{"id":9526,"date":"2017-09-01T17:05:14","date_gmt":"2017-09-01T17:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.investmentimmigration.com\/?p=9526"},"modified":"2019-02-12T14:00:29","modified_gmt":"2019-02-12T19:00:29","slug":"antigua-barbuda-halves-processing-fee-citizenship-investment-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.investmentimmigration.com\/antigua-barbuda-halves-processing-fee-citizenship-investment-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Antigua & Barbuda Halves Processing Fee for Citizenship-By-Investment Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

Antigua & Barbuda has moved to cut in half the fee for its citizenship by investment program.<\/span><\/p>\n

The program \u2013 already one of the cheapest available for citizenship-by-investment \u2013 has reduced its processing fee for a family of four to $25,000 from $50,000 under the National Development Fund investment option.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Antigua<\/span><\/p>\n

With an investment requirement of $200,000, Antigua & Barbuda citizenship is now available for a total payment of $225,000. The change came into effect on August 1, 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Antigua & Barbuda Investor Citizenship: Investment Requirements<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
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National Development Fund<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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One-time investment of US $200,000.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Real Estate<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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US $400,000 in real estate property in Antigua & Barbuda. In case of joint investment, each applicant must contribute a minimum amount of $400,000. The real estate must be held for a period of at least five years.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Business<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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$1,500,000 in an approved business. In case of a joint investment application, the total investment must be for a sum of not less than $5 million with each applicant contributing at least $400,000.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Officials say the move was required to make the program more competitive following Canada\u2019s move to impose a visa restriction on Antigua & Barbuda passport holders.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ottawa announced on Monday, June 26, 2017 that all citizens of the Caribbean nation would require a visa as of 5.30am on Tuesday, June 27, 2017. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter carefully monitoring the integrity of Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s travel documents, the government of Canada has determined that Antigua and Barbuda no longer meets Canada\u2019s criteria for a visa exemption,\u201d a Canadian government statement said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The statement added that Canada needed to protect \u201cthe integrity of our immigration system and ensuring the safety of Canadians\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The move was likely linked to concerns over the integrity of the\u00a0Antigua and Barbuda Investor Citizenship Program<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The program is one of the cheapest in the region, and effectively meant people could buy their way to visa-free travel into Canada.<\/span><\/p>\n

Complete Overhaul<\/span><\/h3>\n

Politicians in Antigua & Barbuda called for a complete overhaul of the program following Canada\u2019s move to impose a visa restriction.<\/span><\/p>\n

The leader of the Caribbean country\u2019s Democratic National Alliance (DNA) says Canada\u2019s decision was a direct result of outside suspicions on how the CIP is operated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Historically the programs have been viewed as a way for people to hide money, but many of the countries in the region have taken steps to clean up their acts.<\/span><\/p>\n

DNA leader Joanne Massiah says Antigua & Barbuda is sacrificing the reputation of the country to try and get as much investment as it can from the CIP.<\/span><\/p>\n

St Kitts Visa Restriction<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Canada made a similar move to impose a visa restriction on travellers from St. Kitts and Nevis in 2014.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to sources, authorities had evidence of people linked to terrorist organizations and criminal gangs buying St. Kitts passports to enter Canada without immigration screening.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since then, St. Kitts has overhauled its investor residence program, although Canada is yet to lift the visa requirement.<\/span><\/p>\n

General Information:<\/b> Contact us<\/span><\/a> to receive more information about this article.<\/span><\/p>\n

Interested Investors:<\/b> Kindly complete the following form<\/span><\/a> and we will contact you to discuss your global residency and citizenship investment options.<\/span><\/p>\n

Further reading<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n