The Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis revealed that around 15,000 passport holders were affected by the decision of the Canadian government to revoke visa-free travel privileges to SKN passport holders in November 2014.
The decision was taken primarily due to security concerns arising out of issue of passports to foreigners who would otherwise have required a visa to enter Canada. The Canadian decision was preceded by a warning from American authorities highlighting the issue of the St. Kitts and Nevis passport having been issued to unsuitable and illicit individuals.
Certain e-passports issued between January 2012 and July 2014 did not issue the holder’s place of birth and instances of name changes.
These passports were issued under the St. Kitts and Nevis’ citizenship by investment program. The program enables wealthy individuals to obtain the country’s citizenship in lieu of minimum investment of $250,000 in the Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation or $400,000 in real estate.
The government recalled all such passports and the reissued passports included these details in the data page. The SKN Prime Minister blamed his predecessor for violation of security norms and due diligence rules that led to issue of even diplomatic passports against financial contributions. The scandal severely affected the credibility of the country’s investment immigration program. It will take years to recover, especially as new programs are introduced into the industry.
While the economic citizenship program remains in force, the Prime Minister asserts that the program has been strengthened to prevent participation of unsuitable individuals. Fees earned from the program contributed to close to half of the country’s $768 million budget. Currently, holders of the country’s passport enjoy visa-free travel to 133 nations; Canada, however, has still not reinstated the visa free travel privilege and is unlikely do so for the foreseeable future.
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