Gemma Handy
Business reporter

Scroll through homes for sale in the Eastern Caribbean and it is no
longer just bewitching beaches and a laid-back lifestyle being touted
to woo buyers.

More and more property listings are offering a passport too – and
political and social volatility in the US is said to be fuelling an
upsurge in interest.

Five of the region's island nations – Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica,
Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Lucia – offer such citizenship by investment (CBI) from as little as $200,000 (£145,000).

Buy a home, and you also get a passport that grants the holder
visa-free access to up to 150 countries including the UK and Europe's
Schengen area.

For the wealthy, the islands' absence of taxes such as capital gains
and inheritance, and in some cases on income too, is another major
draw. And all five of the region's schemes allow buyers to retain their existing citizenship.

In Antigua, estate agents are struggling to keep up with demand, says
Nadia Dyson, owner of Luxury Locations. "Up to 70% of all buyers right
now are wanting citizenship, and the vast majority are from the US,"
she tells the BBC.

"We don't talk politics with them, but the unstable political landscape
[in the US] is definitely a factor.

"This time last year, it was all lifestyle buyers and a few CBI. Now
they're all saying 'I want a house with citizenship'. We've never sold
so many before."

Despite Antigua's programme having no residency requirement, some
purchasers are looking to relocate full-time, Ms Dyson says, adding: "A
few have relocated already."

US citizens account for the bulk of CBI applications in the Caribbean
over the past year, according to investment migration experts Henley & Partners.

Ukraine, Turkey, Nigeria and China are among the other most frequent
countries of origin of applicants, says the UK firm which has offices
around the world.

It adds that overall applications for Caribbean CBI programmes have
increased by 12% since the fourth quarter of 2024.

Everything from gun violence to antisemitism is putting Americans on tenterhooks, according to the consultancy's Dominic Volek.

"Around 10-15% actually relocate. For most it's an insurance policy
against whatever they're concerned about. Having a second citizenship
is a good back-up plan," he explains.

Mr Volek says the ease-of-travel advantages the Caribbean passports
provide appeals to businesspeople, and may also present a security
benefit. "Some US clients prefer to travel on a more politically-benign passport."

Prior to the Covid pandemic, the US was not even on Henley's "radar",
Mr Volek continues.

Movement restrictions proved "quite a shock" for affluent people used
to travelling freely on private jets, prompting the first surge in
stateside CBI applications. Interest ratcheted up again after the 2020
and 2024 US elections.

"There are Democrats that don't like Trump but also Republicans that
don't like Democrats," Mr Volek says.

"In the last two years we've gone from having zero offices in the US to
eight across all major cities, with another two to three opening in the
coming months." [...]

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly88xg5d9vo

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Eduardo.M - Brasil
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