaining citizenship and a passport for visa-free travel. The creation of opportunities for all citizens beyond the benefits of the passport truly confirms the contribution of our citizenship by the Investment Programme and its direct impact on the people.”
Related: ‘Beyond the Passport’ Campaign, a Great Success in Saint Lucia’s Citizenship by Investment Programme, February 20, 2023.
“Not only does Saint Lucia offer endless adventure and excitement for their tourists, but they also have exclusive investment opportunities for investors too. The Saint Lucia Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) which launched in 2016, is one of the newest CIP investment programmes in the Caribbean and has since been in demand by high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs).
“Investors are interested in the Saint Lucia CIP as it offers business opportunities through investment options that are designed to benefit the local community, the economy, infrastructure development, developers, investors, and education and healthcare,” added the PR Saint Lucia article.
The citizenship by investment unit U-turn on Iranians follows the recently concluded 44th meeting of the conference of heads of government, 15-17 February 2023, held in The Bahamas.
- Vice president Harris met with six Caribbean heads of state at the White House since the Summit of the Americas.
- Two Under Secretaries of State led strategic dialogues with Caribbean countries.
- Two interagency scoping missions travelled to the region under the auspices of PACC 2030.
- US Development Finance Corporation’s chief operating officer travelled to the region in January 2023.
- US Delegation to the CARICOM Intersessional includes assistant secretary Brian Nichols, former Secretary of State and special presidential envoy for Climate John Kerry, former senator and special presidential advisor Chris Dodd, and EXIM chairwoman Reta Jo Lewis.
